Overview

This glossary provides definitions for key terms used in the Soracom platform.

Terms

Additional Subscription

A subscription that can be added to a primary subscription using subscription containers. Additional subscriptions are optimized for specific countries or regions. For example, planP1 or planX3 can be added to plan01s to provide optimized connectivity in particular regions. For more information, see Subscription Containers.

AT Command

AT commands are used to control modems (communication modules). When using Soracom Air for Cellular, you may need to execute AT commands to troubleshoot data transmission issues or verify modem connectivity.

Example 1: AT command to verify connection to the modem via a serial port

AT

Example 2: AT command to display modem identification information

ATI

To execute AT commands, you need serial communication terminal software such as:

Windows: Use software such as Putty or Tera Term to connect to the COM port where the modem is connected.
macOS / Linux: Use the screen command to open device files such as /dev/tty.xxx or /dev/cu.xxx.

Refer to your modem's (communication module's) user manual for information on AT command execution methods, parameters, and return values.

Coverage Type

A concept used to distinguish Soracom services primarily by the difference in areas where IoT SIMs can be used. There are two types of coverage:

Global Coverage

IoT SIMs with Global coverage can be used globally. You can use plans such as plan01s and planX3 (X3-5MB). Additionally, with plan01s, you can use a subscription container to add multiple subscriptions (e.g., planP1, planX1) to a single IoT SIM.

Japan Coverage

IoT SIMs with Japan coverage can be used only in Japan. You can use plans such as plan-D (D-300MB), plan-K2 (K2-300MB), plan-DU, plan-KM1, and plan-K.

Early Access

Early access features are provided to allow early testing of new features before their official release for verification purposes.

Early access features may undergo frequent specification changes without notice.
Some features may require a separate application. The application process varies by feature.

Endpoint

A URI for accessing Soracom services. For example, the PING response service at pong.soracom.io and the NTP server at ntp.soracom.io are called endpoints. For a complete list, see Service Endpoints.

Entry Point

A URI and port number for sending data to Soracom Beam, Funk, Funnel, or Harvest Data/Files. For example, Beam's http://beam.soracom.io:8888/ or http://beam.soracom.io:18080, and Harvest Data's http://harvest.soracom.io are called entry points.

eSIM

eSIM (Embedded Subscriber Identity Module) is a SIM chip that is not designed to be removed from a device.

eUICC

eUICC (Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card) is an implementation standardized by GSMA (GSM Association) for remotely provisioning profiles on M2M/IoT devices. For more information, see eSIM Profiles.

Soracom supports the following formats:

SGP.02 – Carrier-side profile management for M2M deployments.
SGP.22 – Device-side (consumer) profile management.
SGP.32 – User-side remote profile management for IoT devices.

Gate Peer

An endpoint installed in your network that communicates directly with the VPG when using Soracom Gate. Gate Peer connects to the VPG via VXLAN and can communicate with devices using an IoT SIM through the VPG. For more information, see Soracom Gate and VPG.

ICCID

ICCID (Integrated Circuit Card Identifier) is a globally-unique number that identifies a SIM card. For newer SIMs that support multiple profiles, the ICCID identifies each profile stored within the SIM, rather than the SIM itself.

IMEI

IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) is a unique identification number for a device. The IMEI displayed for an IoT SIM in the SIM management screen is the IMEI of the device using that IoT SIM. You can also use the IMEI with features such as IMEI Lock.

IMSI

IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) is a unique number that identifies a subscription. The issued IMSI is recorded on the IoT SIM. If an additional subscription (subscription container) is added to an IoT SIM, multiple IMSIs will be recorded on that single SIM. In Soracom, it is an important parameter used as a key to operate the SIM and as an identifier in various services.

IoT SIM

A SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) provided by Soracom. For more information, see Soracom Air for Cellular.

Each IoT SIM can be assigned a status regarding communication availability. For example, statuses include "Active" (can be used without restriction) and "Suspended" (data communication is prohibited). For more information, see Subscriber Status.

iSIM

iSIM (Integrated SIM) is a technology that integrates SIM card functionality into a communication module's SoC (System on Chip). Also called Integrated eUICC or SoC Integrated SIM.

MSISDN

MSISDN (Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number) is the phone number assigned to an IoT SIM.

Specifically, this is the country code plus the phone number. For example, the MSISDN for a UK IoT SIM with phone number 07911 123456 would be 447911123456 (44 country code + phone number with the leading 0 removed).

IoT SIMs do not support voice calls.
SMS usage is restricted for some subscriptions. For more information, see SMS and USSD.

Network Registration

The process of registering a device using an IoT SIM on a 3G/4G/5G network in order to perform data communication and send/receive SMS/USSD with the SIM. Network registration is performed automatically by the device, generally when the device is powered on or when it moves a significant distance. For more information, see Cellular Connectivity Basics.

Operator

An individual or organization with administrative control of SIMs and their respective subscriptions. Your Soracom account represents an Operator, and is uniquely identified by your OPID (Operator ID). When a feature applies to an Operator, it means that using or enabling the feature will affect or include all Soracom IoT SIMs in your account. When a feature is limited to an Operator, it means that the feature is only available to Soracom IoT SIMs in your account.

Plan

A name used to distinguish subscriptions for Soracom Air for Cellular. For pricing details, see Pricing & Fee Schedule.

Primary Subscription

A subscription that can be contracted independently. Primary subscriptions such as plan01s support subscription containers, which allow you to add additional subscriptions to a single IoT SIM.

Profile

A collection of one or more subscriptions. The profile is supplied by a network operator, such as Soracom, and is preprogrammed when the SIM is manufactured. In most cases, a SIM will contain one profile by default, and that profile will contain one subscription by default.

Newer SIMs are able to use multiple subscriptions, either by storing multiple profiles (each with their own subscription), or by adding extra subscriptions to an existing profile. Adding a subscription is done through secure Over-The-Air (OTA) updates, which allows new subscription information to be pushed to the SIM remotely.

Diagram of relationship between SIM, profiles, and subscriptions

To avoid ambiguity, Soracom uses the term Subscription Container to describe a single profile that contains multiple subscriptions, and the behavior of switching subscription containers within the same profile.

Session

A logical communication path established between a device and Soracom for sending and receiving data via Soracom Air for Cellular. For more information, see Cellular Connectivity Basics.

SIM

SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) is a general term that typically refers to a physical SIM card or eSIM. In many cases, the term SIM may also include the sub-components within the SIM card or eSIM, such as in "Registering a SIM", which refers to the registration of both the physical SIM as well as the subscription plan associated with it.

The physical component of a SIM may take the form of:

A SIM card uses a removable form factor (such as 2FF, 3FF, or 4FF) that can be inserted into or replaced by the user.
An embedded SIM (eSIM) is an embedded chip (MFF2) soldered into a device during manufacturing.
An integrated SIM (iSIM) combines both a cellular communications module and SIM functionality into a single System on Chip (SoC) package.

For more information on physical form factors, refer to SIM Types.

In the context of network connectivity, the term subscriber may sometimes be used interchangeably with SIM according to convention, as both terms effectively refer to the same entity from the perspective of the network.

SIM Applet

A Java Card applet that runs on an IoT SIM.

SIM Applet	Description
SIM Local Information Report	You can check information such as ICCID, IMSI, MSISDN, IMEI, and cell tower location information obtained from the device. For more information, see Local Information.
Subscription Container	The subscription is automatically switched according to the country or region where the device using the IoT SIM is located. For more information, see Subscription Containers.

SIM ID

An identifier used to physically identify an IoT SIM. For more information, see SIM IDs.

For SIMs that do not support eUICC: The ICCID (Integrated Circuit Card ID, a 19-digit number starting with 89) is used as the SIM ID.
For SIMs that support eUICC: The EID (eUICC ID, a 32-digit number starting with 89) is used as the SIM ID.

You can determine whether an IoT SIM supports eUICC by checking the number of digits in the SIM ID.

Subscriber

A subscriber is an entity that represents a single cellular connection on a cellular network. It is what the mobile network uses to recognize and authenticate a device. Each subscriber is identified by its network identity (IMSI).

A subscriber typically corresponds to one physical or embedded SIM, and in turn the device in which the SIM is installed. However, Soracom provides features such as Subscription Containers which allow a single physical or embedded SIM to store multiple subscribers. As a result, a single SIM or device may be associated with multiple network identities (IMSIs).

Subscription

A subscription is the service plan and configuration associated with a subscriber. It defines what the subscriber is allowed to do on the network. For example, this includes which data plan it uses, what services are enabled, and how usage is billed.

When using Soracom features such as Subscription Containers to store multiple subscribers on a single SIM, each subscriber will have its own associated service plan and configuration. In other words, the data plan, enabled services, and billing usage may change depending on which subscriber is used to connect to a network.

Subscription Container

A feature for storing multiple subscriptions on a single IoT SIM. The subscription is automatically switched according to the country or region where the device using the SIM is located. For more information, see Subscription Containers.