SimtoLink: Project SIMs can be pinned to one Chinese carrier
The three networks are the three basic carriers: China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. IoT SIMs are provided by the carriers. When an enterprise manages the cards through an IoT cloud platform, it must set up carrier connections with all three networks.
Unified management of the three networks
Platforms such as SimtoLink support unified management of the three networks: one carrier connection provides the capabilities of all three. Card lists, plan delivery, and suspend and resume use one interface and one process, and the system routes each card to the interface of its own carrier. Enterprises do not need to sign in to three carrier systems separately, which lowers operating complexity.
The platform unifies capabilities across the three networks. Card management, plan delivery, suspend and resume, usage statistics, and carrier reconciliation follow one process, and the system routes automatically by the card's carrier. Enterprises do not connect to the three carriers separately or maintain three sets of logic, which lowers the complexity and cost of carrier integration and operations.
Unified management of the three networks fits multi-carrier purchasing, nationwide coverage, and channel distribution. After an enterprise buys cards from several carriers, it manages them on one platform. Cards bought by agents and distributors may come from different carriers. The platform identifies and routes them without manual sorting.
Coverage and network selection
Each carrier's coverage has its own traits: China Mobile covers widely, China Unicom offers higher speed, and China Telecom is more stable. An enterprise can choose one network or several according to the use case. Connecting all three can meet coverage needs across regions and devices. The same data plan can map to different carrier rate plans and adapt flexibly. Connected vehicles, logistics, and other cross-region uses usually take all three networks so devices can stay online nationwide.
An enterprise can choose one, two, or three networks according to the business. One network fits regional coverage and cost-sensitive cases. Two networks can provide redundancy. Three networks fit nationwide coverage and high availability. The same data plan can map to different carrier rate plans. When a card is activated, the matching plan is delivered according to the card's carrier, and the user does not notice the difference. The platform can report usage and cost by carrier so the enterprise can adjust purchasing.
Cost and procurement
When buying across the three networks, rates differ by carrier. An enterprise can set the purchase mix according to usage distribution, coverage needs, and budget. The platform provides usage statistics and cost analysis by carrier to support purchasing decisions. Unified management avoids maintaining several systems, lowers carrier-integration and operating costs, and still leaves room for flexible network selection and purchasing.
Source: https://www.simtolink.com/support/cmp/three-networks.html