Telecom industry association GSMA has issued guidelines for the Internet of Things (IoT) market that outline how devices and applications should communicate via mobile networks.
Telecom operators AT&T, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, KT Corp, Orange, NTT DOCOMO, Tata Teleservices, Telefonica, Telenor Connexion and VimpelCom as well as ecosystem partners including Sierra Wireless and Jasper are backing the GSMA guideline.
The guidelines include a number of best practice areas such as data aggregation within devices, non-synchronous network access, application scalability and guidance on how to manage signaling traffic from de-activated or out-of-subscription SIMs, said GSMA.
GSMA Intelligence estimates that the total number of mobile connections is expected to reach 7.4 billion in 2014 rising to 10 billion by 2020.
The GSMA guidelines will help IoT device and application developers expand the number of devices connecting to mobile networks, whilst preventing service outages and ensuring optimal performance that will ultimately enable the market to scale across a diverse range of sectors including automotive, transportation, utilities and health.
GSMA is also undertaking a project to develop a common set of acceptance tests for IoT devices and applications to ensure best practices are being followed. The project will establish a single, standard set of connection efficiency tests for IoT devices and applications, enabling players across the industry to develop and deploy IoT services with confidence.
Cameron Coursey, vice pPresident of Product Development and Operations, AT&T Emerging Devices
The growth of the Internet of Things brings a number of challenges with it such as the rise in the number of connected M2M devices and the huge demand they will place on mobile networks. We support the GSMA’s IoT Device Connection Efficiency Guidelines which advocates that the mobile ecosystem adopt a common approach to offset pressure on networks so that the market can scale creating a reliable and efficient network for everyone.
Angel David Garcia Barrio, VP M2M, Etisalat Group
Etisalat supports the GSMA’s ‘IoT Device Connection Efficiency Guidelines’ and will promote its implementation within the M2M community. We believe that it will encourage the correct implementation of M2M services and accelerate the efficient expansion of the Internet of the Things.
Naoki Tani, managing director of NTT DOCOMO’s M2M Business Department
With the rapid increase in the development and proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, NTT DOCOMO sees a significant need for the standardization of IoT devices based on the Connection Efficiency Guidelines promoted by GSMA.
Surya Mendonça, global managing director for M2M at Telefonica
These guidelines represent an important joint effort in the establishment of common standards that will accelerate the development of the M2M industry around the globe. These guidelines will help developers to improve their existing projects and provide a clear framework for them to experiment, innovate and share ideas – this is beneficial for not just the entire M2M market, but society as a whole.
Stephen Bryant, CTO, Telenor Connexion
Previously, organizations launching M2M services had to reate and test network friendly applications, which created unnecessary challenges, inconsistencies and costs for large connectivity deployments. Our key customers they have responded warmly to the release of these guidelines and are keen to see them adopted. We consider this a big step in the evolution of M2M and the IoT.
Jo Lunder, CEO, VimpelCom
The security of VimpelCom’s networks and the efficiency of them are among the main priorities in our company. I want to thank the GSMA for the development of the guidelines for cooperation in M2M area. I’m happy that VimpelCom has been involved in this initiative and we appreciate the help, experience and support from other operators.
Baburajan K
editor@telecomlead.com
