The internet has transformed the lives of billions of people around the world, and its reach and effect on how people work, study, communicate and interact with and control their environments is poised to have an even greater impact as the Internet of Things becomes a reality.
Early challenges
So far, the internet has made it easy for people and organizations to stay connected, serving a wide variety of business, research and marketing needs as well as making it possible for people to stay connected with friends, stream TV and movies and handle an endless list of personal needs, from tracking checking accounts and placing stock trades to booking flights and shopping.
Ushering in this convenience and connectivity wasn’t easy. There was network infrastructure to build out, cell towers to erect and affordable smartphones, computers and data plans to market. There also were state, local and nationwide regulators—each with its own set of rules that had to be addressed to authorize service and signoff on rollout.
While these initial challenges are now largely managed, that doesn’t mean these and other considerations didn’t create real obstacles that had to be overcome to bring the internet to where it is today, reaching more than 90% of the U.S. population, 85% of Russians, 70% of Chinese, and nearly 60% of the world’s 8 billion people.
In the early days of the internet, it was impossible for people to imagine having this type of connectivity in their hands. Now, they can do anything they can imagine on their cellphone—no matter what it is or where they are. Today, all users can connect to the internet in different countries simply by using an international eSIM (Embedded Subscriber Identity Module), thereby breaking language and cultural barriers and keeping them connected worldwide.
What is the Internet of Things?
The number of people connected to the internet, however, is far less than the number of electronic devices that are connected. Those devices, collectively known as the Internet of Things (IoT), total about seven billion, and that number is projected to reach more than 25 billion by 2030.
Among the top categories of IoT devices are those for smart homes that control the operation and settings of appliances ranging from refrigerators to furnaces and air conditioners; industrial sensors to assist in data collection, automation and other tasks; industrial robots; healthcare devices, such as remote patient monitors; and connected cars to support entertainment, navigation and monitoring.
The common denominator for these and other IoT devices is internet connectivity, which in most cases will be wireless to enable freedom of movement. That connectivity gives enterprises and individuals the ability to observe conditions remotely, whether it’s a nurse reviewing the health of a distant patient or homeowners checking on and adjusting the indoor temperature of their living spaces.
In the workplace, that sort of data is known as intentional data, or information collected with a particular goal in mind that can be analyzed to make better decisions based on insights that are revealed. While that label may be a bit highfalutin for everyday life, individuals as well can collect specific data from IoT devices, like a smart home refrigerator to see if the milk is still good or a smart car’s navigation system to determine which route may be faster based on current traffic and road conditions.
In either case, an intentional data plan will support the connectivity needed by businesses and ordinary people to collect specific data from IoT devices, better assess what is going on and ultimately make smarter decisions.
The here and now
While billions of IoT devices are used today and three-times as many are expected in seven years, normal mobile internet connectivity powers everyday life today. Giving people at home, work and on the go access to information at an unprecedented speed, the internet has woven itself into the very fabric of everyday life.
Take education. For an entire generation, it’s nearly unimaginable how people before the internet had to research topics using card catalogues and the Dewey Decimal System to find relevant content in books and periodicals. Today’s students can access nearly any digital equivalent imaginable online, while streaming a podcast and checking on the score of their favorite team at the same time from the same device.
A whole discipline of knowledge massification has grown up around online learning that puts education and knowledge into the hands of a massive number of students around the globe accessing instruction and information with a computer or smartphone connected to the internet.
Today, all students are able to continue their education while traveling around the world, something that is as simple as getting a travel eSIM. An eSIM makes internet connectivity from a cellphone possible in different countries and entire continents, all with a few simple clicks.
In the workplace, the internet is having a profound effect. A 2021 study led by the Harvard Business School found the internet economy grew seven times faster than the total U.S. economy over the previous four years and accounted for 12% of U.S. gross domestic product.
When it comes to entertainment, the internet has transformed how and where people watch television shows, movies and live events. Streaming video on the internet now accounts for 65% of all internet traffic, according to Sandvine’s 2023 Global Internet Phenomena Report.
Beyond entertainment, the internet makes it possible for people to stay in touch via social media where friends and relatives can maintain their relationships regardless of distance and people can form new friendships and interact with others who share their interests.
Of course, it’s not all been positive. Digital crime, identity theft, online harassment, fake news, exposure to inappropriate content and even internet addiction may take a bit of the shine off.
Still, it’s hard to imagine modern life without all of the benefits the internet consistently delivers.
Travel and staying connected
The internet is particularly important to travelers who can stay connected with school, work, commerce and all of the other benefits and services they’ve grown accustomed to at home. Unfortunately, finding the same level of connectivity and data services when traveling, especially outside one’s home country, has been a dicey proposition.
Wi-Fi’s not really a viable solution due to security and performance concerns, and securing temporary data plans from local wireless carriers can be confusing due to language barriers, subject travelers to unexpected roaming charges and require them to swap out their smartphone’s (SIM) card for one from the local carrier, which creates the chance the phone’s original SIM card might get lost or damaged during the trip.
Fortunately, there is a solution that leverages a digital SIM card—in essence a virtual SIM—and affordable data plans for more than 160 countries from a company called Holafly.
An innovator in international data connectivity, Holafly offers an eSIM alternative that enables travelers’ existing smartphones to access wireless data overseas without replacing their phone’s SIM card to enable call reception.
Holafly customers simply visit the company’s website, select a plan that meets their needs and download an eSIM QR code to use during installation and setup. Setting up a data plan takes less than three minutes. It is important, however, to make sure the cellphones of customers are eSIM-compatible. A helpful list of eSiM-supported smartphones is available on the Holafly website.
A few hours before leaving for a flight, a new user installs the Holafly eSIM from the smartphone’s Settings menu using the eSIM QR code. Installation is summarized in an easy-to-follow YouTube video.
There’s an even faster way to install a Holafly eSIM. Simply download the eSIM app after making the purchase. Not only does the app make installation and activation easy, it also makes checking data plan details simple because everything is in one place.
That’s all it takes. When new Holafly subscribers arrive at their destination, they can begin using their phones immediately to stay connected, access the internet and continue enjoying all of the data, entertainment and websites they do at home.
The internet truly is changing the lives of billions, and with the rise of IoT devices and their ability to help people better monitor and control their world no end to that transformation appears in sight.
There’s no longer a reason not to stay connected when traveling abroad. With wireless connectivity, students, businesspeople, tourists and others on the go have access to the information they need regardless of whether they are at home or traveling thousands of miles away. Combined with their cellphones, this connectivity literally puts the internet in the palms of their hands.
Thanks to Holafly’s wireless data plans and eSIM technology, it’s never been easier nor more affordable to maintain the connectivity people depend on when traveling far from home.
The editorial staff had no role in this post's creation.