Nokia announces off-the-peg IoT packages to help operators move into vertical markets quickly and easily.
While operators see the potential of IoT, overall the sector has grown more slowly than expected.
Nokia is hoping to remove many of the barriers, with these packages that are based on the its Worldwide IoT Network Grid (WING), which provides global IoT connectivity and services support.
The applications include sensors, users’ applications and business models for particular sectors. The WING managed service offers a pay-as-you-grow option, avoiding high up-front set up costs but enabling telcos to scale rapidly if necessary.
Nokia claims WING allows operators to get into verticals without specialist knowledge or having to deal with the challenges of setting up global connectivity for IoT, dealing with many different providers.
Nokia also claims to work with “best-in-class partners” to develop and offer this applications portfolio and says its IoT ecosystem is expanding constantly.
Ankur Bhan, Global Head of WING Business at Nokia, confirmed, “We expect these vertical solutions to encourage more operators to connect to Nokia WING, expanding its global footprint and broadening the range of capabilities and services that will become available. We already have several more vertically-focused as-a-Service packages in the development pipeline.”
The four solutions are:
• Smart Agriculture as-a-Service which uses sensors to capture data from crops, soil and the wider environment, which is analysed to give insights to farmers, who can then manage crops better, potentially saving on irrigation, pesticides and fertilisers.
• Livestock Management as-a-Service uses devices and biosensors monitor animals’ health and welfare to provide farmer with alerts when abnormalities are detected. It also safeguards valuable livestock and improves yields.
• Logistics as-a-Service relies on sensors to track the movement and condition of goods round the world as part of a complete supply chain. Companies can instantly identify incidents that threaten the goods’ integrity and even predict, and therefor help avoid, events to optimise delivery and logistics.
• Asset Management as-a-Service connects products “anywhere in the world” and monitors their status centrally, so companies can provide a better service to all their customers, whether individuals or other businesses.
Looking ahead
Nokia is running an Agriculture as-a-Service with an African operator and working with “a leading services and consulting firm” on Asset Management as-a-Service.
Brian Partridge, Vice President, 451 Research, commented, “Most telecom operators desire a more prominent role in the IoT value chain that builds upon secure and reliable domestic or global connectivity. Nokia’s plans to offer end-to-end vertical applications on top of the WING global infrastructure is a logical next step.”