https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • Microwave/RF
    • T&D World
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

content


Big brother is coming to your town

Big brother is coming to your town

Advanced monitoring technologies keep tabs on garbage haulers, pets and a lot more
  • Written by Urgent Communications Administrator
  • 1st April 2004

When Keiji Tachikawa, head of Japanese wireless giant NTT DoCoMo, began asserting in 2000 that everything from pets to refrigerators were prime candidates for wireless communications and would constitute the majority of the carrier’s total business in 10 years, he drew a few chuckles. Today, his predictions don’t seem inflated as the market appears ripe for an explosion of what is known as machine-to-machine (M2M) communications.

“It appears the business world has finally caught up with technology,” said John C. Williams, managing director of The FocalPoint Group, a research and consulting firm specializing in wireless M2M communications. “Businesses are looking to capture real-time data feeds about their assets, customers, and overall operations. M2M technologies create the conduit for delivering a whole new level of service functionality previously impossible to attain.”

While M2M communications have been around for years, several factors are converging in 2004 to create a massive market that could rival or exceed penetration of the mobile-phone market. Previous M2M deployments were limited to high-end telemetry and SCADA [supervisory control and data acquisition] for pipelines and utilities, often running on expensive private radio or legacy systems. Today, however, wireless networks such as GPRS/EDGE and CDMA 1X RTT/1X EVDO can offer high-speed data capabilities with nearly ubiquitous coverage at attractive prices. Consequently, many of the world’s top handset vendors are leveraging the economies of scale found in the mobile-phone business to bring M2M modules to market at competitive price points.

“With M2M, we can see the penetration rate in the U.S. exceeding 100% because people may have devices in their vehicles and in their homes,” said Dean Fledderjohn, general manager of Kyocera Wireless’s M2M module business, which has been selling such units since July 2003.

Indeed, a plethora of market research supports the belief that wireless communications will be used to monitor everything from generators and vending machines to hospital patients and parolees, and that the M2M sector eventually could outstrip the traditional mobile-phone market. M2M consultancy E-principles predicts the number of M2M connections will exceed the number of commercial wireless subscribers in North America, Western Europe and Japan by 2011. The FocalPoint Group projects that almost 880 million new M2M-enabled devices will be produced annually by 2010. McKinsey and Company estimates $100 billion in total sector revenue for the U.S., Japan and Western Europe combined by 2010.

In the U.S., much of the growth to date has come from the installed base of telemetry customers looking to transition from Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) networks that soon will cease to exist, as AT&T Wireless shuts its network down this year and Verizon Wireless ends CDPD service by the end of 2005. Others are transitioning from more expensive private networks. Recently, Pennsylvania Power and Lighting (PPL) Electric Utilities transitioned from CDPD technology to become one of Verizon Wireless’s largest CDMA 1X customers. Currently, PPL deploys 6,200 automated meter reading (AMR) devices across 70% of its largest commercial and industrial electricity customers. The ARMs incorporate Kyocera’s M200 telemetry module.

CDMA 1X operator Sprint PCS, which announced an aggressive M2M strategy more than a year ago, estimates that half of the carrier’s M2M business to date is coming from companies looking for an alternative to CDPD networks. But Sprint PCS indicates it also is making significant headway into businesses that never before considered wireless M2M communications as a way to help make their businesses more efficient.

Sprint PCS and its partner, @ Road — a provider of wireless tracking systems — launched an application in May 2003 for the waste-management industry that lets companies monitor when and where garbage trucks pick up their loads. An embedded module incorporating a CDMA 1X chip and a Global Positioning System (GPS) chip tracks locations and interfaces with engine diagnostics to record when and where the garbage truck picks up a load. This capability has virtually eliminated the rampant fraud that occurred when garbage truck drivers demanded payment under the table to pick up garbage or simply skipped picking up loads.

“These companies were able to eliminate the fraud problem and receive a return on investment in a matter of hours,” said Ryan Slack, director of integrated solutions with Sprint PCS.

The M2M phenomenon isn’t limited to commercial applications. For instance, South Korea wireless carrier SK Telecom will introduce in June a robot for the home market that senses movement while also detecting smoke and natural gas. If the robot notes anything unusual, it transmits a text message to the homeowner’s wireless handset. The robot is expected to retail for about $850, according to the Associated Press.

These greenfield deployments are expected to become more common as competition among vendors increases and modules become standardized — factors that should decrease prices. Nokia, the world’s largest mobile-phone maker, already offers a range of modules and gateways, teaming with third-party providers such as nPhase to customize applications for vertical M2M markets.

In addition, Sony Ericsson has embarked on a major M2M initiative, offering a universal developer’s kit to shorten development cycles for M2M components. The carrier also is simplifying the development of M2M solutions by implementing the TCP/IP stack — the GSM/GPRS networking protocol — directly onto its GSM/GPRS M2M products. That means system integrators no longer are required to develop and implement their own TCP/IP stacks, allowing them to focus on simplified application development.

Meanwhile, Kyocera said sales of its Kyocera 200 module, which retails for about $150, have increased by 50% each quarter. “We’ll continue to make use of economies of scale from the handset business at the component level, and as volumes pick up in vertical markets, we can bring pricing down even more,” said Fledderjohn.

Among carriers, Sprint PCS has certified M2M modules from Kyocera, Sierra Wireless, Novatel and AirPrime. “Devices are central,” said Sprint PCS’s Slack. “We’ve done a lot of work with device manufacturers to make sure that cost is reduced. … It’s in everyone’s interest to get modules as standardized as possible.”

The ultimate result of standardization may be off-the-shelf M2M solutions that leverage core competencies to provide common platforms that are easily customized for vertical markets. With some 50 billion machines worldwide, the opportunities appear endless.

Tags: content Policy

Most Recent


  • Hytera, Motorola Solutions refile appeal, cross-appeal in civil case
    As expected, Hytera Communications again has appealed a $543.7 million judgment against it to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, while Motorola Solutions this week filed for second time a cross appeal in the case that was initiated more than four years ago. There was little surprise in the filings, because both Hytera and Motorola […]
  • Amid shifting workplace expectations, local government employers must adapt
    Constrained by inflexible budgets, local government employers can’t compete with the lucrative salaries offered in the private sector. And while recruitment has always been a challenge for public employers, the last two years have been especially difficult. From January 2020 to the same month this year, government organizations lost around 600,000 jobs—more than manufacturing, wholesale […]
  • Europe's first driverless-car test completed
    U.K. company Oxbotica has successfully completed Europe’s first trial of a fully autonomous vehicle with no occupants on public roads. The test took place in Oxbotica’s home city of Oxford and featured a new electric vehicle prototype, the AppliedEV – essentially a platform that previews future vehicles for the transportation sector – fitted with the firm’s Oxbotica Driver tech. […]
  • FCC approves order to modernize priority-service rules
    FCC commissioners yesterday voted unanimously to approve a report and order that is designed to modernize and streamline the agency’s rules for three priority-service offerings: Wireless Priority Service (WPS), the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) and the Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) System. All three of these services—designed for use by national-security and emergency-preparedness personnel who […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • New Orleans-area 911 center inks multiyear APEX deal with Carbyne to replace call-handling system
  • Big brother is coming to your town
    Newscan: Feds recover millions from pipeline ransom hackers, hint at U.S. Internet tactic
  • Cyber is the new Cold War, and AI is the arms race
  • Private wireless networks in the US start going public

Commentary


LTE and liability: Why the fire service must move forward with digital incident command

  • 2
6th May 2022

Partnership and collaboration must be the foundation for emergency communications

18th April 2022

FirstNet success means no hypothetical ‘shots’ need to be fired, Swenson says

22nd February 2022
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Newscan: ‘Predator’ spyware let government hackers break into Chrome and Android, Google says dlvr.it/SR2lBG

25th May 2022
UrgentComm

Malicious Python Repository Package drops Cobalt Strike on Windows, macOS & Linux systems dlvr.it/SR0Qb2

24th May 2022
UrgentComm

T-Mobile’s CEO explains the company’s new private 5G strategy dlvr.it/SQyzhc

24th May 2022
UrgentComm

Hytera, Motorola Solutions refile appeal, cross-appeal in civil case dlvr.it/SQxNX1

24th May 2022
UrgentComm

Amid shifting workplace expectations, local government employers must adapt dlvr.it/SQwVVs

23rd May 2022
UrgentComm

The private-wireless networking opportunity shouldn’t stay too private dlvr.it/SQw7MT

23rd May 2022
UrgentComm

Europe’s first driverless-car test completed dlvr.it/SQvqyY

23rd May 2022
UrgentComm

FCC approves order to modernize priority-service rules dlvr.it/SQmSN0

20th May 2022

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • Microwave/RF
  • T&D World
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X