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What are the service providers options in USA for IoT 2G data?

Project scenario:

  • raspberry pi 3 devices that will be collecting data in remote areas
  • I would buy modem modules compatible with the wireless network requirements
  • Each device would need to send approximately 6KB of data per minute via HTTPS
  • I would like to be able to buy sim cards in bulk and pool all of their billing and usage, as well as centrally manage them

I found Twilio:

https://www.twilio.com/wireless/pricing

It sounds promising, essentially what I am looking for. Curious to know if there are other options or considerations in the USA?

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    I don't know anything about US cellular, but you might want to think about how long you expect this service to keep running.
    – Sean Houlihane
    Aug 27, 2017 at 18:15
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    Also related to Sean's comment: some providers are apparently pulling the plug on 2G networks now, so it might not be around for long.
    – Aurora0001
    Aug 27, 2017 at 18:46
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    Do you have a rough estimate of the number of devices you'll be deploying?
    – Aurora0001
    Aug 27, 2017 at 18:48
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    Initially 10 devices but I would like to be able to scale up in the future. 5-10 year deployment time would be my goal, are there LTE options available? My payloads are tiny (6KB per minute) and latency isn't a concern
    – RandomUser
    Aug 27, 2017 at 18:53
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    I can send less data if necessary, could you provide a link to one of these ultra-low-usage IoT plans? That is the information I am looking for
    – RandomUser
    Aug 27, 2017 at 20:03

2 Answers 2

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Have you looked at Particle.io or T-Mobile?

T-Mobile offer unlimited connectivity for $25/year per SIM. They also have a web management platform, API and can optionally integrate with Twilio's platform. T-Mobile also commits to running 2G services until at least 2020:

T‑Mobile supports IoT customers using 2G networks, giving them a clear roadmap from 2G to 4G LTE. And our 2G-M2M network will continue supporting 2G solutions through 2020.

Particle's offering seems more reliable across multiple countries:

Particle’s IoT SIM makes building and delivering your cellular connected product or solution fast, easy, and affordable. Particle’s SIM has affordable data plans for low-bandwidth devices, provides reliable worldwide service in over 100 countries, and works with Particle’s byte-optimized messaging protocol to save money for both you and your customers.

Prices appear to only be available after contacting their sales team, but the rates are claimed to be pay-as-you-go for the SIMs.

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    Welcome! These are good suggestions, and your answer would be even better if you could provide some details about why you might choose either Particle or T-Mobile for the OP. Just including little things like what unique features they have, pricing, etc would make this a great answer. See How to Answer for some useful tips (particularly the tips under "Provide context for links"). I've edited with some basic information, and I encourage you to edit a little further to make this more useful to the OP.
    – Aurora0001
    Aug 29, 2017 at 8:50
  • Don't waste your time with particle. They cloud-block too much and their devices are a pain in the ass if you don't have a really strong signal. (I wasted 6 hours only to find out their cloud blocked most of the types of connections I wanted to make with my devices) Last time I checked with T-Mobile, they blew me off as a consumer and suggested 3rd party M2M providers that re-sell their IoT services. (not sure who the current players are in that - that was over a year ago)
    – Scott
    Jul 20, 2019 at 2:16
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We use Sierra Wireless - one reason we picked them is for their detailed Web Service API documentation. Their model is that individual devices connect to them; sensor readings etc are retained in their "data lake"; and we use the web service API to poll (or be triggered) to discover uploaded data. It's working for us for the moment.

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