EE on Thursday launched a 4G-capable machine-to-machine (M2M) service targeted at bandwidth-hungry applications like video dist ribution, remote healthcare, and various vehicular services, among others.
Called EE Connect, the service consists of a management platform for provisioning and monitoring connected devices and M2M applications, and a dedicated M2M customer service team. Companies can register for a free trial pack via the operator’s Website.
"Every day, the strength and reliability of our 4G network allows businesses to develop innovative connected products and services that improve our lives," said Gerry McQuade, chief marketing and sales officer at EE Business, in a statement. "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."
EE ended the second quarter with 2.1 million M2M connections, up 13.6% on Q2 2014. The telco expects EE Connect to drive that number to more than 4 million by 2017. By the same date, EE aims to have extended 4G coverage to 90% of the U.K. landmass, and rolled out LTE-Advanced in the country’s 20 busiest cities.
EE’s ambition is laudable, but one of its fierce local rivals is in the ascendancy when it comes to the M2M market.
Vodafone leads the world in M2M, according to Machina Research’s latest annual market report.
The telco has "tremendous scale and a keen strategic focus," explained Machina Research CEO Matt Hatton to Total Telecom recently, and "it also keeps engaging in new initiatives to cement its position as market leader."
Vodafone is closely followed by AT&T. Together the operators head a group of global telcos leading the M2M market that includes current EE parents Deutsche Telekom and Orange, Telefonica, Telenor Connexion, Verizon and Softbank/Sprint.
Machina Research expects the number of M2M connections wor ldwide to swell to 27 billion in 2024 from 5 billion at the end of 2014. Over the same period, M2M revenues – including revenues from devices, connectivity and applications – are forecast to grow to US$1.2 trillion from $500 billion.
Two important factors in becoming a leading M2M provider are scale and reach. With that in mind, Swisscom this week became the seventh operator to join the Global M2M Association (GMA), enabling it to tap into demand from large enterprises for seamless, multinational M2M services.
The other members are Deutsche Telekom, Orange, TeliaSonera, Telecom Italia, Bell Canada, and Softbank. Together they work towards harmonising markets from a technology, customer experience, and regulatory point of view so that corporate clients can easily procure and make use of cross-border M2M services.
