How SGP.32 Simplifies IoT Connectivity Lifecycle Management

The SGP.32 standard was officially introduced by the mobile industry body the GSMA in April 2025. Over a year later, it’s now clear how transformative the technology has been for the Internet of Things (IoT).

SGP.32 - and the remote device management it enables – has finally realised the promise of the IoT: truly wireless communication between IT departments, devices, and mobile networks, with no manual inputs or physical effort required.

While the potential of an SGP. 32-based strategy is obvious, many IoT devices still utilize prior systems like the consumer-focused SGP.22, or physical SIM cards, often “locked-in” to specific network operators and proprietary technologies.

This is understandable – global IoT fleets can be multigenerational, and companies hesitant to invest in the replacement of older, non-eSIM-compliant models.

In an industry on the cusp of rapid growth, however, manual processes and individual management are no longer enough. Here, we explore how SGP.32 can immediately improve efficiencies at nearly every stage of a connected device’s lifecycle when coupled with a capable management system and global connectivity service.

As industry analysts Juniper Research noted soon after the release of SGP.32, the new standard allows IoT operators to refocus their efforts on eSIM lifecycle management.

Why the IoT needs SGP.32

For years, the IoT space had been struggling with the fundamental truth that SIM cards are no longer able to deliver the efficiency required of the current wireless industry. By 2030, over 6.5 billion IoT devices are expected to be in operation. Serving this demand while still manually inserting connectivity in every device via SIM cards is impossible. While eSIMs have been commonplace in the IoT since 2012, the means by which IT administrators can manage and verify these profiles are still evolving.

Earlier standards like SGP.02 created an initial dependency on the mobile network operator who supplied the card, requiring the end device to accept and activate a SIM profile before it could be used. Adding another network provider later requires complex integration project implementation, making switching providers or adapting connectivity extremely difficult and expensive. SGP.02 also relied on SMS for profile management and security updates– a feature unavailable to many of the lo-fi, low-power LPWAN or LTE-M systems common in the Internet of Things.

From pull to push

Later, IoT companies began adopting the consumer-grade SGP.21 and SGP.22 standards to distribute and manage eSIMs. As a consumer standard, however, this still required user input. Over SGP.21 and SGP.22, the device would need to initiate the eSIM delivery via a manual act like pressing a button, clicking a link, or scanning a QR code.

This system works for consumer contexts where a person can manually confirm the installation of an eSIM on their new phone or smartwatch, providing an additional layer of security to the installation process. In commercial usage, where companies need to simultaneously deploy SIM profiles to thousands of industrial sensors that lack screens, buttons, or cameras, it loses its lustre.

The industry needed a secure, remote provisioning standard that could distribute SIM profiles to devices, with no endpoint input. True virtual salvation arrived in the form of the eSIM, with SGP.32 serving as the guiding text.

Activation is only the beginning

It’s worth noting that the eSIM itself was initially developed for the IoT space in 2012. It was only with the release of the 2017 Apple Watch that the technology entered the consumer market. The first eSIM iPhone soon followed, and now eSIMs are on track to outnumber consumer SIMs by the end of the decade.

It’s ironic then that, before 2025, IoT companies were retrofitting consumer eSIM standards, rather than systems designed for commercial use. SGP.32 changes this, reflecting the widespread usage of eSIM across both industrial and private devices. More importantly, it maintains (and even improves) security and verification, ensuring the right SIM profile reaches the right device, every time.

Frictionless “zero-touch” models are now considered the gold standard for companies supplying their employees with mobile plans.

SGP.32 takes this a step further, shifting IoT eSIM provisioning from integration-based restricted architecture to open interoperable ecosystems, which inherits the success of SGP.22, expanding it on the IoT world. IT departments remotely, instantly, and securely distribute SIM profiles en masse to devices around the world; while choosing an MNO provides them with the assurance their eSIM profiles fit their devices out of the box.

The advantages of SGP.32 don’t end at installation. The protocol impacts nearly every stage of the device lifecycle, from manufacture to activation, usage, and recall. IoT devices can remain deployed for years or even decades.

This longevity is both one of the reasons IoT companies put off adopting eSIM in the first place, and also one of the reasons why it's so necessary. Managers must balance the cost of replacing their fleets with the efficiency and security benefits promised by SGP.32-enabled devices. With the IoT market growing at its current rate, this will cease to be a choice. Over time, the ability to instantly configure a growing device fleet across borders and mobile providers will be a defining competitive advantage.

The connected vehicle industry provides a clear example. Over the next decade, the Software-defined Vehicle (SDV) space is predicted to grow by $3 trillion. Connected cars are expected to provide years of active service – while the visible hardware may remain constant throughout, network providers, security protocols and performance are in constant flux. SGP.32 allows companies to continually adapt to these changes and keep their fleets connected and functioning throughout.

SGP.32 moves connectivity management into software

With SGP.32, hardware constraints are no longer a connectivity factor, which is exactly how the IoT was initially envisioned. Devices no longer need screens, SMS capabilities, or SIM card slots to connect to a network. eSIM is no longer a property of a network provider,; it’s becoming just another silicon chip unified to produce any device. This rapidly accelerates the deployment and go-to-market time for new fleets, as well as simplifying any future relocations or operator switches.

Remote SIM provisioning supports this, while also providing companies with security guardrails. The GSMA’s eUICC Security Assurance Scheme upholds the compliance of new eSIMs, while systems like the 1GLOBAL SM-DP+ and eIM ensure the correct profile reaches the correct device with no possibility of human intervention or error.

Rather than connectivity being permanently configured when the device leaves the factory, SGP.32 enables ongoing management: using bootstrap profiles, switching network providers, relocating fleets to new countries, and temporarily suspending or deactivating devices for seasonal industries are all real possibilities, achieved in minutes via a single digital command rather than via weeks' worth of manual SIM switches. Connectivity is no longer a physical asset, but a software feature.

Fragmented IoT connectivity creates hidden lifecycle costs

While IT admins can’t predict where their business, or which provider they’ll be using 10 years into the future, they can lay the groundwork now to establish a flexible connectivity strategy that can adapt and evolve as their customer base grows over time. Doing so requires a remote IoT management system and centralized control platform, based on SGP.32 protocols.

1GLOBAL scalable IoT plans

For IoT companies, connectivity covers a vast range of costs, some more apparent than others. The most obvious is device management: physical SIM cards and older connectivity standards like SGP.02 require more manual effort or lengthy integrations to distribute and maintain. Where SGP.32 really shines, however, is its ability to unlock simple, global fleet operations over time. It’s not so much what the new standard fixes, as what it enables: with SGP.32, brands are free to oversee fleet management across the globe from a single digital platform.

Devices can be redeployed to new markets, as and when needed. Either as bootstrap or operational, 1GLOBAL eSIM profiles are equipped with Multi-IMSI technology to ensure that they instantly switch between mobile providers while crossing a border or entering a new coverage zone, delivering smooth, constant connectivity wherever they are in the world.

Managing the eSIM lifecycle with 1GLOBAL

The 2025 Juniper report states that eSIM orchestration, in particular, is now “critical to maximising the benefits of SGP.32”. The 1GLOBAL eIM (eSIM IoT Manager) provides a simple, secure, and flexible way for IoT companies to orchestrate their eSIMs and instil a long-term OTA device management strategy.

From manufacture and initial deployment through in-life optimisation, operator changes and eventual retirement, businesses gain greater freedom to adapt connectivity without rebuilding their device estate. The eIM provides a single layer for IT admins to oversee profile management, provisioning, and lifecycle control. This platform provides access to the full potential of SGP.32, and will be key to meeting the demand of tomorrow’s IoT users. As fleets grow and customer bases propagate around the world, 1GLOBAL’s proprietary APIs enable the ongoing automation of IoT management, while retaining stringent security measures and connectivity to multiple mobile networks.

1GLOBAL IoT

From retail to mobility and logistics, IoT fleets require a central eIM as well as a global mobile carrier that can provide connection in every country of operation. As both an eSIM supplier and mobile network operator, 1GLOBAL IoT occupies a unique niche in the telecommunications market.

Learn more about how the 1GLOBAL SGP.32 eIM helps brands to manage global device fleets, or contact our team today.