Driving the future of automotive connectivity

As the automotive industry accelerates its digital transformation against a backdrop of market upheaval, vehicle connectivity has emerged as one of the most important drivers of innovation and competitive advantage. From lifesaving eCall services and advanced telematics to intelligent car management and AI-enhanced analytics, connectivity is no longer an option, it’s a necessity – for every stage of a vehicle’s life cycle.

Indeed, the industry’s long-held ambition to create fully software-defined vehicles – where features are enabled and updated via software to meet evolving market demands – hinges on robust and adaptable connectivity. Without it, the vision remains unattainable.

Automakers surge in eSIM adoption

Reflecting that goal, automotive manufacturers have been ramping up their commitments to programmable, embedded SIMs (eSIMs). In the three years to 2028, these automotive OEMs are expected to have integrated nearly half a billion eSIMs into vehicles, enabling seamless connectivity for telematics control units, infotainment systems, and a wide array of onboard IoT services.¹

Yet, ensuring seamless connectivity across a vehicle’s lifespan presents a significant challenge. At various stages – manufacturing, market deployment, and post-sale updates – eSIMs must be provisioned with different profiles to optimize efficiency during production, support regional connectivity requirements, and enable in-field management.

A trio of complementary technologies is addressing this challenge: in-factory profile provisioning (IFPP), remote SIM provisioning (RSP), and private/non-public networks (NPNs). Together, these innovations – when underpinned by an advanced eSIM management platform – are capable of transforming connectivity into a scalable, efficient, and seamless asset for automakers.

But this is no distant vision: these technologies are already in play and are backed by evolving industry standards, promising significant competitive advantages for manufacturers who prioritize flexible and effective eSIM provisioning.

Igniting connectivity over a vehicle’s lifespan

Modern vehicles are packed with sensors and IoT devices, continuously gathering and exchanging critical data across networks. To facilitate this, automakers will increasingly need to deploy a variety of eSIM profiles throughout the vehicle’s life cycle, each serving a distinct purpose:

• Non-public network profile: Provides secure, high-speed data communication between the vehicle and a manufacturer’s private network during production. This ensures efficient software loading, real-time testing, updates, and vehicle tracking.
• Bootstrap profile: Prepares the eSIM for future remote SIM provisioning, allowing for flexible updates and new profile installations over-the-air (OTA) after manufacturing. This is especially useful when the target market is determined post-production.
• Public network profile: Installs a mobile network operator (MNO) profile as final part of the production process, enabling the vehicle to connect securely to a designated cellular network upon delivery. This supports critical services such as telematics and regional-specific features like eCall. Additionally, this profile can serve as a backup during production if the manufacturer’s private factory network is unavailable.

IFPP, NPN, RSP: a trio of enabling technologies

Three transformative technologies are now making the provisioning of the mix of vehicle eSIM profiles highly efficient, scalable, and seamless, especially when integrated with a comprehensive eSIM management platform such as G+D’s AirOn360^® IoT Suite. 

1. IFPP: streamlining car connectivity
In-factory profile provisioning – the automated and secure loading of MNO eSIM profiles onto devices during the manufacturing process – enables automotive OEMs to equip vehicles with market-ready connectivity. That ensures the vehicle is “Born Connected^®,” reducing (or even eliminating) the need for post-purchase configuration and, ultimately, resulting in an enhanced customer experience.

An integral component of any software-defined vehicle strategy, IFPP can accelerate time-to-market by allowing OEMs to rapidly load profiles and standardize vehicle connectivity for different markets/regulatory environments – automatically and at scale. And that means greater flexibility and efficiency, as well as potentially lower manufacturing costs: vital in today’s volatile automotive sector.

As Dr. Philipp Schulte, G+D’s Mobile Security CEO, has highlighted: “Whereas previously OEMs could only manufacture vehicles for distribution all over the world by deploying different SKUs (stock-keeping units) for different countries, IFPP saves time and money by allowing them to use a single SKU for all vehicles and include the eSIM profile during the manufacturing process. Vehicles can therefore be delivered with global-ready connectivity, enabling seamless communication and telematics for vehicles on the go.”²

Additionally, IFPP also enhances the security of profile loading. With G+D’s AirOn360^® In-Factory eSIM, for example, eSIMs are shipped to the OEM with the G+D operating system but without the designated network profiles. Then, the profiles are sent for loading onto the eSIM during the production of the vehicle – either accessed online or downloaded in batches. In either case, the OEM doesn’t need to have access to the profile data.

Moreover, G+D AirOn360^® In-Factory eSIM has been proven in the field – at scale. Almost 200 million phones have been enabled for cellular connectivity through G+D’s IFPP capability. It also adheres to key industry standards, being aligned to the GSMA’s upcoming standard for IFPP, SGP.42.

2. Private cellular networks: empowering connectivity
Automotive OEMs are increasingly looking to deploy private cellular networks (PCNs) at production sites to establish secure, fast, and reliable connectivity between manufacturing systems and production-line vehicles. These self-contained networks offer an alternative to the traditional combination of factory Wi-Fi and public cellular networks (although it is not uncommon for manufacturers to maintain secondary connectivity via public cellular networks to ensure continuity if NPNs are unavailable).

The low latency and high bandwidth of NPNs especially when 5G-based allow automakers to “flash” large amounts of data to vehicles rapidly – again, a crucial step in the journey toward fully software-defined vehicles.

Private cellular networks and the devices connected to them via eSIMs can be managed centrally with platforms such as G+D AirOn360^® IoT Suite which supports all RSP scenarios: SGP.02 (M2M), SGP.22 (consumer), SGP.32 (IoT), and SGP.42 (IFPP). The platform enables profile creation, eSIM management, and credential delivery over-the-air, ensuring seamless and secure operations within the private network. Furthermore, the secure authentication of all of the components, machines, and vehicles within a manufacturer’s private mobile network also enhances network security.

3. Remote SIM provisioning: connectivity unbound
Once a car reaches its intended destination, the final eSIM profile/subscription can be loaded, activated, or updated remotely. It is then ready to be managed in the field, ensuring it can connect to the appropriate network for its region and customer needs.

With G+D AirOn360^® IoT Suite, eSIMs are provisioned remotely over-the-air (OTA), allowing car manufacturers to swap network providers or adapt to new regulations without any kind of vehicle recall. Seamlessly integrated into the G+D eSIM management platform, that in-field profile provisioning works hand-in-hand with the G+D IFPP capability.

Again, the solution is in lockstep with GSMA standards. It supports the 2023-released SGP.32 standard for RSP, which uses a faster, more reliable IP-based communication protocol that better addresses the needs of the automotive sector than its predecessor SGP.02. As such, the new standard enhances the efficiency of managing IoT devices and provides a more flexible approach to the management of cellular connectivity across a device’s life cycle.

“The GSMA standard SGP.32 for the remote SIM provisioning of IoT devices and vehicles is set to gradually replace its predecessor SGP.02, which is more optimized for M2M applications. But G+D’s AirOn360^® IoT Suite supports all RSP standards, enabling OEMs to transition seamlessly without disrupting existing fleets,” explains Sönke Schröder, Director of Global Go-to-Market Strategy & Innovations at G+D.

The road to a software-centric future

The integration of eSIMs and advanced provisioning technologies are redefining vehicle connectivity in an era of market turbulence, enabling automakers to manufacture with greater agility, enhance user experiences, and unlock new service-driven revenue streams.

Innovations such as IFPP, RSP, and private cellular networks will play a big role in that transition. As always in the car industry, timing, responsiveness, and the selection of partners are critical. And at this juncture, G+D stands as the only provider offering an end-to-end solution that integrates these technologies into a unified eSIM management ecosystem.

Seamless, flexible, and scalable connectivity is no longer a luxury – it is the foundation of the next generation of vehicles. And automotive OEMs that embrace these innovations today will be well positioned to lead the automotive landscape of tomorrow.