Licensed research reprint
Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for IoT, 2026
CSL has licensed the full report for teams that plan, procure and operate connected estates.
Understand the capabilities, benefits, business impact and user recommendations for 36 innovations, including eSIM and IoT orchestration.
Complete the form for complimentary access to the research. The report opens in a new tab.
We also explain how we feel CSL addresses platform fragmentation and what buyers should ask connectivity providers to evidence.
Who this is for
We licensed the report for the people who own these decisions:
- IT and OT leaders consolidating connectivity across sites, regions and suppliers
- procurement teams writing connectivity requirements into tender documents
- product teams specifying cellular hardware with a service life of 10 years or more
- risk and compliance owners assessing relevant obligations under the EU Cyber Resilience Act and the NIS2 Directive
“The fragmented landscape of proprietary connectivity management platform (CMP) APIs complicates seamless federation and single-pane-of-glass aggregation at scale, as not all local CMP API features integrate fully, resulting in fragmented life cycle management that depends on the connected CMP.”
How CSL addresses platform fragmentation
Investigating or changing one connection should not require separate portals. CSL addresses this at three layers: the management platform, the SIM and the support model behind both.
The platform layer
CSL IoTM Platform brings eSIM orchestration and operational connectivity management into one workflow. Physical SIM and eSIM subscriptions, inventory, connectivity status and rate plans are managed through a single interface. When an eSIM profile is downloaded and enabled, the associated subscription and rate-plan changes can be deployed as part of the same process, aligned with the GSMA SGP.32 technical specification. Across this operating model, CSL directly manages and supports millions of active connections, while the IoTM Platform extends the same orchestration and management capabilities across tens of millions of ICCIDs. The platform provides access to more than 100 mobile operators and roaming providers.
Coverage depends on the operator environments and platform integrations currently supported. Ask CSL for the current list and check it against the operators in your estate.
The SIM layer
rSIM® technology holds two independent multi-network roaming profiles. SIM-resident logic tests the connection and selects the alternative profile when a configured failure condition is met, so recovery does not depend on an instruction from a remote management platform.
DualCore® is CSL’s architecture for connectivity over independent mobile-core paths. rSIM implements that architecture with switching logic on the SIM. Independent cores remove the shared core as a single point of failure. They do not address failures in equipment, power or the systems the connection reaches.
The support layer
Orchestration and failover both create operational exceptions, from an incomplete profile download to a device registering on an unintended network. Resolving them requires more than platform visibility: it requires defined ownership, support processes and an evidence trail. CSL operates managed IoT connectivity for applications where a loss of data, voice services, or signalling has a business, operational or regulatory consequence. We manage and support direct, active connections at scale as well as orchestrating tens of millions of SIMs through our platforms. We also provide private VPN connectivity to Alarm Receiving Centres across Europe that support life- and security-critical services.
The managed connectivity service brings the connectivity and platform services supplied by CSL under a single customer relationship and support model.
How Gartner® assesses eSIM and IoT orchestration
The Gartner® analysis of each technology includes these assessments:
eSIM
Benefit Rating: Transformational
Market Penetration: 20% to 50% of target audience
IoT Orchestration
Benefit Rating: High
Market Penetration: 5% to 20% of target audience
Gartner explains how to read the graphic in its Hype Cycle methodology.
In its analysis of eSIM, Gartner lists this driver:
“SGP.32 launch in 2026 is expected to drive broader adoption across more industry verticals.”
In its analysis of IoT orchestration, Gartner makes this recommendation for enterprises:
“Evaluate connectivity providers based on their verifiable roadmaps and readiness for the GSMA SGP.32 standard to ensure future-proof, dynamic, over-the-air profile localization.”
In CSL’s view, a provider evaluation should also test how connectivity is restored when a network or an operator core fails. The questions below include profile management and failover.
What we would ask a connectivity provider to evidence
These are the questions our engineering team addresses in tender responses, and they are worth asking every provider you assess, including CSL. Defining requirements as measurable outcomes makes it easier to test claims and compare providers on consistent terms.
- the mobile networks available to the service in each country of operation, and how connectivity is maintained if the initial network becomes unavailable
- where the decision to switch to an alternative path is made, whether through SIM-resident logic, device firmware or a remote management platform, and whether that mechanism remains available if the active path is lost
- the expected time between a sustained loss of usable connectivity and restoration through an alternative path, supported by a repeatable test method
- the GSMA eSIM specification and version supported, and whether an active data session is required to complete a profile change
- the connectivity management platforms and carrier systems supported through native integrations
- the availability commitments offered, how performance is measured and the provisions that apply if those commitments are not met
- how the connection reaches the receiving system and how responsibility for the path from device to destination is defined
Documenting these points gives procurement and engineering teams a consistent basis for evaluating different providers.
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To check supported operators and platform integrations against your estate, or discuss CSL’s approach to failover testing, email sales@csl-group.com.
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