Telus tapped IoT specialist Eseye to provide a platform which will allow the operator to provide global coverage to its customers, and invested CAD26.3 million ($20.7 million) to help grow the UK-based company.

Dubbed Telus Global Connect, the platform will provide access to 700 cellular IoT networks across 190 countries, with localised connectivity said to enable lower latency, higher availability and improved resilience.

It will also offer options for integration with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure for customers seeking tie-in to cloud-based services.

Mike Cihra, Telus VP of IoT, stated the move “acknowledges the global nature and requirements of so many of our customers’ operations and is a clear signal of our intention to invest to satisfy those”.

Telus said Eseye plans to use its investment to boost product development, and expand sales and marketing activities.

The operator added 88,000 connected devices (including tablets and IoT) in Q4 2020, up from 28,000 in the comparable 2019 period, taking its total to 1.8 million.

During its Q4 earnings call, Telus president of mobility solutions Jim Senko said its connected device mix was increasingly skewed toward IoT, adding “this category is growing and it’s going to become more and more important” as 5G rollouts continue.

Telus launched its LTE-M service in October 2018.