When a major U.S. utility serving 1.7 million customers across Kansas and Missouri chooses a globaI eSIM champion to unlock next-level connectivity, it’s well worth our attention in the travel-tech and telecom-roaming world. Evergy, Inc.—one of the largest investor-owned utilities in the Midwest—has selected Kigen to deploy its secure eSIM OS and eIM solution in order to build an automated, resilient connectivity layer across private LTE and public networks.

In essence, this isn’t just a case of plugging devices into a network: it’s about creating a dynamic, scalable ground floor for digital grid operations—and for you, travelling in a world that increasingly depends on seamless, resilient connectivity, the implications are real.

Why grid resiliency matters—and what eSIM brings to the table

Resiliency, affordability and sustainability sit at the heart of Evergy’s strategy. As utilities integrate more distributed energy resources (DERs), advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), dynamic billing systems, and IoT-driven operational tech, the underlying connectivity becomes mission-critical. Severe weather (Midwest thunderstorms, outages due to storms) and routine network upgrades—or evolution—can disrupt the telemetry that acts as a “heartbeat” of a modern grid.

Here’s where eSIMs (and their modern relative, iSIM) play a crucial role:

• They offer operator-profile flexibility: Kigen’s solution enables Evergy to deploy eSIMs provisioned with multiple operator profiles, meaning devices can switch between operators seamlessly.
• They allow automated failover: The Kigen eSIM OS includes a “network rescue and recovery” applet, which triggers dynamic failover between private LTE (owned/leased by the utility) and preferred public networks—all based on business rules.
• They support centralized control at scale: Via the Kigen Pulse platform, Evergy can manage connectivity by geography, by asset type, or by site—crucial when you’re talking thousands (and soon tens of thousands) of IoT endpoints.

For travel-tech audiences like yours, this signals something beyond the utility sector: that the same connectivity mindset—dynamic, resilient, multi-profile, and centrally managed—will increasingly underpin IoT ecosystems, roaming solutions, eSIM-based travel connectivity, and more.

What’s in play at Evergy—the practical deployment

Evergy’s existing LTE network spans about 100 sites, supporting thousands of IoT sensors, AMI, and operational-technology devices. But that’s just the starting point. Paragraphs in the announcement indicate expansion toward tens of thousands of devices. 
Manual network-management practices simply cannot keep pace at that scale, especially when public-network cost, latency, reliability and security are all in the mix.

By applying Kigen’s eSIM OS and SGP.32-compliant eIM solution:

• Evergy unifies private LTE and public networks into a single automated connectivity layer.
• Operating rules (failover thresholds, preferred network paths, roaming profiles) can be embedded in the eSIM OS rather than requiring onsite manual intervention.
• Centralised management makes fleet-level control possible: controlling asset connectivity based on geography, asset class, or site.
• The solution rests on a secure foundation: Kigen’s eIM is hosted at its Dublin site, fully certified under the GSMA Security Accreditation Scheme for Subscription Management (SAS-SM), and compliant with the latest SGP.32 IoT-eSIM specification.

From a travel-tech vantage point, what jumps out is the sophistication of “connectivity as infrastructure”—something we expect increasingly in hotspots, resorts, smart accommodations, mobility devices, and global roaming networks. The utility sector may be one of the earliest adopters at scale, but many adjacent verticals will follow.

Why this matters for travel-tech, roaming, and eSIM platforms

Since you’re building authority in the eSIM space with Alertify, here are a few takeaways worth emphasizing:

1. Scalability demands automation
   At 100 sites and “thousands of devices”, moving to “tens of thousands” means manual provisioning, operator-selection, SIM swaps, and on-site repairs become untenable. The same logic applies to travel connectivity: as you scale across markets, operators, devices and usage profiles, automation (via eSIM OS logic, profile management, and remote provisioning) becomes the differentiator.
2. Multi-network / multi-profile is pivotal
   The eSIM world is not simply “one network per device” anymore — it’s “many networks, managed centrally, switching smoothly”. For a utility that needs reliability, this means fallback from private LTE to public networks (and vice versa) automatically. For the travel connectivity world, this means smoother roaming, better failover when moving across countries or changing networks, and improved reliability for nomads and business travellers. The underlying architecture is the same.
3. Security and certification matter
   The fact that Kigen’s eIM is SAS-SM certified and SGP.32-compliant is meaningful. In travel tech (especially B2B eSIM, roaming for enterprises, and digital nomads using IoT devices), trustworthiness, certification and AML/security posture are increasingly part of the value proposition.
4. Infrastructure mindset vs. product mindset
   Evergy’s deployment treats connectivity as infrastructure—as durable, core, always-on—not as an add-on or afterthought. For the eSIM/roaming world, shifting mindsets from “SIM card” or “data-traveller pack” to “connectivity layer” opens up new value-stream opportunities: integrated devices, vertical IoT, embedded eSIMs, and hybrid networks.

How this compares to similar players and industry trends

In the current eSIM/IoT market, what Evergy + Kigen represents is alignment with a few wider trends:

• Private cellular + public convergence: Many enterprises and utilities are moving toward private cellular networks (LTE/5G) for operational devices, but they still need public-network fallback for coverage, cost and redundancy. An eSIM OS that can handle both seamlessly gives them an edge.
• Network resilience baked in: Especially in critical infrastructure (utilities, transport, logistics), connectivity downtime is unacceptable. More players are embedding dynamic failover, automated recovery, multi-network resilience into their eSIM architectures.
• Certification & ecosystem maturity: Earlier eSIM roll-outs were consumer-centric (smartphones, tablets) and less heavy on critical infra. We are now seeing IoT and industrial-grade eSIM/iSIM solutions being deployed with full GSMA compliance, security accreditation, and at scale.
• Opportunities for travel/roaming companies: As connectivity becomes a service (layer) rather than just a product (SIM or plan), companies positioned in affiliate marketing, travel tech, roaming consultancy (like you with Alertify) can link into new verticals: eSIM for IoT devices used by travellers, roaming IoT sensors in mobility fleets, remote management of embedded devices, etc.

To compare: there are other eSIM platform providers (e.g., Thales, Idemia, and Giesecke & Devrient) and connectivity-management platforms in IoT, but many of them focus on consumer device provisioning, module OEMs, or chipset integration. Kigen’s positioning—with a configurable OS, dynamic failover, fleet-scale management, and utility-grade deployment—gives them a differentiated stance. The utility use case (Evergy) underscores this maturity.

Conclusion: Why this matters—and where we go from here

At first glance, a utilities contract may feel far removed from travel-tech and roaming. But dig a little deeper: what you’re witnessing is the industrial-grade maturation of eSIM connectivity architecture—the “connectivity layer” that future travel tech, roaming solutions, and global nomad infrastructures will also lean on.

Evergy’s move to unify private LTE and public networks under a centrally-managed, dynamic eSIM architecture signals that connectivity is no longer an after-thought or add-on—it is core infrastructure. For the travel tech audience you serve, this means that:

• eSIM platforms will compete not just on “global data for travellers” but on “fleet-scale connectivity, multi-profile failover, embedded devices, and mid-market/industrial verticals”.
• Roaming consultancy and affiliate marketing opportunities will expand into IoT verticals, enterprise devices, and global asset connectivity—not just consumer travellers.
• Understanding operator profiles, provisioning platforms, OS logic, failover mechanisms, and regulatory/certification frameworks will become key differentiators (for your audience of B2B clients).

So yes, while Evergy + Kigen is a utilities story, it is also a travel-tech story, a roaming-tech story—and an eSIM ecosystem story. For your readers at Alertify—whether digital nomads, travel tech adopters, eSIM providers, or enterprise roaming buyers—this is a case study of where the connectivity layer is headed.

In short: The grid may power the lights, but the same connectivity layer will power tomorrow’s travel-device ecosystem. Keep an eye on the players who build that layer—and help your audience understand that the game isn’t just about “data roaming” anymore—it’s about connectivity resilience, embedded global profiles, and automation at scale.