Data SIMs and failover that keep critical kit online.
Card terminals, lift phones, ANPR cameras, vending machines and broadband failover. Single-network or multi-network SIMs, pooled data, static IPs and a dashboard that tells you what every device is doing.
When the device matters more than the user, the SIM matters more than the brochure.
A SIM in a payment terminal or lift phone is doing a different job to a SIM in someone’s pocket. We pick the tariff and the SIM technology that suits unattended, always-on, fail-safe operation — not voice-and-Instagram.
Multi-network SIMs
Auto-switch between O2, EE, Vodafone and Three based on signal strength. Critical for devices that can’t move to find better signal.
Pooled data
Hundreds of devices share a single data bucket. One device having a bad month doesn’t fail; one device idle for a month subsidises another.
Static public IPs
Card terminals and remote monitoring kit often need to be reachable from a fixed address. We can issue static IPv4 on data SIMs.
Custom APN
Devices traffic stays on a private APN, isolated from the public internet, with traffic shaping and firewall policy applied centrally.
4G/5G failover routers
Cradlepoint, Teltonika and Peplink routers that fail over to mobile within seconds of fibre dropping. Auto-recover when the primary returns.
Device dashboard
Every SIM in one portal — signal, usage, location (where supported), last-seen, alarms when a device goes silent.
Eight things businesses run on data SIMs without thinking about it.
Most businesses already run a dozen things on mobile data — they just don’t know it. We consolidate the bills, get them onto the right tariff, and stop the surprise out-of-bundle charges.
- ✓Card terminalsVerifone and Ingenico card terminals using 4G as primary or failover. Static IPs, low-latency, certified for PCI.
- ✓Lift phonesBT-mandated reachability for emergency lift phones. Multi-network SIMs are essential — a stuck lift on a weekend can’t be tied to one carrier’s coverage.
- ✓ANPR / CCTVNumber-plate cameras and remote CCTV with 4G/5G uplink. High-throughput, low-latency tariffs with adequate concurrent video bandwidth.
- ✓Broadband failoverRouters behind every fibre circuit, with a 4G SIM ready to take over the moment the wire goes quiet. Cuts a 4-hour fibre outage to a 30-second blip.
- ✓Vending & micro-marketsCashless vending operators run hundreds of low-data SIMs. Pooled bucket, multi-network, central provisioning.
- ✓Asset tracking & telematicsFleet, plant, hire equipment. SIMs that survive vibration, temperature swings and a 7-year asset life.
- ✓Pop-up sitesConstruction huts, festival sites, polling stations — temporary connectivity that doesn’t need a wayleave.
- ✓Out-of-band managementSIM in the router so engineers can reach a remote site even when the WAN is broken. Quietly invaluable.
What you get with Firstnet IoT & data SIMs
The SIM & tariff
- ✓Single-network or multi-network steering SIMs
- ✓Pooled data plans, per-SIM caps, alerts
- ✓Static public IPv4 where required
- ✓Custom private APN with traffic shaping
- ✓2FF, 3FF, 4FF (nano), eSIM and ruggedised M2M form-factors
- ✓Roaming plans for kit that travels (EU and global)
Management & hardware
- ✓Cradlepoint, Teltonika, Peplink and Robustel router supply
- ✓Pre-staged routers with VPN, failover and config baked in
- ✓Single dashboard across all SIMs — signal, usage, alarms
- ✓Spend alerts, usage caps, soft-block before bill-shock
- ✓API access for asset systems that want SIM data programmatically
- ✓UK helpdesk on the same SLA as your IT support
Frequently asked questions
Multi-network SIMs vs aggregator SIMs — what’s the difference?
Multi-network SIMs from carriers (e.g. EE M2M) steer between the carrier’s preferred partners. Aggregator SIMs (Wireless Logic, Eseye and similar) negotiate with whichever network has the strongest signal at that moment, including operators in roaming countries. For critical kit that absolutely cannot drop, aggregator SIMs win. For cost-sensitive, plenty-of-signal deployments, carrier multi-network is fine.
How do we pay for unattended SIMs sensibly?
Pooled data is the answer for any deployment with more than ~20 SIMs. You buy one big bucket; all SIMs draw from it. Quiet months on one device cover busy months on another. We can also set per-SIM caps to stop a misconfigured device burning through the pool overnight.
Can a 4G/5G failover circuit do everything the fibre does?
For most office workloads, yes — Teams calls, browsing, M365, line-of-business apps, light file sharing. Where 5G has good signal it’s often faster than the fibre. Heavy file transfers, multi-room video conferencing or cloud backup will throttle on data caps — we size the failover SIM tariff to your worst-case acceptable performance, not your best.
What devices do you supply?
Cradlepoint and Peplink for boardroom-grade failover and SD-WAN. Teltonika for cost-effective branch and unattended use. Robustel for industrial / outdoor / DIN-rail. We pre-stage with your config, ship next-working-day in most cases, and asset-tag everything for your register.
Is 2G/3G shut-down a problem for older devices?
Yes — UK operators are shutting 3G off now and 2G follows by 2033. Any older M2M device still on 2G/3G data needs to be migrated to a 4G-capable SIM and, often, a 4G-capable modem. We audit fleets for sunset risk and plan the swap-out before service goes dark.