At MWC Barcelona, the global IoT ecosystem gathered to discuss the technologies shaping the next decade of connected devices. During a roundtable interview at the event, KORE explored some of the biggest questions enterprises face when deploying IoT connectivity at scale – from pricing pressures to global compliance and the future of programmable connectivity.
The discussion highlighted an important reality for organizations deploying enterprise IoT solutions today: connectivity is no longer just about the SIM card. It’s about building resilient infrastructure that can support millions of devices across countries, networks, and evolving regulatory environments.
Watch the full on-trend roundtable.
IoT Connectivity Is More Than the Cost Per SIM
The IoT connectivity market has become increasingly competitive, with many providers focusing heavily on price. But in large-scale deployments, the real cost of connectivity rarely comes from the SIM itself.
Instead, organizations often encounter hidden costs caused by:
- Downtime and service interruptions
- Coverage gaps across regions
- Scaling failures when deployments grow
- Slow support response times
- Compliance and regulatory risks
In reality, connectivity should be viewed as critical infrastructure, not a commodity.
When organizations deploy 50,000 or even 500,000 connected devices, reliability, resiliency, and operational governance become far more important than marginal differences in price. Enterprise-grade connectivity requires multi-network resiliency, global carrier relationships, and lifecycle support to keep deployments running smoothly.
Global IoT Deployments Are Becoming More Complex
Another major theme discussed at MWC was the growing complexity of global IoT deployments. Across industries such as healthcare, transport, and smart infrastructure, regulatory frameworks are evolving rapidly. Many countries now require:
- Local connectivity profiles
- Data residency compliance
- In-country carrier relationships
This means the traditional approach of relying solely on global roaming is no longer sufficient for many enterprise deployments.
Organizations now need a strategy that balances local performance and compliance with global visibility and control. Connectivity orchestration – particularly with technologies like SGP.32 eSIM standards – is becoming essential for managing connectivity profiles and adapting to regulatory changes over time.
Why Many IoT Projects Struggle to Scale
One of the most common challenges enterprises face is transitioning from IoT pilot projects to full-scale production deployments. Pilots often operate in controlled environments. But when companies move to production and scale from thousands to hundreds of thousands of devices, new operational challenges emerge, including:
- Coverage consistency across multiple regions
- Device certification and compatibility
- Logistics and device lifecycle management
- Support scalability
- Billing transparency and operational visibility
Scaling an IoT deployment is not as simple as adding more SIMs. It requires automation, monitoring, governance, and infrastructure designed for long-term global operations.
Simplifying IoT Operations with Integrated Connectivity
Managing global IoT deployments often means dealing with fragmented tools, multiple vendors, and disconnected operational systems. One of the biggest opportunities for enterprises is consolidating connectivity, hardware, and lifecycle services into a single operational environment.
An integrated IoT ecosystem can provide:
- Centralized connectivity profile management
- Device lifecycle services such as staging, provisioning, and repair
- Real-time usage and performance visibility
- Policy controls and anomaly detection
- Inventory and asset tracking
This approach reduces operational friction and allows businesses to spend less time managing vendors and more time focusing on innovation and business growth.
The Future of IoT Connectivity: Flexible, Programmable, and Resilient
Looking ahead, the next phase of enterprise IoT will be defined by flexibility and future-proofing. Technologies shaping this evolution include:
- SGP.32 eSIM orchestration enabling dynamic connectivity management
- 5G standalone networks delivering enhanced performance and reliability
- Multi-IMSI connectivity for increased resiliency and automatic failover
- Satellite connectivity integration enabled by 3GPP NTN standards
These innovations are essential because IoT device lifecycles typically last 10–15 years, while networks, regulations, and technologies evolve much faster.
Future-ready connectivity architectures must allow enterprises to adapt their connectivity strategy multiple times during a device’s lifespan without replacing hardware.
Ultimately, as IoT becomes increasingly embedded across industries – from smart cities to connected healthcare – connectivity must evolve into programmable, adaptable infrastructure capable of supporting mission-critical deployments worldwide.
This discussion only scratches the surface of the insights shared during our conversation at MWC Barcelona. To hear the full discussion on enterprise IoT connectivity, scaling deployments, and the future of global connectivity orchestration, watch the full interview.
Published March 12, 2026.