Frequently asked questions about IoT connectivity
Answers about multi-operator SIMs, Orion, coverage, private networks, APIs and billing.
About Moabits
Moabits orchestrates IoT connectivity in Latin America: a multi-operator SIM with access to 200+ countries and Orion, the platform to manage it. We work with more than 200 direct B2B customers and have offices in Madrid and Medellín.
We have direct access to the local operators in Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Dominican Republic and Ecuador, and the same SIM reaches more than 500 networks in 200+ countries. The coverage table details the operators and technologies country by country.
We offer IoT connectivity for GPS tracking and fleets, alarms and security, POS terminals and payments, and smart metering and utilities, as well as IoT companies and integrators that resell connectivity. Each industry has optimized SIM profiles.
Write to us from the Contact page and our sales team helps you choose the right profile and plan for your industry and the countries where you operate. You can also request a demo.
The price depends on the plan and on your operation. You can choose monthly or annual plans, or a data pool shared across SIMs, and set usage limits in Orion to keep spending predictable. Request a quote from the Contact page.
It is a data allowance shared across several SIMs. Instead of assigning a fixed amount to each SIM, all of them draw from the same pool, and you manage limits and alerts from Orion. It is one of the plan options, alongside monthly and annual plans.
IoT connectivity and SIMs
It means connecting devices with a SIM that can use the networks of several operators instead of just one. If a network fails or does not reach, the SIM switches on its own to another available one and the device keeps transmitting. With Moabits, you also manage everything from Orion.
With a single-operator SIM, the device loses service when that network fails or does not reach it. A multi-operator SIM automatically switches to another available network and the device keeps transmitting. This removes the single point of failure in fleets, alarms, meters and payment terminals.
They are connectivity configurations included in the SIM. We have more than 30, international and local, optimized by industry, country and use case: metering and utilities, security and alarms, POS and payments, and GPS tracking. Each deployment uses the networks and conditions that work best for it.
Yes. With eSIM you change operators or update profiles remotely, without replacing the card or touching the device. It is useful for deployments in several countries or for hard-to-reach equipment.
A traditional physical SIM stays tied to the operator on the card: to change it, you have to replace the card. An eSIM is built into the device and lets you change operators or update profiles remotely, without touching the equipment. It is useful for deployments in several countries or for hard-to-reach equipment.
Coverage and networks
In more than 200 countries, with access to more than 500 mobile networks. The table on this page details, country by country, the available operators and network technologies: 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G, plus LTE-M or NB-IoT where applicable.
It depends on the country and the operator. The table shows which networks are available in each country: 2G, 3G and 4G in almost all of them, 5G in many, and LTE-M in markets such as Colombia, Argentina and Mexico, which also has NB-IoT. Check your country before choosing the device module.
The same SIM stays connected: it accesses the networks of the country where the device is without changing the card. We have more than 30 integrated profiles, international and local, and we choose the right one for your industry and the countries where you operate.
They are mobile network technologies designed for IoT devices that send little data and need to use little battery, such as meters. Availability varies by country and operator: the coverage table shows where LTE-M and NB-IoT are available (for example, LTE-M in Colombia, Argentina and Mexico, and NB-IoT in Mexico). Check your country before choosing the device module.
Orion, the management platform
Orion is the Moabits platform for managing IoT connectivity. From a single dashboard you activate, suspend and deactivate SIMs, see each one’s usage and connection status in real time, and control costs and providers across all your markets. All Moabits SIMs are managed in Orion.
Yes. You set usage limits per SIM or per group and Orion alerts you before the limit is reached; it can also stop the SIM to avoid overages. Status changes and alarms can be sent in real time to your system with Data Shipper, our webhook service.
Yes. Orion integrates SIMs from mobile network operators (MNO) and virtual operators (MVNO) in each market. You organize SIMs into accounts and subaccounts by customer or project, grant or restrict access for your customers and automate any action with the API and webhooks.
Yes. Every Orion function can be programmed with REST APIs documented in Swagger. In addition, Data Shipper sends data and SMS CDRs, location updates (LU) and status changes for each SIM to your backend in real time.
Yes. The Orion SMS console lets you send messages to your devices and receive them, with a chat-like interface, without commands or codes. You can also automate it with the API.
Orion is designed for operations of any size, from 10 to 10,000 devices in a mass deployment, and from 100 to 100,000 meters in smart metering. SIMs activate automatically when installed and everything is managed remotely.
APIs and integrations
Every Orion function: activating, suspending and deactivating SIMs, assigning them to accounts and subaccounts, checking usage and sending or receiving SMS from the console. The REST APIs are documented in Swagger.
It is our webhook service. It sends data and SMS CDRs, location updates (LU) and platform events, such as status changes and alarms, to your backend in real time. This brings connectivity into your own dashboards and workflows without querying the API every time.
A CDR (Call Detail Record) is the record of each data or SMS session of a SIM, and an LU (Location Update) is the location update generated when the SIM registers on a network. With Data Shipper, the Moabits webhook service, you receive these events in your backend in real time.
Private networks and security
A private network for your company’s IoT devices. Your traffic does not pass over the open internet and arrives encrypted at your systems. It includes fixed, isolated private IPs, centralized management from Orion and scales from hundreds to tens of thousands of devices. It runs on already deployed shared infrastructure and a shared APN, so it requires no custom work.
A private IoT network just for you, with your own APN and your name, isolated from other customers and connected to your systems. It includes everything in Orion Private Network, plus your own APN with your name, an exclusive IP pool, full isolation at APN level and, if you require it, whitelisting.
Choose Orion Private Network if you want to separate your traffic from the open internet and manage it centrally. Choose Orion Dedicated Network if you require your own APN with your name, for compliance or audits, or if you are in banking, payments or POS, utilities, government or critical infrastructure. The shared APN of Private Network does not meet a dedicated APN requirement.
An APN (access point name) defines where SIM traffic exits to the internet. In a private network, that traffic does not use the open internet. Moabits offers two options: Orion Private Network, with a shared APN, and Orion Dedicated Network, with your own APN with your name.
GPS tracking and fleets
It is a SIM that does not depend on a single operator. It connects to the mobile networks available in each country and automatically switches to another one when the signal fails. For a GPS tracker, this means fewer areas without coverage and fewer gaps in the route history, within the country and when crossing borders.
According to our coverage table: Colombia (Claro, Movistar, Tigo and WOM), Mexico (Telcel, AT&T and Movistar), Chile (Claro, Entel and Movistar), Argentina (Claro, Movistar and Personal), Peru (Claro, Entel and Movistar), Dominican Republic (Altice, Claro and Viva) and Ecuador (Claro and Movistar). Outside the region, the same SIM accesses more than 500 networks in 200+ countries.
It switches on its own. Moabits SIMs have no preferred operator: they look for the best available network and switch automatically when the signal degrades, without reconfiguring the tracker. In Orion you can see which network each SIM is connected to and restart it remotely.
In Orion you set usage limits per SIM or per group, receive alerts before reaching the limit and deactivate the services you do not use. You can choose monthly or annual plans, or a data pool shared across SIMs, depending on how your fleet consumes data.
Alarms and security
The Moabits SIM automatically switches to another available network and the panel keeps sending events. Your alarms do not depend on a single operator, so a network outage or an area with weak signal does not leave the installation unmonitored.
Yes. From Orion you restart the connection, switch networks and check the status and usage of each SIM remotely. You can also automate diagnostics with the API. This reduces site visits and support calls.
It is not mandatory. But if your monitoring center needs to access the panels with a fixed IP, or you want traffic to stay off the public internet, choose Orion Private Network or Orion Dedicated Network according to your requirement: a private encrypted connection, fixed private IPs and, with Orion Dedicated Network, your own APN.
POS terminals and payments
With a multi-operator SIM: if an operator’s network fails or is congested, the terminal automatically switches to another available one and the transaction goes through. From Orion you see the status of each terminal and restart it remotely, without travel.
Yes, with eSIM. You change operators or update profiles over the air, without touching the terminal or moving cards. Deploying in several countries is simpler with a single eSIM.
Smart metering
A stable and secure connection. The multi-operator SIM keeps transmitting if a network fails. Orion Private Network or Orion Dedicated Network carry the data to your central system without going over the public internet, with a private encrypted connection, fixed private IPs and, with Orion Dedicated Network, your own APN. For utilities that require a dedicated APN, choose Orion Dedicated Network.
From Orion you restart SIMs with one click, diagnose the connection and consolidate all operators in a single platform, whether 100 or 100,000 meters. Technical visits are left for hardware problems, not connectivity.
IoT companies and integrators
Yes. You create subaccounts for each customer, assign them SIMs, usage limits and sale prices, and they manage their own fleet in a portal. You see real usage per SIM, customer or region to bill without spreadsheets.
They are activated automatically when installed and the device is powered on. From there everything is managed remotely in Orion, and any configuration can be automated with the API, whether 10 or 10,000 devices.
Billing and payments
All communication about payments, agreements and claims goes through the official channels: the Accounts Receivable email, financial@moabits.com (the main channel), and the help desk by ticket, which keeps a record of your request. The details are on the Billing page (in Spanish).