The Search for Simplicity in M2M

In conversations with the leaders of M2M solutions, what often is clear is that the carrier has its work cut out in gaining the interest of the vendor and customer. It’s not that the carrier is doing anything wrong – it’s just that the conversation is, well, a “crossed circuit.”

 

“My customer doesn’t care about M2M” is often what I am told, as the M2M company explains to me the vertical applications that they are delivering and its impact on the customer. “My customer loves me if I save him money or make him money.” After that, it’s: “Been nice meeting you, please leave.”

 

If you think about POTS, it was universal. The phone doesn’t know or care if you speak Spanish, talk to doctor about a prescription, or call 9-1-1. It’s a universal application machine.

 

Can the carrier make M2M solutions that are as universal?

 

That’s a problem, because the Internet is now the equivalent of POTS. It is a universal application platform. You can learn Spanish, e-mail the pharmacy about your prescription and reach your areas emergency services Web site all from the net.

 

So the issue the carrier faces in delivering M2M is that they have to show relevance beyond the Internet and for their own network. Wyless (News - Alert) will tell you that many applications are capable of being delivered on a single carrier’s footprint, so the stakes are high for M2M solutions.

 

But if a carrier comes into the customer’s location to offer services, the functions being served and the savings found are beyond the traditional value proposition of the carriers’ offerings. And talking about the network’s reliability and reach is less relevant for most M2M implementations.

 

The more likely scenario is the footprint is not as relevant as the partnerships and alliances. It’s the vertical applications, particularly when they involve aggregation of data, that the carrier needs the connection to reach and reliability.

 

There is the belief though that M2M solutions are ripe for a roll-up of various vendors and the carrier may find these integration requirements a strong opportunity for an alliance.

 

Or for that matter, regulation may accomplish the same goal. If reporting requirements are mandated, the consequence is often that the carrier may find an association that can represent collective buying power and speak to the carriers from a point of interconnection that minimizes the integration issues.

 

The simple strategy for M2M then is to be look for the universal communication solution, independent of the carrier.

 

To learn more about machine-to-machine technology, attend the M2M Evolution Conference. To be held Jan. 20 in Miami and collocated with ITEXPO East 2010, the M2M Evolution Conference will focus on how telemetry has been changing to take advantage of the Internet, where WAN and LAN systems were points of aggregation in the past today’s machines benefit from the ability to connect worldwide. And as the machines continue to look to network the wireless world represents a large growth opportunity for data communication. Carl Ford (News - Alert) is among the show’s most prominent speakers. Don’t wait. Register now.