Cologne, Germany – The M2M Alliance and eco, Association of the German Internet Industry e.V., have announced that they will be working together in future. The two associations want to ensure the necessary foundations for further growth and future innovations.
The goal of the collaboration is to jointly promote M2M technologies and the Internet of Things to create new possibilities both for the industry and for end-users. At the same time, members of both associations can benefit from access to additional resources.
Today, M2M solutions are already being used for the intelligent linking of millions of machines. However, despite some previous success in developing common standards, clear legal foundations and a homogenous infrastructure are still lacking. To create better conditions, the M2M Alliance and the Association of the German Internet Industry will be providing each other with targeted support.
“M2M has opened an almost infinite spectrum of new user-scenarios. There are already functioning business models – but there are still open questions. Here, it is necessary to ensure clarity,” Bettina Horster, Director of Mobile at eco, and Eric Schneider, Chairman of the M2M Alliance, agree. “We are looking forward to our cooperation with the largest Internet industry association in Europe,” said Eric Schneider. “The transfer of information over the Internet forms a fundamental base for day-to-day operations for almost every sector – from the auto industry through to entertainment technology, and on to agriculture. M2M communication is playing an ever more important role. Together with eco, we will campaign for better framework conditions and work hard to have a dialogue with politics, which will lead to new solutions and in the long run new jobs,” Schneider explains.
“The M2M Alliance and eco are strong partners, who can create an even greater awareness of M2M and Industry 4.0,” says Dr. Bettina Horster. “The expansion and promotion of M2M communication will result in a decisive competitive advantage for all of those involved. In this way, we can make our industry fit for the future. Not least for small and medium-sized companies, M2M and the Internet of Things offer a huge range of possibilities,” Horster emphasises. “Rather than insular thinking, what is needed are common standards. For this, we want to achieve, in collaboration with the M2M Alliance, a re-evaluation and a change in attitude both in industry and in politics.”
The members of both associations will also directly benefit through the cooperation by having access to the partners’ networks and additional resources. The M2M Alliance and eco will nonetheless remain independent associations.