AT&T today announced its association with Cisco and Avnet for launching IoT Starter Kit for developers to start their Internet of Things (IoT) projects.
The AT&T IoT Starter Kit provides all the tools needed for IoT innovation, including 4G connectivity, LTE hardware, application services, cloud storage and more.
“One of the biggest barriers getting started with IoT is choosing from rapidly changing hardware and software,” said Mike Reich, CEO of Sensamo, an IoT development company and AT&T customer.
The US telecom company said developers will have access to AT&T Control Center, the IoT service platform from Cisco, to manage their connected devices.
AT&T is offering variations of the IoT Starter Kit that work with other third-party IoT solutions. This includes versions made specifically for developers using IBM Watson IoT and the Microsoft Azure IoT Suite – which also integrate with the Cisco IoT service platform.
Martyn Etherington, head of IoT Cloud Marketing at Cisco, said: “IoT developers play a critical role in the development of applications that deliver new, valuable services through connected devices.”
The new IoT Starter Kit will be available from AT&T or Avnet for $99 plus applicable taxes and fees beginning August 2016. And developers will use the Starter Kits during the hackathon at SHAPE in San Francisco.
American telecom network operator AT&T will be launching the CAT-M1 network technologies, later this year.
This will help reduce the cost and enhance device performance for Internet of Things (IoT) deployments, claims the company.
The Cat-M1 network will be launched in the San Francisco market, this November.
The device will be operating on the existing network footprint and can co-exist with mobile broadband services in the same spectrum.
The design will work well with the next-generation IoT devices such as wearables and utility meters also.
“Cat-M1 is an advantage for the millions of IoT devices and services coming on the market. This next-generation technology will help businesses gather near real-time information on assets around the world. It will bring a connected world closer to reality,” said Chris Penrose, senior vice president at AT&T Internet of Things Solutions.
The expected benefits of the IoT technology range from access to low-cost module technology, extended battery life of 10 years or more for enabled IoT devices, enhanced LTE coverage for underground and in-building areas that challenge existing coverage etc.
Several enterprise customers will participate in the pilot at the AT&T Labs in San Ramon, Calif, where a broad range of IoT uses from alarm monitoring, smart meters, vending inventory to propane tank monitoring, will be displayed.
Vina Krishnan
editor@telecomlead.com
