As the IoT industry moves past the “hype” phase and into massive industrial scaling, the technical architecture behind connectivity is more critical than ever. Live from MWC Barcelona 2026, we sat down with Alan Tait, CTO at Pelion, to discuss the evolution of eSIM standards and what it takes to manage millions of diverse endpoints.
In this interview, Alan shares Pelion’s “eSIM-first” philosophy and explores how the shift from legacy standards to the upcoming SGP.32 is simplifying global deployments for everything from perimeter robots to smart gas meters.
Key Highlights from the Interview:
- The Evolution of eSIM: Alan traces Pelion’s journey from early SGP.02 deployments to their current SGP.22 solutions for consumer-based industrial devices, and the high anticipation for the SGP.32 standard.
- Bridging the Industrial Gap: How Pelion is bringing consumer eSIM standards into the industrial space, supporting high-performance routers (like Cradlepoint and Peplink) and healthcare workflows on iPads.
- Beyond the Hype: Why the most “exciting” part of IoT today isn’t just the flashy tech, but the massive industrial use cases – like utilities and agriculture – that are finally reaching a scale of millions of devices.
- Managing Diversity: Insights into the unique connectivity requirements of specialized hardware, including security perimeter robots and smart agricultural sensors.
“We’re back in a phase where it’s about real utility. One day I’m talking to someone about security perimeter robots, and the next it’s millions of gas meters. That industrial scale is what excites me.” – Alan Tait, CTO at Pelion
Whether you are navigating the transition to next-gen eSIM standards or looking to scale a diverse fleet of industrial devices, Alan’s perspective offers a clear view of where the cellular IoT market is headed in 2026.
