Short answer
Charging points use an M2M SIM card to stay online 24/7 for payment, monitoring and management. With a data-only pool and usage caps, you share the volume across all charging points and prevent bill shocks. Netcom Mobile delivers this connectivity, for example, for Blulinc's charging infrastructure.
Why a charging point needs an M2M card
A charging point does more than deliver power. It checks whether a user is authorised to charge, records usage, sends the costs to a management platform and receives updates to stay secure. All of that runs over mobile data.
When the connection drops, a user can't start charging, the operator can't see the charging point, and no software update can be loaded. For companies running their own fleet, that's unacceptable.
Why a standard mobile plan doesn't fit
A standard plan is built for calling and browsing on a smartphone. It comes with call minutes, texts and a bundle designed around human usage. A charging point needs none of that.
What's more, a mobile plan usually doesn't offer a shared data pool across hundreds of cards, nor hard usage caps per device. Those two things are exactly what's needed to keep costs under control when a charging point or gateway unexpectedly starts sending large amounts of data.
The Blulinc example
Blulinc builds charging infrastructure for businesses. Their charging points sit at locations where reliability matters more than the price per megabyte. Netcom Mobile delivers the M2M connectivity behind those installations.
In practice, the charging points get a data-only pool, so usage can be spread across all sites. Every card has a cap, so a faulty device can't drive up the entire bill. For critical locations, a multi-operator card is used, which automatically switches to the strongest network.
What you provide when requesting a quote
For an accurate proposal, we need a few details. The more you share upfront, the faster the cards on your charging points go live.
- Number of charging points and expected growth over the coming year.
- How much data a charging point uses on average (often between 50 MB and 500 MB per month).
- Which networks are best available at the locations.
- Whether downtime is acceptable, or whether a multi-operator card is needed.
- Where the invoice should go: one office or per site.
Costs and lead time
Rates for data-only M2M cards and pools are on the IoT page, excluding VAT. For charging points, most organisations choose a pool, because usage per location can vary significantly. SIM cards are delivered within a few working days, eSIM profiles even faster.
Frequently asked questions
Can one M2M card serve multiple charging points?
A charging point usually has its own card. With multiple charging points, you share the total data volume through a pool, so a location with heavier usage can draw on the volume of a quieter one.
What happens if a charging point uses more data than expected?
Every card has a usage cap. On reaching the limit, the data connection blocks instead of continuing to run. You get a notification and can temporarily raise the cap or check the device.
Is eSIM an option for charging points?
Yes, as long as the charging point controller supports an eSIM slot. We then load a profile, with no need to ship a physical card.
Does this also work for charging points abroad?
Yes, our M2M cards roam in more than 180 countries. For a larger number of charging points or permanent installations abroad, we review the profile separately.