ColdChase creates customized IoT solutions designed to fit the needs of an evolving roster of customers. The company operates three unique brands that address the needs of cold chain operations (ColdChase), shipment and asset tracking (AssetChase), and a suite of products focused on improving the passenger experience at airports (PaXChase).
Over the years, the company has helped to resolve countless tracking and monitoring challenges across the supply chain – finding innovative ways to utilize temperature, pressure, and GPS sensors, among other specialized devices, to create unique solutions to individual company issues.
“Every client is different in what they require,” said Rosy Amlani, CPA, the CEO of ColdChase. “So every sensor we sell is customized for every client, which is why our team has to closely interact with the customer to really understand what they need.”
Because ColdChase has a pedigree of designing and manufacturing for other companies, it moved the manufacture of its custom devices in-house, where its engineering staff – representing specialties that range from electrical to simulation to firmware engineering – can craft solutions that perfectly address customer concerns on-site.
At the heart of these solutions is a roster of base devices that can be augmented and tweaked to better suit each application’s needs. These can range from Bluetooth low-energy devices for monitoring applications to cellular sensors ideal for long-distance tracking, with each being augmented to include different sensors and modules as needed. These devices can then be outfitted with GPS, pressure, temperature, light sensors, or other modifications.
“The fact that we have engineers on staff that were part of the company that did a lot of the product development allows us to craft perfectly tailored solutions for our customers,” said Amlani. “That unique understanding of how you put sensors together to create different effects helps make sure that we’re meeting all customer requirements.”
Naturally, when dealing with applications such as airports, cold chain transit, or asset tracking, these devices need to be versatile enough to meet a lot of regulatory, spacing, and power demands. As such, ColdChase sought a connectivity partner that could not only reliably connect their devices wherever they need to deploy but could offer them the versatility to design rugged and reliable devices that can withstand the potentially harsh conditions that abound in asset tracking and cold chain applications.
The ColdChase team evaluated at least a dozen service providers but struggled to find one that could meet the technical needs of their devices—specifically offering CatM1 and NB-IoT connectivity—and provide reliable coverage across the globe. Eventually, the team found Soracom, which not only met all of these needs but could also provide them with low-profile eSIMs for enhanced durability and lower-profile construction.
“We picked Soracom because it hit all those buttons,” said Amlani. “Not only do we get reliable service, we can get it all in eSIM form, which is very important for us. Since we do our own manufacturing, we prefer to put eSIMs on our boards.”
Because eSIMs are soldered directly onto a device’s System on Chip (SoC), their low profile allows manufacturers to design more compact devices. This construction also makes the SIMs more tamper-proof and resistant to vibration—factors important to applications that involve a lot of moving pieces.
In addition, embedding the eSIM into a device simplifies the connectivity process for the end user, removing a lot of the complexities of managing connections for fleets of mobile devices, many of which cross national borders in transit.
“We didn’t want customers trying to figure out what provider to go with depending on what country that we’re going to,” said Amlani. “So this way, the fact that Soracom has coverage in 150 countries or more, we were able to give that to our customers.”
ColdChase also highlights the benefits of Soracom’s User Console in managing deployed devices. The console can be used to monitor the connectivity status of all devices in a deployment.
ColdChase’s solutions have found their way into a number of different applications across the supply chain, providing reliable, actionable data that has helped shape the way business is done. One example shared by Amlani saw ColdChase’s sensors helping to avert a loss of more than $100k worth of meat from spoiling when extreme temperatures caused a commercial freezer to fail.
By partnering with Soracom, ColdChase’s customized solutions have enabled scores of customers to improve the efficiency of their operations and better manage their products. With reliable connectivity and the added security of the embedded eSIM, ColdChase is able to create powerful tools for all stages of the supply chain.
Amlani believes the company’s success comes from its customer-centric view, which provides solutions to issues that aren’t addressed in other technologies. “We focus on providing value to customers that realize how important having a safe, reliable, and functional piece of custom equipment is.”By partnering with a connectivity provider like Soracom, ColdChase can confidently count on reliable connectivity for their end customers.
DCS is an IoT Solutions provider that offers telematics, asset tracking, and monitoring services for the transportation, hospitality, agricultural, and telecommunications industries, among others. At the heart of their solution is MiFleet, a customizable GPS tracking and fleet management platform designed to help managers keep tabs on their vehicles and personnel in the field.
This data is drawn from a series of wired, solar, or battery-powered cameras, sensors, and other smart devices installed in mission-critical assets, then funneled into a cloud-based software platform that makes monitoring an expansive deployment easy and efficient. This data puts fleet managers at the front and center of their deployment, with the actionable intel, near real-time asset tracking, and video recordings necessary to make informed business decisions in a timely manner.
With an operational area that spans the continental US and beyond, DCS’s platform is designed to make managing mobile fleets accessible and simple. Yet that may not be as easy as it sounds.
It is an unfortunate truth of IoT that no Mobile Network Operator can be everywhere at once. For most businesses deploying solutions that require devices to stay connected across geographical – at times even international – borders, that means using multiple connectivity vendors.
The problem with using multiple vendors is that each one has its own way of doing things. This means users are left to manage multiple contracts with multiple rate plans, variable overage fees, and multiple business relationships. This is to say nothing of the technical difficulties that come with managing separate SIMs for each vendor.
Billing challenges only grow more complex when your business model involves working with resellers, as inconsistencies in billing make it harder to know what to charge resellers and their customers. DCS bundles wireless fees into the price of their monthly service contracts, and with most MVNOs charging different rates depending on which carrier the device connects to – and the nature of mobile vehicle fleets making it nearly impossible to anticipate which carrier a device will connect to at any given moment – creating a fair and consistent billing structure for its clients was a major priority for DCS.
Creating a suitable solution for this issue requires a multifaceted approach. For one, DCS needed a connectivity partner that could ensure consistent nationwide coverage at a consistent price. In Soracom, DCS found a provider that not only offers reliable multicarrier connectivity across North America but can also offer flat rate billing, one rate overage, and custom pricing that provides them with the flexibility to deliver designed rate plans to their vertical customers.
Because Soracom sets a single rate per MB used, regardless of which carrier a device may be connecting to at any given time, the billing experience is consistent and predictable. Combine that with the largest coverage area of any IoT provider, best-in-class customer service, and an architecture supporting an uptime record of 99 percent over the past three years, and you’ve got a recipe for an ideal connectivity solution.
Once fees accrued, DCS needed a way to simplify them for downstream billing for their end customers. Simetric made this simple. With a platform designed to simplify complex data streams into easily digestible forms, their solution enables the creation of a single, easy-to-understand, and consistent bill. The end result is an invoice that covers only the specific devices and data used by a customer in their own individualized pricing.
“Soracom and Simetric have created a singular approach to pricing, allowing DCS to effectively provide their resellers and solution providers with a bundled solution for a single price that is inclusive of platform, connectivity, and hardware,” said John Hubler of the DCS Board of Directors. ”Every device is now enabled with Simetric and Soracom as a single source solution for deployments across North America Soracom has enabled blended technologies within their platform.”
Telematics companies that bake connectivity into their product offerings face considerable challenges efficiently billing customers. No single carrier can ensure that devices stay connected wherever they go, and working with multiple vendors can create an impenetrable web of pricing structures, contracts, and relationships. Combining these two factors can make fair and consistent billing of customers a nightmare.
By deploying Soracom connectivity with Simetric’s data tools, DCS is able to connect its fleet of sensors and cameras securely and reliably bill its customers based on their own usage and pricing. Between multi-carrier coverage, consistent pricing, and excellent customer service, Soracom has proven an ideal connectivity partner; add Simetric coalescing that data into a simple individualized downstream billing system, and the pairing is a natural solution for any organization reliant upon a distributed business model,” said Hubler.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, known globally for its Dunlop and Falken tire brands, is at the forefront of automotive innovation. From new mobility solutions to autonomous vehicles, the company’s goal is to make driving safer and more efficient. One persistent challenge they set out to address is under-inflated tires, which reduce fuel efficiency, impair performance, and can lead to dangerous blowouts due to heat buildup.
With 28% of vehicles on the road estimated to have at least one under-inflated tire, the opportunity to improve safety and performance through IoT technology was clear. A remote monitoring solution could not only improve safety for drivers but also reduce maintenance burdens for fleet operators and rental car companies.
Sumitomo had deep knowledge of tire performance but little experience in cloud data utilization or telecommunications. They needed a partner to help them bring an advanced tire monitoring solution online while ensuring secure, reliable connectivity.
The system also needed to work in real time across a wide variety of vehicles, delivering actionable data to maintenance teams and fleet managers without requiring in-person inspections at every stop.
To bring their Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) to life, Sumitomo equipped vehicles with IoT sensors capable of tracking tire pressure, temperature, and location. This data is sent via in-vehicle communication systems to the cloud, where it can be accessed on PCs, tablets, and smartphones in real time.
Public testing with commercial and rental fleets demonstrated significant efficiency gains. Maintenance teams could check tire conditions remotely instead of spending hours on manual inspections.
“The service utilizing sensors and cloud computing is a new concept for our customers,” said Mr. Teramoto, one of the project’s engineers. “Through the testing process, we were able to outline how maintenance teams’ workload had been reduced through concrete numerical values. At times, we discovered values that we had not anticipated in advance.”
Sumitomo selected Soracom for its reliable connectivity and robust security. Using Soracom Air, TPMS devices connect to cellular networks with consistent performance. Data security is ensured through Soracom Canal, which provides a private, direct connection between Sumitomo’s AWS-based cloud and the Soracom platform. This setup keeps fleet data off the public internet and allows Sumitomo to control which devices can access its virtual private cloud.
Data from TPMS deployments with leased vehicles and Budget rental cars has enabled the creation of algorithms capable of detecting slow leaks and small punctures that would otherwise be missed during visual inspections. These insights help fleets extend tire life, prevent accidents, and improve customer relationships.
“Even though they may not have the speed of a venture company, companies with a large enough fleet can gather their own data and use it to improve their operations,” said Teramoto. “I would like to use the data to further improve our on-site capabilities.”
The TPMS is now part of Sumitomo’s Smart Tire initiative, aimed at placing Dunlop and Falken tires at the center of future automotive innovation, from connected and autonomous vehicles to electric mobility solutions.
Japan’s plan to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 is central to its 2050 carbon-neutral goal. But adoption of electric vehicles has lagged, especially in urban apartments and condominiums where shared charging stations are rare.
Without home charging access, EV owners often rely on public stations or dealerships, facing long charging times and added inconvenience. Today, 90% of Japanese EV owners live in single-family homes, leaving a huge untapped market in multi-unit housing.
“Ideally, people who live in condominiums should be able to fully charge their cars at home,” said Nobuyuki Ura, Founder of YourStand.
Founded in 2018, YourStand developed a proprietary IoT system that allows users to reserve, operate, and pay for EV charging stations directly from their smartphones.
The YourStand App enables:
The company also installs chargers in condominiums and office buildings, handling end-to-end services from site surveys and subsidy applications to proposals for property managers.
After several prototypes, YourStand settled on a Raspberry Pi–based design with Soracom connectivity built in, making it scalable and easy to manage.
“There was an atmosphere that if it was IoT, it was Soracom,” said Yuta Mochizuki, Technical Development Lead at YourStand.
YourStand relies on Soracom Air for secure, reliable device-to-cloud communication, and Soracom Napter for on-demand remote access, enabling updates, firmware upgrades, and troubleshooting without visiting each site.
Previously, maintenance required in-person visits to every condominium. Now, with Napter, YourStand’s specialists can resolve issues from their office or home. Electricians performing on-site work can even plug in a Soracom USB dongle to allow remote specialists to repair devices in real time.
By the end of 2021, YourStand’s system was installed in 150 condominiums across the Tokyo metro area, with expansion planned for Osaka, Nagoya, Hokkaido, and beyond. The company has also seen a surge in customer interest following Japan’s carbon neutrality policies.
“We have even heard from people who bought EVs after the chargers were installed in their condominiums,” said Denise Chia, PR Manager at YourStand.
Looking ahead, YourStand aims to integrate chargers into new condo construction, office buildings, and commercial facilities — using Soracom’s secure connectivity to keep operations streamlined as they scale.
The European road freight market is projected to reach €340 billion in value, driven by steady growth and the essential role of trucking, utilities, and shipping in the modern economy.
But growth brings risk. Cargo theft remains a persistent problem, with an average cost of over $186,000 USD per incident. Fleet operators need to know where their vehicles and assets are at all times, and to recover them quickly if stolen.
With IoT-enabled tracking, fleet owners can now monitor location, speed, and route in real time, ensuring both on-time deliveries and enhanced security.
Mobile Objects delivers customizable GPS and asset tracking solutions through its SaaS platform, mOTelematix. These devices, available in standard and outdoor models, are:
Once installed, the trackers send real-time location and movement data to a central web or mobile app, where operators can:
With their long battery life, rugged design, and flexible deployment, these trackers fit seamlessly into any fleet or asset management operation.
To keep fleets connected across national borders, Mobile Objects uses Soracom Ar for global cellular service in 150+ countries with a single APN and multi-operator coverage. This ensures consistent tracking for assets traveling within or between countries.
Soracom’s platform also offers:
With Soracom, Mobile Objects can deliver the reliable, borderless tracking that modern fleets require.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021, Mobile Objects continues to serve customers primarily in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria — with expansion on the horizon.
“We expect to grow our customer base significantly over the next 24 months,” said Denk. “So the global support Soracom offers will be welcome in the future.”
With Soracom’s secure connectivity and scalable platform, Mobile Objects is positioned to keep fleets connected, secure, and efficient wherever they travel.
The automotive maintenance experience has long been plagued by a lack of transparency, limited control for drivers, and unnecessary stress. From routine servicing to unexpected repairs, vehicle owners often have little insight into their car’s condition between visits to the shop.
Vehicle Mind was created to change that. The Canadian startup set out to modernize the car care industry by giving drivers real-time access to their vehicle’s health data and actionable maintenance alerts—helping them make informed decisions, avoid costly surprises, and keep their cars safer for longer.
“Vehicle Mind was born out of our own frustrations with the lack of control and transparency we experienced when maintaining our cars; not to mention the resulting stress it generated for us and our loved ones,” said co-founder Cialdella. “One thing became clear: the car care market was ripe for change.”
Vehicle Mind’s solution centers on a plug-and-play Hub that connects directly to a vehicle’s onboard diagnostics (OBD-II) port. Unlike Bluetooth-based systems, the Hub features built-in 4G connectivity, giving drivers remote access to their car’s data from anywhere, without needing to be physically near the vehicle or rely on a paired smartphone.
Through the Vehicle Mind app, users can:
This always-on connectivity ensures drivers can monitor their vehicles even when traveling, parking long-term, or leaving cars unused for extended periods.
To deliver these remote insights seamlessly, Vehicle Mind needed a connectivity partner capable of supporting thousands of devices with consistent performance. Soracom’s 4G service offered the ideal combination of coverage, reliability, and scalability to help Vehicle Mind maintain its competitive advantage.
“There’s a major competitive advantage that comes with offering drivers the ability to access their car’s data remotely vs having to stay next to your car to get any visibility on how it’s doing,” said Ghatpande. “People love that the Hub comes with its own 4G connection and it doesn’t have to rely on their phone being nearby to do its job.”
Since launching in November 2020, Vehicle Mind has seen rapid adoption, earning national press coverage, a steady stream of 5-star reviews, and growing revenue. The company is now expanding its offerings with:
With both private mechanics and major maintenance franchises on board, Vehicle Mind has positioned itself as a breakout service in the Canadian automotive market. The team is now preparing to bring the service to drivers in the United States, putting control and ownership back into the hands of car owners everywhere.
Founded in 2015 in Aarhus, Denmark, CSS Electronics set out to make advanced data collection simple and accessible. The company’s CAN bus data loggers allow users to record, analyze, and visualize data from nearly any vehicle or machine.
By designing devices with interoperability first, CSS empowers customers to process data on their own terms. Each CANedge logger ships with a full software suite of free and open-source tools, enabling easy integration with dashboards like Grafana.
“We focus on delivering devices that are simple to use, with professional specifications at an affordable cost,” explains Martin Falch, Co-founder of CSS Electronics. “Our goal is to let users work with their data however they want.”
CSS loggers are built to support a wide range of industries and applications. Customers span from automotive OEMs developing new EV batteries, to heavy equipment manufacturers studying engine performance, to researchers monitoring ship telematics.
Notable examples include:
This diversity underscores the versatility of the CANedge hardware: general-purpose tools that scale across industries while remaining simple and affordable.
CSS’s CANedge2 allows users to log data locally on an SD card and automatically upload it via Wi-Fi. In mobile use cases, this often means connecting through a USB 3G/4G hotspot. But in North America, CSS found that hotspot compatibility issues with carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T threatened user experience.
The solution was Soracom.
“By recommending Soracom to our users, we can ensure that they get a consistent experience and avoid the hassle of evaluating different providers,” says Falch. “So far we’ve seen 100% compatibility across our customers in the US and Canada.”
Soracom’s consistent connectivity allows CSS to deliver the same plug-and-play simplicity internationally that defines its hardware. For customers, this means deployments that just work – without unexpected network headaches.
CSS has grown from a small startup into a trusted global supplier, supporting 30+ documented use cases across industries. Its devices help innovators and operators alike collect, analyze, and act on critical data, while Soracom ensures the infrastructure works wherever deployments may be.
“It was a great lesson in the difference between basic connectivity and connectivity designed for IoT use cases,” says Falch. “Soracom gives us the consistency and reliability we need to deliver value to our customers around the world.”
With connectivity challenges solved, CSS continues to focus on what matters most: making complex vehicle data simple, actionable, and accessible.
The future of electric vehicles wasn’t always assured. In 2008, with automaker investment still uncertain and charging networks scarce, Portland-based OpConnect set out to build the infrastructure that EV adoption would require.
Their turnkey charging systems can be installed at apartments, offices, hotels, dealerships, parking garages, and more, giving property owners an easy way to offer EV charging as a service. Today, OpConnect stations can be found nationwide, from Hawaii to New York.
With EVs projected to grow to nearly 30 million on US roads by 2030, charging infrastructure must scale rapidly. OpConnect makes that possible by combining simple installation with remote management, integrated payment, and advanced energy optimization.
OpConnect’s latest plug-and-play charging stations can be installed by any licensed electrician, avoiding costly manufacturer commissioning. Once installed, every station is fully connected to the cloud, enabling:
These connected features give property owners a seamless way to deploy charging stations and ensure EV drivers have access to reliable infrastructure wherever they go.
As OpConnect prepared to roll out its next generation of OCPP-enabled chargers, connectivity became a critical focus. Stations needed to work reliably everywhere, with minimal service cost.
In early testing, Soracom proved ideal. With pooled billing and automatic volume discounts, OpConnect cut its monthly data costs by 60–70% without any reduction in performance.
Soracom also enhanced security. Using Soracom Napter, the team can enable secure, on-demand access to any charger without requiring fixed IPs or VPNs. Chargers remain invisible to the wider internet but available when needed.
With major automakers like Ford and VW now rolling out electric models across every vehicle category, EV adoption is accelerating. By 2025, nearly 10% of US vehicles could be electric or hybrid electric.
To meet this demand, OpConnect will continue expanding its nationwide charging network, offering stations that are technically advanced, easy to deploy, affordable to maintain, and built with cost recovery from day one.
Founded as the national Sigfox operator for Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, HELIOT Group delivers reliable low-power, wide-area (LPWA) connectivity through a distributed network of over 800 base stations. Their infrastructure is designed to support the rapidly growing demand for IoT applications, where small sensors and devices need to communicate efficiently and at scale.
Sigfox connectivity offers a unique balance of extremely low energy consumption, long transmission range, and low cost. Devices can transmit small data packets across distances of up to 10km in cities and up to 50km in rural regions. This makes Sigfox an ideal choice for use cases like asset tracking, smart building monitoring, and environmental sensing, applications that don’t require high bandwidth but benefit from wide-area coverage and years-long device battery life.
Heliot’s mission is to make IoT accessible and sustainable. By providing a strong backbone for Sigfox-based solutions, they help innovators, enterprises, and municipalities bring projects to life, whether it’s monitoring air quality in urban areas, tracking assets across borders, or supporting smart agriculture in rural communities.
Sigfox already connects more than 10 million devices across 65 countries, proving its value as a global IoT standard. But for a regional operator like HELIOT, ensuring service quality at scale presents unique challenges.
One of the most significant issues is Europe’s fragmented telecom market. Many IoT projects require multi-national coverage, yet establishing individual agreements with separate carriers in each country adds unnecessary complexity and cost. For customers, this can translate into deployment delays, administrative hurdles, and uncertainty around reliability.
Heliot also recognized the risk of relying solely on a single type of connectivity. A network outage, even a short one, could disrupt mission-critical applications, lead to lost data, and in some cases raise safety or compliance concerns. The challenge was clear: design a network with world-class reliability while keeping service affordable and straightforward for customers.
Heliot engineered its Sigfox network to include multiple connectivity options at every base station. By supporting several wireless operators simultaneously, the network creates a built-in failover system that ensures service continuity. If one carrier experiences downtime, traffic can automatically switch to another, maintaining seamless coverage for end users.
This approach not only reduces the risk of service interruptions but also strengthens Heliot’s ability to meet demanding service-level expectations. Customers deploying IoT devices for asset tracking, security monitoring, or industrial control can rely on consistent, resilient connectivity without having to manage multiple operator agreements themselves.
To make this possible, Heliot needed a back-end cellular connectivity solution capable of delivering secure, reliable coverage across all three countries they serve. That solution also needed to integrate cost-effectively into their existing service model, which prioritizes efficiency and scalability.
Heliot’s extensive experience working with wireless providers made the advantages of Soracom immediately clear. Soracom’s global, multi-carrier coverage gave HELIOT a simple way to unify connectivity across Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, reducing administrative overhead while enhancing resilience.
Rapid deployment was another critical factor. Soracom’s console and APIs allow Heliot to provision devices instantly, monitor connections in real time, and manage hundreds of SIMs with full transparency and control. For a growing network already spanning more than 225 base stations, these capabilities are essential to delivering best-in-class service.
Perhaps most importantly, Soracom’s pay-as-you-go model aligns perfectly with HELIOT’s business case. Since cellular is used primarily as a failover resource in their architecture, costs are incurred only when needed, eliminating waste while preserving reliability. Together, these advantages make Soracom a trusted partner in building Europe’s most reliable Sigfox network.
Over the next two years, HELIOT Group plans to expand Sigfox availability to cover 85% of the population across Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. This expansion will extend the benefits of affordable, low-power IoT connectivity to more industries, communities, and citizens across the region.
At the same time, Heliot is looking outward. With global demand for Sigfox IoT solutions continuing to rise, the company is exploring opportunities to extend its model into new markets. By combining Sigfox’s proven low-power capabilities with Soracom’s global cellular integration, HELIOT aims to deliver scalable IoT connectivity solutions across borders.
Ultimately, Helio’s vision is to provide the foundation for a smarter, more connected world – helping innovators bring IoT projects to life with reliability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency at scale.