Published: 16/01/2025

IFPP: a connectivity enabler for the IoT revolution
In-factory profile provisioning (IFPP) – the automated and secure loading of digital SIM profiles onto IoT devices at the point of their manufacture – is set to deliver unprecedented levels of efficiency, flexibility, and sustainability to IoT programs. The key for device makers: an advanced IFPP platform.

Even by the standards of the information technology industry, the switch to programmable SIMs – as the connectivity vehicle for smart devices – is happening at an astonishing pace. From just a few hundred million in 2023, the number of eSIM and iSIM connections is set to soar to 4.4 billion by 2028, according to Kaleido Intelligence. That’s a compound annual growth rate of 63%.1
Much of the early growth has been driven by eSIM activations on smartphones, as Apple has set the direction in the consumer market with eSIM-only iPhones. But going forward, as hundreds of millions of new IoT and M2M devices enter service in industrial settings, eSIM and iSIM will be the connectivity modes of choice.
For device manufacturers looking to ride that wave – whether in the area of smart meters, logistics trackers, industrial sensors, automotive systems, or any of the other many IoT use cases – the immense opportunity also comes with a new set of challenges.
High on the list of issues to tackle is SIM provisioning. As IoT companies move beyond the historical practice of manually installing physical SIM cards to a new world where the SIM is embedded in the device’s circuitry, they need to select a provisioning capability that can securely and efficiently load mobile network operator (MNO) profiles on programmable SIMs – often at scale.
Early adopters of eSIM technology have employed one effective path: remote SIM provisioning (RSP), a software capability that sends a device’s MNO profile directly to the device’s eSIM over the air (OTA). RSP can then be used to manage the SIM in the field. An alternative approach has been to pre-load the device with rudimentary bootstrap connectivity that kicks off cellular activation through an RSP command. But both cases have a major limitation: the process of loading and updating profiles in the field can drain the finite battery power of many types of devices, notably devices such as water meters and environmental monitors that don’t usually have a direct electricity supply.
However, the solution to that provisioning challenge is emerging in the form of in-factory profile provisioning (IFPP).
IFPP: Addressing key challenges for IoT device OEMs
Connectivity: Ensuring seamless connectivity for devices straight out of the factory.
Digitalisation: Digitalising the delivery process for connectivity credentials during production to streamline processes and adapt to customer needs
Flexibility: Achieving flexible production capabilities to support different MNOs across various batches, series, and regions
Simplification: Reducing logistics complexity to minimise the number of stock-keeping units (SKUs) required and simplify inventory management
Acceleration: Speeding up time-to-market while simplifying device hardware
From in-field to in-factory
IFPP is an innovative approach that allows manufacturers to securely load MNO and mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) SIM profiles as part of the production of an IoT or consumer device. That ensures the device is ‘Born Connected®’ when it leaves the factory, ready to function and communicate as soon as it is turned on. And that capability is as valuable in consumer markets as it is in business settings:
• Consumer-ready smart devices
In consumer devices, out-of-the box-connectivity is ensured by preconfiguring MNO profiles onto consumer devices, so they are ready to be distributed to customers. For example, smartphone makers use advanced IFPP platforms so they can ship boxed devices to MNOs already equipped with the communications profile.
• Device manufacturers can provision any number of IoT devices before they are deployed, enabling out-of-the-box connectivity, with the flexibility to set up batches of devices for specific regions or MNOs.
How does that work in practice? To meet its client’s requirements, a device maker orders a connectivity service and batches of profiles from the client’s chosen MNO suppliers. Those profile orders are then sent to their eSIM chip partner, which provides a data-generation and provisioning service that the manufacturer can access when injecting profiles onto devices during production.
For example, a utility company that is having smart meters created for different European markets can ask its device maker to enable one batch of devices with the credentials of its Germany MNO and other batches destined for France and the UK, with MNO credentials specific to those countries. In each case, the same device, with the same SKU (stock-keeping unit), can be provisioned.
And when universal coverage is required, devices can be equipped with a global MVNO option. G+D, for example, can provide a profile that has worldwide connectivity. The company, which produced the first commercial SIM card and is a pioneer in eSIM management, can provide eSIMs for more than 600 networks, covering about 185 countries – a footprint that can be extended even further with satellite connectivity.
“IFPP delivers a set of game-changing benefits, for the network operator, for the IoT device maker, and for their customer.“
Embracing IFPP: 8 key benefits
It’s a win-win-win for MNOs/MVNOs, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of IoT devices, and their customers, says Sönke Schröder, Director of Global Go-to-Market Strategy and Innovation at G+D.
“IFPP delivers a set of game-changing benefits. For a network operator, devices are delivered pre-loaded with their credentials,” he says. “For the device manufacturer, the process of loading profiles is highly efficient, flexible, and secure. And customers can expect devices to connect straight out of the box – without further provisioning.”

Early adopters of G+D’s IFPP platform – AirOn360® In-Factory eSIM, part of the company’s comprehensive AirOn360® IoT Suite – are already reaping a host of business benefits. Eight that stand out are:
1. Enhanced customer experience
By embedding connectivity for target MNOs during the production process, the device will be ready to connect to the network as soon as it ships, providing an instant-on experience – whether the end customer is a smartphone retailer or a device installer.
2. Accelerated time-to-market
By reducing (or even eliminating) any need for post-purchase configuration, devices can be commercially active from day one.
3. New flexibility and efficiency
By automating the profile loading process and eliminating the need for manual SIM card installation and activation, OEMs can achieve substantial cost efficiencies. Moreover, the digitalisation of the provisioning processes means the devices themselves can be simplified: for example, there is no need to build in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities as a means of loading profiles in the field, which streamlines production, cuts device manufacturing costs, and can even reduce the size of the device.
4. Single device integration
The need to add physical SIM cards from different MNOs to existing devices has historically required OEMs to maintain multiple SKUs for each variant of their product. With IFPP, eSIM profiles for different MNOs can be loaded digitally onto a single SKU, increasing the efficiency of production, flexibility, and distribution logistics.
5. Preserving device power
The digital injection of MNO profiles as part of the manufacturing process is particularly useful to customers who are deploying battery-powered IoT devices such as water meters. Device battery capacity is not weakened by the act of downloading or updating a profile in the field, most commonly via RSP.
6. More sustainable SIMs
Provisioning eSIMs using IFPP can support the removal of millions of plastic cards (as well as their protective plastic mounts) from the IoT device production process. That can have highly positive environmental impact. It is estimated that more than 4 billion physical SIM cards are created each year, an activity that is responsible for generating more than 560,000 tonnes of CO2 and consuming more than 18,000 tonnes of plastic.
7. Scaling up
Loading and updating SIM profiles on devices – at scale – is one of the big challenges of the IoT industry. Above a certain shipment level, the manual loading of eSIMs simply becomes less practical and less cost-effective. By automating the profiling process, IFPP can support device shipment numbers from hundreds to hundreds of thousands.
8. Enhanced security
IFPP enhances security by ensuring that devices are protected from the outset, minimising the risks associated with manual configurations and physical SIM handling. But in the case of G+D’s AirOn360® In-Factory eSIM, the security goes another critical step further: “eSIMs are shipped to the OEM with the G+D operating system but without the network profiles,” explains Schröder. “Then, digitally, we send the profiles for loading to the eSIM during the production of the device – those profiles can be accessed online or downloaded in batches. In both cases, though, the OEM doesn’t have to have access to the profile data.”
The major benefit of that approach? The device maker’s production facility doesn’t need to attain the stringent security accreditation from the industry’s governing body, the GSMA, which is required by companies uploading profiles to eSIMs directly.
As part of its IFPP offering, G+D effectively provides that GSMA accreditation as a service. “Since we create the profile data and then securely load it to the eSIM, the OEM can load profiles from the MNOs without certification to the GSMA’s Security Accreditation Scheme [SAS],” says Schröder. That’s because G+D has accreditation to both manufacture and program eSIMs.
Moreover, the OEM doesn’t have to rely on maintaining a connection to the G+D servers in order to load profiles. G+D also provides a batch mode for its IFPP service, so OEMs can download the profiles and apply them when ready.
Industry use cases for IFPP
Consumer electronics: Devices and wearables with pre-provisioned network profiles for instant cellular connectivity – no matter where
Transport and logistics: Built-in and battery-operated trackers as well as IoT devices that connect immediately to monitor units on the go
Smart metering: Utility company meters that connect out of the box, eliminating the need for in-field set-up
Automotive: Vehicles delivered with ready-to-go connectivity for global communication and telematics
Healthcare and well-being: Medical and monitoring devices securely connecting wherever they are deployed for reliable data transmission and remote management.
Industrial IoT: Machinery and sensors supplied with ready-to-use connectivity for real-time reporting and control
Unlocking the full potential of IoT
The G+D’s IFPP offering is not exclusively ‘fire and forget’, though. G+D’s AirOn360® IoT includes an RSP capability that enables the remote management and updating of eSIM profiles via OTA. That’s a vital capability for consumer devices and occasionally required for IoT units. “RSP for IoT devices is a useful fallback scenario for IFPP,” Schröder highlights, citing an example: a set of devices have been in the field for eight years, but the quality of coverage from the original MNO has declined. The RSP capability allows the customer to change profiles in the field to a different MNO, but with an appreciation that some battery power will be consumed as part of this action.
As in other areas of IoT connectivity, industry standards are going to play a big role in IFPP in ensuring eSIM chips and devices from multiple companies can be serviced. But even as the industry works towards standards for IFPP (around GSMA’s SGP.42 initiative), the G+D solution is already proving itself in the market.

In fact, as of late 2024, the company was the only provider to have rolled out a large-scale commercial deployment, with a global consumer smartphone leader having used its solution to deploy more than 170 million profiles. Meanwhile, in the IoT arena, G+D is already supporting customers in early adopter areas such as smart metering.
Given such activity, it is not difficult to regard IFPP as a – perhaps the – transformational capability that the IoT revolution has been waiting for. Connectivity is, after all, the lifeblood of any IoT deployment, and the ability to securely load eSIM profiles from MNOs onto devices during the manufacturing process – with in-field downloads no longer a necessity – will unlock wave upon wave of IoT rollouts.
Key takeaways
- In-factory profile provisioning of eSIMs is set to deliver unprecedented levels of efficiency and flexibility to IoT programs.
- IFPP ensures IoT devices are ‘Born Connected®' as they leave the factory, ready to function and communicate as soon as they are turned on.
- The ability to securely load eSIM profiles from multiple MNOs onto devices during the manufacturing process will overcome barriers that frustrate IoT rollouts.
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eSIM & iSIM Active Connections to Reach 4.4 billion in 2028, Kaleido Intelligence, 2023
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