Onomondo bags probably the best IoT deal in the world

The Danish brewery is gearing up to launch what it calls Digital DraughtMaster, which adds a dash of technology to the centuries-old practice of pouring the perfect pint.

Wireless pressure sensors send data to a hub which then forwards it to a smartphone app that enables staff to monitor the flow of beer and get a view on what's happening inside the keg in real time, thereby helping to maintain the quality of the product.

Digital DraughtMaster also gives bar managers and Carlsberg itself a real-time view on stock levels – helping both the venue and brewery with inventory management. The data, which is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), also lets bar managers know when a beer is being poured outside of opening hours, which sounds like it could be useful. It also monitors the health of the system, so potential issues can be addressed remotely before they become a serious problem.

Carlsberg plans to launch Digital DraughtMaster in 10 countries starting next year. For the whole thing to work though, it needs a seamless, global IoT network, and this is where Onomondo comes in.

Also based in Denmark, Onomondo is an IoT MVNO that offers 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE-M and NB-IoT coverage in more than 630 networks, spanning more than 180 countries.

It's a full MVNO, which means that while it relies on operator partners for the RAN and spectrum, it operates its own core network, giving it end-to-end visibility and control over every IoT device that connects to it.

These capabilities are put in the hands of customers via its connectivity platform, enabling them to monitor and control their IoT devices, which is useful for managing data and power consumption, helping to keep a lid on those all-important costs.

Onomondo is providing Carlsberg with SIMs and direct, secure connectivity to AWS. That direct connection has achieved a 30 percent reduction in data transmission, reducing the lifetime operating cost of the Digital DraughtMaster system.

"Before working with Onomondo, we identified three key challenges that needed addressing for a successful rollout of our DraughtMaster system: operating devices on a global scale, ensuring secure transmission of data to cloud environments, and guaranteeing constant connectivity and functionality," said Gregory Thomas, senior director at Carlsberg overseeing DraughtMaster.

"This is a challenge that usually requires a patchwork of service providers, but by implementing Onomondo's IoT SIMs and core network into our system, these headaches are removed in one fell swoop," he said. "Onomondo is a simple, reliable, and accessible way to overcome the connectivity silos that have often plagued IoT projects."

As far as this telco hack is concerned, there is no more worthy endeavour than providing the thirsty, world-weary journalist with the most refreshing lager available. The big question is though: once you've had two or three, can you really tell the difference?