Definition
A pre-installed card refers to IoT SIM cards embedded in the device before it leaves the factory. After purchasing the device, users do not need to insert a separate card, and the pre-installed card can be activated when the device connects to the network for the first time, achieving plug and play. Pre-installed cards are an important form in the B2B2C model for enhancing user experience and simplifying device delivery.
Core Features
- Factory Pre-installed: SIM cards are installed in the device during the production process, so users do not need to insert them manually, reducing installation barriers and failure rates.
- First Network Activation: The device automatically triggers activation the first time it connects to the network, requiring no user operation, achieving plug-and-play .
- Data Plan Pre-configuration: The SIM card is already bound to a data plan when it is warehoused or allocated, and the data plan is automatically delivered upon activation, allowing the user to use it straight out of the box.
- Deferred billing: This works with the first activation time policy (effective on first use) so the card is not billed early while the device is still in stock.
Supply Chain and Platform Coordination
Pre-installed SIM cards require collaboration among the device manufacturer, IoT Cloud Platform , and operator. The device manufacturer embeds the SIM card during production and sends information such as ICCID back to the platform; the platform completes SIM warehousing, ownership configuration, and data plan binding; and the platform triggers activation when the user connects to the network for the first time. Enterprises need to configure the activation validity period , and pre-installed SIM cards that are not activated before expiration can be reclaimed to avoid resource waste.
Use Cases
Pre-installed cards are widely used in scenarios such as the Internet of Vehicles, shared devices, and consumer electronics. Car manufacturers pre-install IoT SIM cards when vehicles leave the factory, and they are activated the first time the user connects after taking delivery; shared power banks and shared bicycles are pre-installed with cards when the devices leave the factory and are activated upon first use after deployment; consumer electronics such as smartwatches and tablets can also use pre-installed cards. Pre-installed cards need to be combined with first activation time strategy (such as effective upon first use) to avoid early billing after storage.
Procurement and Supply Chain
Pre-installed card procurement is usually handled by device manufacturers or brands who sign contracts with operators or the platform, purchase in bulk, and embed them into devices. The platform needs to support bulk warehousing, ICCID association with device SN, and pre-configuration capabilities. When devices leave the factory, manufacturers send back the card-device binding information to the platform for subsequent activation and operation tracking. The pre-installed card supply chain involves multi-party coordination, requiring clear responsibility boundaries and data flow standards.
Integration with Plug-and-Play
Pre-installed cards and plug-and-play are a perfect combination: pre-installed cards ensure users do not need to insert a card, and plug-and-play ensures users do not need to activate manually. Their combination can achieve an 'out-of-the-box ready' ultimate experience. The platform needs to support both the pre-installed card warehousing process and the plug-and-play activation logic, configuring first activation time as 'effective upon first use' and activation validity period to control inventory cycles.
Which record is authoritative: the card identity or the device serial
A pre-installed card is a card that was soldered or inserted before the device left the factory, and that already has a correspondence with that device in connectivity management. The correspondence needs at least the card’s ICCID, the device serial number, the production batch, and the plan intended for sale. A soldered card has no slot, so the identity can only come from the number written on the production line. It cannot wait for the user to open the device and read it. A removable card can be replaced later, but the pre-install list still takes the card that left the factory as the one that counts. A service replacement must go through a change. The old card and the new card must not both point at the same device. A wrong check digit on the identity, or a serial number short by one character, sends later activation to a different card.
At intake, check by batch: the set of identities on the carrier’s shipping list, the production-line attach record, and the platform card inventory should be the same. Cards left over are stock that was not pre-installed. Cards missing should have provisioning frozen first. Importing cards into the platform without writing the device serial number only creates ordinary stock. It does not give a pre-installed card its traceability. When service scans a device barcode and cannot find a card, the cause is usually this step, not a lack of network coverage.
How to avoid early usage records during the silent period
Between the moment a pre-installed card is fitted and the user’s first use, the card sits in storage and in transit. During that time it should stay testable or silent, and it should not enter the billing start of a commercial plan. The parameters that matter are the length of the silent period, the test-traffic ceiling that is allowed, and what happens when that period runs out: return the card to the unassigned pool, move it to suspension, or force activation. If the test quota is too large, the production line can download firmware over and over, and the commercial plan is drawn down without anyone noticing. If it is too small, one failed write-number retry drives the card into suspension, and the finished device leaves the factory already offline.
Another mistake is to treat pre-installation as a completed sale. The card is still in the warehouse, but sales attribution and the share have already been booked to some channel. When the real buyer binds the card, attribution cannot be moved, and renewal shares keep going to the wrong party. Pre-installation should only occupy the stock state “embedded in a device.” Sales attribution should be fixed at outbound or at first provisioning, not before. SimtoLink’s card and device connectivity management uses batch card opening to prepare this batch of silent cards. Commercial billing still waits for first use. It does not start a monthly charge at the moment the production line scans the code.
How the old card leaves the device when service replaces it
After a soldered card fails or a removable card is lost, repair fits a new card. If the pre-install relationship only adds the new identity and does not release the old card, both cards point at the same serial number. If the old card is still in its silent period, it can be activated by mistake in the warehouse. If it was already provisioned, a renewal is credited to a card that is no longer in the device. A replacement should first mark the old card as replaced and stop self-service top-up on it, then write the new card as the current pre-installed card. The silent period starts again when the replacement is finished. It does not inherit test traffic the old card already consumed. SimtoLink keeps the replacement record on the device-to-card correspondence. A serial-number lookup hands only the card that is currently valid to the provisioning flow.