Where are the opportunities for CSPs in the Internet of Things?

chess

Communication Service Providers’ (CSPs) are looking to be leaders in the Machine to Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) revolutions. Their M2M businesses have been growing rapidly in recent years and many see expanding their strategies into IoT as a natural extension that will allow them to capitalise on an even broader opportunity.

As such, numerous CSPs are gearing up for IoT (please see Communications Service Providers gear up for the Internet of Things). CSPs are however not the only ones looking to be central to the opportunity. A recent conversation with an IoT solution developer was especially telling. The observation was made that rarely, if ever, did the developer encounter representatives from a CSP when roaming the floors of a manufacturing plant or industrial complex they were designing an IoT solution for. In fact, the developer felt that CSPs were rather absent from general discussions with customers about the benefits of IoT (the developer specialised in industrial IoT solutions). Despite all the marketing and media hype from CSPs around their M2M and IoT services, where were the CSPs in these instances?

The simple answer is that there are several focal points emerging for the M2M and IoT opportunity and for each of them, different and different types of companies are vying for leadership. CSPs are focused on delivering integrated solutions in segments where their technologies and capabilities give them a competitive advantage. Automotive is one obvious focal point for CSPs (applications such as connected car, fleet management, etc.). I have always said that focus is essential to any CSP’s strategy – and they all know that. No CSP, no matter how large or global, has the resources to pursue the full breadth and depth of M2M and IoT. Sales cycles can also be very long (for example, one Chinese mobile operator described to me how it took nearly two-years and a huge ecosystem to win the connected car business of a European automotive manufacturer entering China). It is critical to pick your battles. Besides, does it make sense for a smart building IoT solution built on technologies such as Wifi or Zigbee to come from a CSP? Or is a GE, Philips, IBM, Cisco or some other company better positioned? To be sure, partnerships are evolving. It makes sense to tap into complementary competencies (e.g. IBM with AT&T for Smart Cities or GE with AT&T for the Industrial Internet).

What is important for companies vying for leadership in M2M and IoT is that they unify and simplify solutions – while at the same time offer a vision to their customers. As an executive from a Fortune 500 company with massive retail, logistics and manufacturing operations shared with me not too long ago – while they see the benefits of IoT, the challenge in accelerating adoption is in the diversity of devices and solutions being offered. They need a partner who can bring relevant solutions together and simplify it for them. Trying to do so internally is difficult and often not feasible. They also need a partner who can offer a vision of the benefits beyond the individual solutions. This is what will further strengthen the business case for IoT. Be it a CSP, network vendor, system integrator, or industrial giant, the important point is that there are companies seeking to deliver simplified solutions and vision. This is what will help push M2M and IoT forward. We already rate leading CSPs. What other categories do you think are worth rating? And who do you think are some of the early companies leading and their focal points?

RECENT ARTICLES

Get a US$50 Amazon voucher for sharing your IoT brand knowledge

Posted on: March 28, 2024

We want to know what you know about the IoT space. Just 3 minutes could earn you a US$50 Amazon digital gift card!

Read more

Enhance EV charging performance with cellular connectivity

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Electric vehicles (EVs) are steadily growing their market share at the expense of internal combustion engine vehicles. The growth is fuelled by several factors. Perhaps most importantly, prices for EVs have started to drop as competition in the industry is intensifying. New players and models are emerging, prompting several established EV makers to lower their

Read more
FEATURED IoT STORIES

What is IoT? A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on: April 5, 2023

What is IoT? IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to the connection of everyday objects, or “things,” to the internet, allowing them to collect, transmit, and share data. This interconnected network of devices transforms previously “dumb” objects, such as toasters or security cameras, into smart devices that can interact with each other and their

Read more

The IoT Adoption Boom – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on: September 28, 2022

In an age when we seem to go through technology boom after technology boom, it’s hard to imagine one sticking out. However, IoT adoption, or the Internet of Things adoption, is leading the charge to dominate the next decade’s discussion around business IT. Below, we’ll discuss the current boom, what’s driving it, where it’s going,

Read more

9 IoT applications that will change everything

Posted on: September 1, 2021

Whether you are a future-minded CEO, tech-driven CEO or IT leader, you’ve come across the term IoT before. It’s often used alongside superlatives regarding how it will revolutionize the way you work, play, and live. But is it just another buzzword, or is it the as-promised technological holy grail? The truth is that Internet of

Read more

Which IoT Platform 2021? IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide

Posted on: August 30, 2021

There are several different parts in a complete IoT solution, all of which must work together to get the result needed, write IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide – Which IoT Platform 2021? authors Robin Duke-Woolley, the CEO and Bill Ingle, a senior analyst, at Beecham Research. Figure 1 shows these parts and, although not all

Read more

CAT-M1 vs NB-IoT – examining the real differences

Posted on: June 21, 2021

As industry players look to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity, two different standards have emerged under release 13 of 3GPP – CAT-M1 and NB-IoT.

Read more

IoT and home automation: What does the future hold?

Posted on: June 10, 2020

Once a dream, home automation using iot is slowly but steadily becoming a part of daily lives around the world. In fact, it is believed that the global market for smart home automation will reach $40 billion by 2020.

Read more

5 challenges still facing the Internet of Things

Posted on: June 3, 2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) has quickly become a huge part of how people live, communicate and do business. All around the world, web-enabled devices are turning our world into a more switched-on place to live.

Read more