Those involved in the area of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications realize they have specialized requirements. Over time this market has seen a specialized class of network providers, Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) and M2M Mobile Operators (MMOs) have addressed these requirements in ways the traditional mobile operators have often declined to do directly, except for very large customers. For example, these specialized network providers can aggregate demand from many smaller customers in an extremely cost-effective manner.

While the traditional MVNO model has basically been to purchase bulk airtime from mobile operators and then retail this on to customers, along with an array of specialized services, an increasing number of these network providers are starting to deploy their own specialized network infrastructure equipment. This equipment specifically optimizes their control over network functionality and the services they offer. Currently there are only a few M2M Mobile Operators (MMOs), however they foresee the ability to manage their customers’ data traffic with more precision as a powerful differentiator. Reports from ABI Research anticipate the tendency of MVNOs becoming MMOs to increase over time.

Both MVNOs and MMOs partner with mobile operators in several ways to develop services catering to the M2M market. Some providers choose to focus on regions such as North America or Europe, offering multiple communication technologies that provide extensive coverage in those areas. Others aim for a generalized global reach, without attempting to address multiple communications technologies.

Some try for the best of both worlds: North-America-centric KORE Telematics, for example, has agreements with other providers in Europe and Australia, through its m2mGlobal Alliance, offering a more global footprint. In a different vein, MMO Jasper Wireless recently announced a turnkey offering for mobile operators, including software, optimized equipment, and services, to enable rapid deployment of mobile operator M2M service offerings.

A recent report, “Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connectivity Services,” analyzes overall M2M market trends, describing the competitive landscape, and providing highly granular cellular M2M connectivity services forecasts segmented by region, application, and air interface standard. It forms part of the firm’s M2M Research Service. This report can be found here.

 

  pjl