Telecom Lead Europe: In 2012, the Machine-to-Machine
(M2M) market will be characterized by ongoing consolidation. M2M represents a
sizeable opportunity, potentially reaching 4.3 billion connections by 2020,
according to Strategy Analytics M2M Strategies report.
Mobile operators will now look to move up the value chain
through partnering or creation of M2M service platforms. While fragmentation
issues will be more readily addressed in 2012, challenges remain, the report,
M2M 2012 Outlook: Towards Standardization, Cloud Platforms and Open Source,”
said.
M2M was a hot topic at Mobile World Congress. It
showcased the growing importance of M2M and the increasingly global nature of
M2M deployments. Some of the hot deals announced in this area include those
between Telefonica and GM Onstar, NTT DoCoMo and Jasper Wireless, as well as
Nespresso and Sierra Wireless and Orange.
The growth of M2M market will witness the surge of new
devices and services reaching varied Machine-to-Person and Person-to-Machine
areas, such as consumer electronics and mHealth. M2M opportunities abound in
connected consumer devices, automation, mHealth devices, maintenance and
vehicles.
