08/11/2011
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From M2M to smart cities
One of the main subjects of debate in the VII Telecommunications Congress in Santander was business and challenges on the "internet of things" and the evolution towards intelligent cities
Although they are not new, the evolution of technologies under the umbrella of M2M (machine-to-machine) and the adoption of IPv6, which will permit the assignation of IP addresses practically without limits, is favoring the explosion of these systems for all type of applications. The next step will be the ‘Internet of things’, a scene where thousands of millions of machines are connected to the network and in constant communication among themselves.
Intelligent remote reading, telemedicine, security, info-entertainment, fleet management… the applications of M2M cover such a broad spectrum and practically every sector, industrial and social activity is included. In its maximum expression, these systems, which cover so many networks, access technologies, fixed transmissions and mobiles, are allowing the creation of the first pilots of what will be ‘intelligent cities’, where all the ‘urban vital signs’ will be under a form of remote and automatic control.
The opportunities for development and business are enormous. During the VII Congress of Telecommunication Engineers, held last September, Julio Linares, Managing Director of Telefónica, echoed estimates made about M2M by Ericsson, reminding us that in 2020 there will be 50,000 million devices connected to networks around the world, “especially sensors located in streets, cars, domestic appliances and all urban environment in general, in what is being called the Internet of Things”. According to data from CMT, there are already nearly 2,500,000 M2M lines in Spain.
The functional diagram of these systems essentially integrates a module or sensor connected to the machine that sends data to the server of the company managing the service through a network of fixed or mobile communications. If we add to this simple operative model the ubiquity of the Internet and the versatility of mobile broad band, like the one LTE will soon be offering, one can foresee that all types of companies will want to take advantage of M2M, creating business models that allow them to take advantage of improvements in production and the reduction of operative costs that come along with it.
Explosive growths
Gabriel Treiband, Development Director at Qualcomm, takes an optimistic view on the enormous business opportunities of M2M, justified by the excellent expectations attributed to it by main market analyst companies. Treiband points out that, according to ABI Research and IMS, the number of M2M modules with 3G connection and LTE will grow to the tune of 66% per year between 2010 and 2015 (excluding mobile telephones, computers, tablets and other consumer devices). With regards to profit, and taking into account only mobile connectivity, Yankee Group predicts that world-wide profits will grow from 3.100 million dollars in 2011 to 6.700 million in 2015. The Business Development Director of Qualcomm also brings in estimates by Nokia Siemens, compiled from various sources, that speak of business expenditure on mobile-connected M2M solutions at a figure of 35.000 million euros in 2014.
The optimism with which the industry contemplates the evolution of M2M is such that the need for ever greater bandwidths is justified not only by the increase in data traffic between people, but also by the enormous increase in the ‘dialogue between the machines’ that such traffic will generate. We imagine an environment where not only are humans beings connected with data of exchange and mobility, but also the ‘things’ will need a IP direction and will be communicated between themselves and the operator”, explains Julio Navío, Director of Solutions and Applications and Development of Applications for the Consumer Business Team in Nokia Siemens. “Our company estimates that for 2014 business expenditure on M2M solutions connected to mobile telephones could reach 35.000 million euros, with 250 million machines connected all over the world, according to the combined calculations of Nokia Siemens Networks, sourced from several main market analyst companies”. Navío contributes estimates from Nokia Siemens itself, weighted with information extracted from diverse sources, that speak of business expenditure in mobile-connected M2M solutions being at 35.000 million euros in 2014.
Such a rise in communications between machines will be reflected in very distinct application fields. “From the applications related with security and surveillance, the monitoring of fleets, vending services, energy management or consumer electronics already available, we will see a vertiginous rise in applications related to health, building management, supply chain based on RFID and the management and maintenance of industrial assets, and further in the future the explosion of NFC applications, related to control inside the home, intelligent transport, and many others that we still have not contemplated at this present time”, ensures Eugenio Career, New Global Services Director of Alcatel-Lucent.
Driving Convergence
The proliferation of applications and the intrusive presence that M2M will have in our lives is explained by the convergence of diverse factors. For Ángel David García, Strategy and Global M2M Alliance Manager, at Telefónica, the ‘explosive’ growth of M2M will be marked by the generalized deployment of networks that will allow services everywhere to be offered at a lower cost and the convergence of diverse communication technologies, such as fixed, mobile, satellite, radio or zigbee, as well as “the regulation of services like the e-call, the reading of counters and energetic efficiency or locating stolen vehicles”. This will make the development of global services possible which in turns will favor the arrival of M2M in the consumer sector.
Source: Network World, 6th October
Intelligent remote reading, telemedicine, security, info-entertainment, fleet management… the applications of M2M cover such a broad spectrum and practically every sector, industrial and social activity is included. In its maximum expression, these systems, which cover so many networks, access technologies, fixed transmissions and mobiles, are allowing the creation of the first pilots of what will be ‘intelligent cities’, where all the ‘urban vital signs’ will be under a form of remote and automatic control.
The opportunities for development and business are enormous. During the VII Congress of Telecommunication Engineers, held last September, Julio Linares, Managing Director of Telefónica, echoed estimates made about M2M by Ericsson, reminding us that in 2020 there will be 50,000 million devices connected to networks around the world, “especially sensors located in streets, cars, domestic appliances and all urban environment in general, in what is being called the Internet of Things”. According to data from CMT, there are already nearly 2,500,000 M2M lines in Spain.
The functional diagram of these systems essentially integrates a module or sensor connected to the machine that sends data to the server of the company managing the service through a network of fixed or mobile communications. If we add to this simple operative model the ubiquity of the Internet and the versatility of mobile broad band, like the one LTE will soon be offering, one can foresee that all types of companies will want to take advantage of M2M, creating business models that allow them to take advantage of improvements in production and the reduction of operative costs that come along with it.
Explosive growths
Gabriel Treiband, Development Director at Qualcomm, takes an optimistic view on the enormous business opportunities of M2M, justified by the excellent expectations attributed to it by main market analyst companies. Treiband points out that, according to ABI Research and IMS, the number of M2M modules with 3G connection and LTE will grow to the tune of 66% per year between 2010 and 2015 (excluding mobile telephones, computers, tablets and other consumer devices). With regards to profit, and taking into account only mobile connectivity, Yankee Group predicts that world-wide profits will grow from 3.100 million dollars in 2011 to 6.700 million in 2015. The Business Development Director of Qualcomm also brings in estimates by Nokia Siemens, compiled from various sources, that speak of business expenditure on mobile-connected M2M solutions at a figure of 35.000 million euros in 2014.
The optimism with which the industry contemplates the evolution of M2M is such that the need for ever greater bandwidths is justified not only by the increase in data traffic between people, but also by the enormous increase in the ‘dialogue between the machines’ that such traffic will generate. We imagine an environment where not only are humans beings connected with data of exchange and mobility, but also the ‘things’ will need a IP direction and will be communicated between themselves and the operator”, explains Julio Navío, Director of Solutions and Applications and Development of Applications for the Consumer Business Team in Nokia Siemens. “Our company estimates that for 2014 business expenditure on M2M solutions connected to mobile telephones could reach 35.000 million euros, with 250 million machines connected all over the world, according to the combined calculations of Nokia Siemens Networks, sourced from several main market analyst companies”. Navío contributes estimates from Nokia Siemens itself, weighted with information extracted from diverse sources, that speak of business expenditure in mobile-connected M2M solutions being at 35.000 million euros in 2014.
Such a rise in communications between machines will be reflected in very distinct application fields. “From the applications related with security and surveillance, the monitoring of fleets, vending services, energy management or consumer electronics already available, we will see a vertiginous rise in applications related to health, building management, supply chain based on RFID and the management and maintenance of industrial assets, and further in the future the explosion of NFC applications, related to control inside the home, intelligent transport, and many others that we still have not contemplated at this present time”, ensures Eugenio Career, New Global Services Director of Alcatel-Lucent.
Driving Convergence
The proliferation of applications and the intrusive presence that M2M will have in our lives is explained by the convergence of diverse factors. For Ángel David García, Strategy and Global M2M Alliance Manager, at Telefónica, the ‘explosive’ growth of M2M will be marked by the generalized deployment of networks that will allow services everywhere to be offered at a lower cost and the convergence of diverse communication technologies, such as fixed, mobile, satellite, radio or zigbee, as well as “the regulation of services like the e-call, the reading of counters and energetic efficiency or locating stolen vehicles”. This will make the development of global services possible which in turns will favor the arrival of M2M in the consumer sector.
Source: Network World, 6th October
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