M2M Now magazine explores the evolving opportunities and challenges facing CSPs across this sector. Our exclusive interviews pass on some key lessons learned by those who have taken the first steps in next gen Machine to Machine (M2M) services.
In the latest issue:
- TALKING HEADS: Tier Ones embrace One Stop Shops to boost customer experience, says Telit’s Hierl
- ASSET TRACKING EVOLVES: Asset tracking becomes ‘asset management’ as platforms bring end-to-end integration
- GERMANY REVIEW: Is Europe’s greatest power also a leader in M2M?
- FUTUREWATCH: Low Power Wide Area Networks could reach 15.5 billion M2M connections by 2022, say analysts
- INSIDE M2M BILLING: New profit opportunities emerge in real-time charging
- OPERATOR INTERVIEW: Bouygues: Customers need to know what’s on offer!
Download machine-to-machine (M2M) Now Magazine PDF
Machine-to-machine market hots up as M&As rise and new association is launched
I’ve talked for some time about the need for maturity and simplification in the M2M market (Comment, June-July 2012) and at last there are signs that this is coming. Hacks like me look for headlines, such as the news (page 5) of the launch of the International M2M Council (IMC). Financial analysts look for big numbers and names in mergers & acquisitions and readers of iot-now.com will know that M&A activity has expanded just as we predicted. In our March issue John Horn, president of RACO Wireless, said: “M2M is ripe for an explosion of growth. Through M&A activities and financial backing, single companies will develop capabilities that meet the wide-ranging needs of their growing customer bases.”
A Darwinian cycle of ‘survival of the fittest’ is simplifying M2M’s complex delivery chain. Not only will M2M see benefits of scale more often, but product portfolios and partnerships will be enhanced (see News pages 6-7). Since January, for these and other reasons, Wipro has invested US$5 million in Axeda, ST-Ericsson has sold its stake in GNSS to an as-yet unnamed buyer, Cisco has bought JouleX for $107 million, Telular has been sold to Avista Capital Partners, Orbcomm has purchased assets from GlobalTrack and MobileNet, Numerex has acquired new capabilities with AVIDwireless, ESCO Technologies has bought Metrum, and CA Technologies has acquired Layer 7 to provide API security “while accelerating the shift to the Internet of Things”.
Can we see any effects yet of M&As and market rationalisation?
It’s early days, but Sierra Wireless sold its AirCard assets to concentrate on M2M, a policy that appears to be paying off as the company just reported first quarter 2013 revenues up 9.8% (year-on-year) and non-GAAP net losses down from $2.8 million a year ago to $0.7 million. Jason Cohenour, president and CEO, said: “We are now an M2M pure play… Moreover, we now have significant financial capacity to accelerate growth and value creation through acquisitions.”
M2M Now – Finalists in the Online Media Awards 2013
Finally, just a word of thanks to my extraordinarily talented colleagues without whose efforts M2M Now would not have been selected as Finalists in the Online Media Awards 2013. These awards attract entries from leading publishers worldwide, including CNN, New York Times, Sky, Huffington Post, and the BBC. So, it’s very exciting for us to report that the (rather smaller) M2M Now has been named in such company.
