Activate SIMs

About activating SIMs

What happens when you activate a SIM?

  • An active SIM can send and receive traffic over the operator's network as soon as the network operator activates it. Depending on the SIM's rate plan, this may include data, SMS, or voice traffic.
  • An active SIM can start to generate billable events as soon as the network operator activates it.
  • After you activate a SIM, it moves from the Inventory to the SIMs > Active page.

How long do activations take?

The Connectivity Management platform does not activate SIMs directly. When you activate a SIM in the platform, the platform sends an activation request to the network operator, and the operator fulfills the request. Activation times may vary by network operator.

Where do I activate each network operator?

This will usually be the platform you regulary login to. If you cannot see tariffs for the SIM or operator you are looking for please contanct [email protected] for more information.

Operator Notes
EE

-

  • SIMs using this operator must be activated using the EU instance of the Connectivity Management platform.
O2 Ireland

  • SIMs using this operator may not be visible in the Connectivity Management platform during their activation period.

  • SIMs using this operator must be activated using the EU instance of the Connectivity Management platform.
O2 UK

  • SIMs using this operator may not be visible in the Connectivity Management platform during their activation period.

  • SIMs using this operator must be activated using the EU instance of the Connectivity Management platform.
Pelion Global Roaming

-

  • SIMs using this operator must be activated using the EU instance of the Connectivity Management platform.
Tele2

-

  • SIMs using this operator must be activated using the EU instance of the Connectivity Management platform.

Telus

  • SIMs using this operator must be activated using the US instance of the Connectivity Management platform.
Three

  • SIMs using this operator are not automatically enabled for international roaming when they are activated. If you require this service, we recommend that you enable it at least 24 hours before the SIMs leave the UK.

  • SIMs using this operator must be activated using the EU instance of the Connectivity Management platform.
Vodafone Global

  • SIMs using this operator may not be visible in the Connectivity Management platform during their activation period.

  • SIMs using this operator must be activated using the EU instance of the Connectivity Management platform.
Vodafone HDU

  • SIMs using this operator may not be visible in the Connectivity Management platform during their activation period.

  • SIMs using this operator must be activated using the EU instance of the Connectivity Management platform.
Vodafone LPWA/NB

  • SIMs using this operator may not be visible in the Connectivity Management platform during their activation period.

  • SIMs using this operator must be activated using the EU instance of the Connectivity Management platform.
Vodafone UK

  • SIMs using this operator are not automatically enabled for international roaming when they are activated. If you require this service, we recommend that you enable it at least 24 hours before the SIMs leave the UK.

  • SIMs using this operator may not be visible in the Connectivity Management platform during their activation period.

  • SIMs using this operator must be activated using the EU instance of the Connectivity Management platform.

How to activate SIMs

Note: When you activate multiple SIMs, you can choose one rate plan per operator for them. If you want to activate SIMs from one operator with different rate plans, you need to activate them separately.

1. Go to the Activate page.

2. Select the SIMs you want to activate. There are two ways to select the SIMs you want to activate:

  • If you want to activate a large number of SIMs, you can create a CSV file and upload it.

Format of the CSV file:

ICCID, Nickname, Tag(s)

  • The SIM's ICCID is mandatory, nicknames and tags are optional.
  • Divide each SIM with a line break, use only one line per SIM.
  • Do not wrap the values in quotation marks.

  • Nicknames have a maximum length of 191 characters.

Example: 

ICCID Nickname Tags
8944122000000000001, Device 1, London Office, Building 1

Note: When naming your CSV file, make sure that the file ending is ".csv". The file ending is case sensitive, do not use capital letters.

  • If you only want to activate a few SIMs, you can enter them directly in the text field.

Add SIMs to the text field

There are different ways to add SIMs to the text field:

  • If you only want to activate SIMs from one operator, you can select them from the Inventory page:

1. Go to the Inventory page.

2. Select the View Stock button for the operator you want to activate SIMs for.

Result: You see the Available Stock modal.

3. If you only want to activate a single SIM, select the Activate button for that SIM.
If you want to activate multiple SIMs, select the check boxes next to all the SIMs you want to activate and select the Bulk Activate button.

Result: The Activate page opens. The text field for manually activating SIMs is populated with the ICCIDs of the SIMs you have selected.

  • If you want to activate SIMs from different operators, you can select them from the Recently Added Stock section on the right hand of the Activate page. This will add the SIM's ICCIDs into the text field.
  • If you know the SIMs' ICCIDs, you can enter them manually in the text field.

Optional: Add nicknames and tags for SIMs

Once you added the ICCIDs to the text field, you can add nicknames and tags for them by typing them into the text field.

Format for SIMs in the text field

ICCID, Nickname, Tag(s)

  • The SIM's ICCID is mandatory, nicknames and tags are optional.
  • Divide each SIM with a line break, use only one line per SIM.
  • Do not wrap the values in quotation marks.

  • Nicknames have a maximum length of 191 characters.

Example: 

ICCID Nickname Tags
8944122000000000001, Device 1, London Office, Building 1
Info:

In both cases, you can add nicknames and tags during the activation.

Nicknames and tags are optional identifiers that you can add to your SIMs to organize them.

You can add nicknames and tags directly while activating SIMs or after the activation. You can always edit nicknames and tags after the activation.

Nicknames

The nickname of a SIM is an optional custom identifier that helps you to differentiate between SIMs more easily. You can use nicknames to organize SIMs. The platform displays nicknames in the user interface, on reports, and in invoices. Each SIM can only have one nickname.

Example: 
You have a SIM in a CCTV camera on Main Street. You assign the nickname "Camera Main Street" to the SIM to make it easier to recognize to which device this SIM belongs.
Tags

A tag is a user-defined SIM property that you can use to organize SIMs. For example, you can use tags to organize SIMs by project, network, and location. A SIM can have as many tags as you need.

Example:
You have 500 SIMs in your office in London and they all belong to a specific project. You assign the tags "London office" and "Project 1" to all 500 of them.

Result: If you uploaded a CSV file, the platform validates its format and you get an error message if there are issues with the format.

3. Select the Continue button.

Result: You see the Configure your SIMs page.

4. Select the rate plan for the SIMs.

5. Select the Activate SIM button.

Result: You see the Review page. You see a notification that the SIMs have been activated successfully. You can now see the SIMs under SIMs > Active.

Note:

In some cases, network operators can take from 48 to 72 hours to process activation requests.

Once you have activated your SIMs, you need to enter the SIM's APN settings into your device to enable it to connect to the network.

Connect your device to the network

A device needs two components to be able to connect to the network:

  • The SIM in the device needs to be active
  • The device needs the SIM's Access Point Name (APN) settings

View a SIM's APN settings

If you know the SIM's ICCID, or MSISDN you can use the Search bar. Otherwise, you can select a SIM by following these steps:

1. Select SIMs from the main navigation.

2. Select a status from the main navigation to see a list of all SIMs with that status.

3. Select the SIM from the list.

Result: You see the SIM Details page for the selected SIM.

4. Select the Network tab.

Result: You can see the APN settings in the Authentication Details section.

Enter a SIM's APN settings into your device

1. Turn the device off.

2. Insert an active SIM into the device.

3. Turn the device on.

4. Look up the SIM's APN settings in the Connectivity Management platform.

If you know the SIM's ICCID, or MSISDN you can use the Search bar. Otherwise, you can select a SIM by following these steps:

1. Select SIMs from the main navigation.

2. Select a status from the main navigation to see a list of all SIMs with that status.

3. Select the SIM from the list.

Result: You see the SIM Details page for the selected SIM.

4. Select the Network tab.

Result: You can see the APN settings in the Authentication Details section.

5. Enter the APN settings into your device.

Note: How you configure a device's APN settings differs depending on the device. Consult your device's documentation to find out how to configure its APN settings.

6. Verify that the SIM's status is online.

1. Use the Search bar to search for the SIM using its ICCID or MSISDN.

Result: The platform displays the SIM's Details tab.

2. Refer to the SIM's status.

Result: If the SIM has connected successfully, the platform displays its status as Online.

Result: If the SIM is shown as online, the APN settings are configured correctly, and the device can now access the network.