Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?

It is well documented that Santa, his sleigh, and the reindeer that pull it get their ability to fly from the power of festive cheer, and the continued belief from children in the story itself. Some experts feel that this belief could potentially be waning, that this magical flight around the world in one night is becoming increasingly difficult and complex. We take a look at how connectivity and IoT technologies could play an important role in helping to ensure that every family’s holiday experience remains magical.

Secure the season with connectivity

Communication is one of the most important topics at the North Pole, as you might expect. Especially when the pressure is on in the weeks leading up to the big day. Santa and his elves need to be sure that they have a secure, reliable, and scalable network connectivity solution, whether they are: 

• Sharing new plans about the latest toy and technology requests in the countless letters and wish lists they have received
• Maintaining personal data in both the naughty and nice lists
• Working out how to store the customer data they are working with
• Dealing with the unpredictable arctic weather
• Planning the optimal delivery route (round the world in a single night!). 

Implementing a private network for the workshop and its surrounding area would go a long way to ensuring all of this. This solution would provide the enhanced security, network reliability, and scalability required. In addition, it would ensure more efficient and customisable management, ensure control over network and data access, and provide compliance with global General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provisions as well.

Once the sleigh is on its journey around the globe, connectivity remains important. Santa can’t always count on Rudolph being available, but with eSIM technology, he can access the wide availability globally of 4G and 5G services. For more remote locations where the terrestrial network isn’t always available, he can have cellular satellite connectivity included in his network agreement.

Regardless of where he is in the world, Santa can stay connected and the elves back at workshop HQ can always have an overview of his progress.

Santa’s workshop: a connected wonderland

The production line needs to be performing at the highest level, especially in the weeks leading up to the holiday season. Connected IoT production machinery with remote monitoring and management makes this possible. The data from the connected machinery can be gathered, and AI tools can be used to suggest and implement manufacturing efficiencies, and also forecast potential maintenance issues. 

Tracking in the workshop is essential to ensure the right toys and products are moved securely from the workshop to the distribution centre, and also loaded into the sack based on the most efficient route. Smart energy-monitoring modifications within the workshop, such as eSIM- and iSIM-enabled smart meters, also enable the elves to efficiently manage energy needs for peak periods. Remember, sustainability matters – especially at the North Pole.

Further, all high value gifts can be tagged with a G+D Smart Label to track their precise location at all times, monitoring values like temperature and impact, and also to see when the gifts are opened.

Finally, In-Factory Profile Provisioning (IFPP) means smart devices and connected toys that use eSIM and iSIM can be set up with connectivity profiles directly in the factory before they’re dispatched. You’re giving a gift, not setting a task: let the child enjoy the toy direct out of the box!

Connect on the go

With the sleigh’s eSIM, Santa can enjoy the great infotainment system onboard, with access to all his favourite festive songs, without running down the battery of his phone. He can take the songs with him as he travels from house to house via their chimneys, and reconnect with his sleigh when he is back in it. The elves back home can monitor the sleigh’s telematics to make sure everything is running at top performance. They can recognise potential problems early and send updates and fixes remotely. 

As we know, Santa is on a tight schedule. He really doesn’t want to be searching around for his keys each time he comes back to his vehicle. With keyless entry he can use his smartphone to access the sleigh’s systems, including turning it on. Further, eSIM-enabled smart wearables help the elves track key indicators such as health and stress markers for Santa and his reindeers. Finally, given how crowded the skies are, and how many tall buildings may suddenly swim up in his way, isn’t it a good thing that his sleigh comes with an eCall system that gives him access to prompt rooftop assistance? 

Smarter gifts = smarter gifting

Devices with in-built eSims are slimmer and carry less weight. There is also no need to cater for extra SIM cards. Not only are they more sustainable in the shorter term logistics-wise, but also the eSIM has 46% less emissions over its lifetime versus the traditional pluggable SIM card, making it more sustainable in the long term as well. 

All users, regardless of their mobile provider, can enjoy the best experience as soon as they open their new smartphone, tablet, or wearable under the tree. With entitlement servers and eSIM management available to all mobile network operators (MNOs) and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), a customer can use great services like eSIM quick transfer to move their profiles from an old phone to their current device, without the need to mess around with a little pin, or having to find a paper clip. They can also quickly set up features such as iMessage and FaceTime, and add extra wearables and other devices into their current data plan. 

Just think – if you can just arrange to have perfect smartphone reception on that magical night, you might even hear the sleigh bells ringing on your roof!