There are significant differences in the national rules applied by seven prominent Asia-Pacific (APAC) countries on permanent roaming, licensing and SIM card registration.

In the area of permanent roaming, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand generally permit the use of SIM profiles with international or supranational numbering solutions for IoT services. By contrast, China and India enforce strict controls or outright bans. In India, for example, foreign-issued SIM profiles must be converted to a locally registered profile within six months. China requires foreign providers to partner with licensed domestic mobile network operators to ensure compliance. In Australia, while there is no formal time limit set by regulation, mobile operators may apply commercial policies that restrict how long a foreign-issued SIM profile can remain active.

Authorisation and licensing requirements also vary significantly. In Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, no formal licence is needed unless the provider contracts directly with local end users or operates its own infrastructure. However, China, India, Singapore, and South Korea require various forms of authorisation, depending on the type of service. Providers offering public internet access via IoT subscriptions are generally subject to additional regulatory obligations across the region.

With regard to SIM card registration, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore all enforce strict identity verification requirements. These typically include the collection of personal or business identification data before activation. New Zealand takes a more flexible approach and does not require SIM registration for IoT services.

The regulation of embedded SIMs (eSIMs) is also evolving. In countries such as China, India, and Singapore, providers must obtain regulatory approval or comply with national numbering plans before activating eSIMs for IoT deployments.

Cullen International’s new research compares the approach to regulation for IoT and M2M (machine-to-machine) connectivity in Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Singapore.

The new APAC benchmarks are part of Cullen International’s global IoT Connectivity Benchmark service, which tracks regulatory developments in more than 65 countries. They offer clear, comparative insights to support compliance planning and market entry strategies for mobile network operators (MNOs), mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), and global IoT connectivity providers.

For access to our research, click 'Access full content' – or 'Request access' if you are not yet a subscriber to our IoT service.

Interested in other regions? Check these out:

• Africa
• Americas
• MENA