Knowledge base

Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) is one of the three defining features of 5G. It is an improvement of Mobile Broadband which is wireless internet access over mobile networks. eMBB enables new data-driven experiences that require high data rates, resulting in a faster and better user experience. eMBB will easily handle wireless internet in places where large numbers of people gather, such as in stadiums. eMBB will also make the use of AI, VR and AR accessible via the mobile network.

A proof of concept (PoC) is a method to demonstrate whether, for example, an Internet of Things (IoT) concept (technology or functionality) is feasible and is in line with the perception of an end customer. In other words: whether it has any potential to actually be used after its introduction. With a proof of concept ideas get a lot more direction and it provides insight and proof much faster whether the idea works or not. This allows potential decision-makers to be convinced more quickly of the chances of success of an IoT concept.

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a gateway to an existing application (for example, the sim management system of an IoT connectivity application, such as M2M, LTE M or NB-IOT) that makes it possible to make functionality of the application available to other systems. An API thus enables communication between different systems. APIs are designed to populate, restore, update, and delete values. An API takes advantage of web-based protocols such as HTTP and XML.

MQTT protocol (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a common language through which sensors, actuators and machines can communicate with each other. It is a lightweight publish and subscribe system. The protocol was developed as a simple system to transfer data with a low bandwidth. Thanks to these properties, MQTT is very suitable for use within Internet of Things applications. MQTT is used in various industries such as automotive, manufacturing, telecommunications, oil and gas. MQTT uses the following basic concepts: Publish/Subscribe, Messages, Topics and Broker. Publish and subscribe principle First of all, the Publish and Subscribe principle. A device can publish a message on a topic. It is also possible to subscribe to a so-called topic, whereby we indicate that we want to receive the message of this topic. MQTT and Topics A topic is the way in which it is indicated how a message is published, or how it is indicated which messages should be received. Topics are displayed as a string separated by a slash. Each slash indicates a level. The broker is ultimately responsible for receiving all messages. When a device publishes a message, it will go to the broker.

Internet Protocol (IP) is a set of rules governing how data should be delivered over public networks. It is a part of the system that is used to allow networks to communicate with each other, such as on the Internet usually via an IP address. The internet protocol is part of a stack that is necessary for communication. In combination with the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), it is referred to as TCP/IP.

Big Data is an umbrella term for the enormous increase in the amount of data that becomes available via ICT systems, devices (hardware) and online activities of users. Big Data is about extracting online information from a large amount of data from a large number of different sources. Its sources are diverse and the data is both structured and unstructured. If it is possible that connections can be made from all those different types of data, this can provide organizations with new insights.

eUICC stands for Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC). The main advantage of eUICC is that it offers the possibility to configure multiple mobile network profiles on a single simcard. These network profiles can be easily configured and managed over the air (OTA). With eUICC you can rest assured that your IoT connectivity will remain stable and it mainly benefits from a global roll-out, where one specific operator can usually not offer the best suitable conditions in all regions. Where is eUICC often used? Without specific modifications to the hardware or adjustments in the production process, the profile of a local operator can be configured on a simcard. eUICC is often used in M2M and LTE M connectivity.

A Mobile Network Operator (MNO) is a Telecommunications Service Provider that provides wireless voice and data communications to its subscribed mobile customers. MNOs are independent Telecommunications Service Providers that own the complete telecom infrastructure for hosting and managing mobile communications. MNO features An important feature of an MNO is that an MNO must own or manage access to a radio spectrum license from a regulatory or government agency. A second important feature of an MNO is that it must own or manage the elements of the network infrastructure necessary to provide services to subscribers over the licensed spectrum. M2M, LTE M and NB-IOT fall under the licensed spectrum.

The Domain Name System (DNS) is the system and network protocol used on the Internet to translate computer names into numerical IP-addresses and vice versa. DNS is a client-server system: a requester uses the DNS protocol to request a name or address from a provider (DNS server), to which the server returns a reply. Looking up a number by a name is called forward lookup; looking up a name with a number reverse lookup.

UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol and it is one of the basic protocols of the Internet. This is a message-oriented protocol. This means that a sender sends a message to the receiver, just like with the TCP protocol. However, the difference with TCP is that with UDP the receiver does not send an confirmation to the sender. UDP can be compared to sending an email where you do not know whether the message will arrive and be read. The advantage of UDP is that it is faster than TCP. It's faster, because no confirmation is sent, so there is no two-way traffic. However, UDP also has drawbacks. Because no confirmation is sent at UPD, it is less reliable in sending data than, for example, TCP. This means that UDP is mainly suitable for one-way communication, where the loss of some data is not a problem. UDP is therefore mainly used when speed is more important than a 100% error-free connection. The UDP protocol is mainly used for live streaming and VOIP (voice over ip).

TCP is a network protocol, which is used for sending data bits (packets) over the internet, on top of the regular internet protocol (the transport layer/application layer in the IP stack). TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol and is a widely used protocol that transfers data on the Internet over network connections. TCP can send data in a data stream, which means that this data is guaranteed to arrive at its destination. Communication errors are also taken care of.

For some business cases, where the device mainly receives data from the IoT network and sends virtually no data, the time that the device listens to the network can be adjusted. This arrangement between the device and the network can be extended from every 10 seconds to once every few hours with Extended Discontinuous Reception (eDRX). It lowers battery consumption. The cellular modules can go into a deep, low-power sleep mode (PSM) or only become active (eDRX) when the cellular module needs to connect to the network to transmit data. This results in a significant battery saving. eDRX is available with LTE M and NB-IOT.