There’s no doubt that the m2m evolution is gaining momentum. As R&D departments increasingly look to incorporate smart and connected tech into their products, and the benefits to the consumer are better understood, adoption feels inevitable.
The market is developing organically in response to demand, as m2m is slowly reaching more parts of every business, putting pressure on m2m providers to develop increasingly diverse solutions to customer needs, be they to improve operational efficiency, productivity, supply chain management, logistics, tracking, retail operations or customer experience. It is great news for everyone in the sector, but also introduces short-term challenges. To achieve maximum impact from an m2m installation, the best route is increasingly acknowledged to be an end-to-end solution.
Being a provider of smart connectivity is great, but customers are now looking for end-to-end capability, including connectivity, devices, solution and managed services in a single package. As customers become better educated, their requirements become more specific and all-encompassing, so end-to-end services are in demand. Most analysts have predicted this phased evolution with providers moving from being pure managed connectivity providers to aggregated solution providers and potentially even further into fully integrated m2m services.
Being an emerging market, there will be few providers yet in a position to offer a genuinely end-to-end, fully integrated solution. There is then a compelling argument to build a partner eco-system to broaden the market offering and extend the reach of each provider – either through the supply chain or into different geographies or market sectors. Partnerships allow providers an immediate opportunity to reach new customers rather than remaining dependent on the more time-consuming process of product expansion. Telefonica has stayed one step ahead of this evolution with its already established GPP (Global Partnership Programme), which enables providers to network and build relationships that allow them to move immediately towards end-to-end solutions, facilitating a better service for customers. A win-win environment for m2m providers and customers alike.
