Mobile network operator EE has unveiled the UK’s first 4G-capable, dedicated machine-to-machine (M2M) platform as it seeks to capitalise on the future of the internet of things (IoT).
The EE Connect platform will provide dedicated M2M customer service, monitoring tools, automation and granular reporting for enterprise users and public sector organisations, with the intention of making development and deployment of IoT technologies easier.
According to EE’s statistics, there are currently over two million machines communicating with one another over its 2G and 3G network, and they will double in number in the next 18 months.
The operator claimed that by enabling them to use 4G networks, M2M communications would become more efficient and support both higher-bandwidth applications, such as video distribution, and use cases where low latency is a critical factor, such as health or autonomous vehicles.
The platform will be funded out of an investment of £1.5bn that EE previously set aside to improve its network over the next three years.
“Every day, the strength and reliability of our 4G network allows businesses to develop innovative connected products and services that improve our lives – whether it’s telematics in cars that help improve driving and road safety, healthcare applications that drastically cut testing and diagnosis times, or connected infrastructure that creates smarter and more efficient public services,” said Gerry McQuade, chief marketing officer and sales officer at EE Business.
“EE Connect provides the best M2M management capabilities, on the best network, with the best service through a dedicated support team, which together is helping businesses create the connected technologies of tomorrow.”
Mike van Bunnens, managing director of EE M2M partner Comms365, added: “We’ve developed advanced connected products and services, such as our fixed IP SIMs and fibre failover systems on EE’s network. EE Connect provides us with even more flexibility, giving us the ability to offer granular level support to our customers and faster, tailored M2M systems.”
EE’s announcement came on the same day as the launch of a government-backed IoT development project called IoTUK.
With a £40m funding pot to draw on, IoTUK will be backed by the Digital Catapult and the Future Cities Catapult, and has been designed to enable IoT entrepreneurs to get their projects up and running.
Source: http://www.computerweekly.com/news/4500253268/EE-launches-4G-capable-IoT-comms-platform