Help Center/ Global SIM Link/ User Guide/ Physical SIM Cards/ Purchasing IoT SIM Cards/ Precautions
Updated on 2024-11-18 GMT+08:00
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Precautions

Before placing an order, read the following precautions:

  • Regional restrictions:
    • IoT SIM cards provided by Chinese carriers can be used only in the Chinese mainland. To use IoT SIM cards in high-risk border areas such as Xinjiang, Tibet, Guangxi, and Yunnan, you need to purchase cards from local carriers. View the detailed List of High-Risk Areas.
    • Due to policy-based control, permanent roaming in China, Brazil, Türkiye, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is prohibited for IoT cards provided by carriers outside the Chinese mainland. If the roaming duration exceeds three to six months (the time depends on the specific country), the roaming service will be permanently disabled by carriers.
  • Voice and SMS functions are unavailable. IoT SIM cards provide only data.
  • Internet of Human (IoH) devices or applications cannot be accessed. By default, IoT SIM cards require enterprise real-name authentication and can be used for only IoT devices. To use IoT SIM cards in IoH scenarios (except mobile phones), buy cards that require real-name authentication instead. One person can have up to five IoT cards that complete real-name authentication. For assistance, contact Huawei technical support.
  • The carrier or plan cannot be changed. After order placement, the carrier or plan of the purchased card cannot be changed.
  • The number segment cannot be specified. Contact the account manager for more information.
  • Threshold for auto disconnection:
    • When the data usage of a single card reaches the preset network disconnection threshold, the system automatically suspends the card. Generally, it is used to limit the usage of a pooled card.
    • To resume a card suspended due to data threshold met, set a higher threshold. When the monthly usage of the card is less than the threshold and the card has remaining usage, or the associated data pool has remaining usage, the card will be automatically resumed.
    • Due to the delay in data update, the actual usage may exceed the preset threshold when a card is suspended.

    Note: Auto disconnection threshold is only available for pooled cards of China Unicom and China Mobile and all China Telecom physical cards.

  • Suspension due to data use-up
    • Once at the plan data threshold, a card will be suspended and resumed in the next month. Any remaining data of the current month will not be rolled over to the next month.
    • If the plan quota of a pooled card is used up, the card may not be suspended. When the used data exceeds the total data of the cards in the pool, all cards are automatically suspended. Any remaining data for a forward data pool of the current month will not be rolled over to the next month.
    • If the bound SIM cards are suspended due to data use-up, devices can recover connection without restarting after add-on subscription or quota restoration. If some devices cannot connect to the Internet, restart the devices.
  • Device-SIM binding: When a SIM card is inserted into device A for the first time and activated successfully, the card is automatically bound to device A. If this card is then inserted into device B, the card will be suspended due to device-SIM separation. Therefore, do not insert a SIM card into multiple devices. Currently, device-SIM binding is not available for IoT SIM cards provided by carriers outside the Chinese mainland.
  • Dedicated data: Fixed addresses (domain names or IP addresses) are only available for physical SIM cards of a card purchase/transfer order with dedicated data. After the configuration, IoT SIM cards can be used to access only the pre-set fixed addresses. Currently, dedicated data cannot be configured for IoT cards provided by carriers outside the Chinese mainland.
  • Add-ons are only available for SIM cards of China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile. For details, see Subscribing to a Card Add-on and Subscribing to a Forward Data Pool Add-on.
  • Real-name authentication: By default, GSL provides SIM cards that require enterprise real-name authentication. To buy cards that require individual real-name authentication, contact Huawei technical support before placing an order. For these cards, you need to complete the individual real-name authentication for them before activating them. If you activate these cards directly by inserting them into devices and powering them on or online activation, they become suspended due to violation and cannot be used. If these cards form a forward data pool, their data can be shared but cannot be used by themselves. These cards can be used only after the individual real-name authentication is completed and they return to in use status.
  • General data limit: For a SIM card either with 30 MB or 100 MB general data plan, the monthly data usage cannot exceed 100 MB, or the card will be suspended. The quota is restored in the next month. The limit cannot be changed by purchasing an add-on or forming a forward data pool.
  • Restrictions on regions (China Mobile): There are regional restrictions for a China Mobile SIM card with over 100 MB data plan monthly. When a card is connected to the Internet for the first time, it is automatically bound to the province. To change the bound province, submit a Huawei Cloud service ticket. The rebinding takes one working day.
  • Billing rules: For details, see Billing Details.
Parent Topic: Purchasing IoT SIM Cards