AT&T and Ericsson are teaming to offer IoT certification for devices. The collaboration includes testing, verification and “white glove” assistance with the regulatory approval process.
“Companies want to connect things to extract value. We’re meeting that demand head-on by expanding our IoT professional services capabilities,” said Mike Troiano, the vice president of IoT Solutions for AT&T in a press release. “Our services help businesses achieve scale and longevity in design, lower cost implementations, save time and resources, and innovate quicker.”
IoT Certification
AT&T launched their IoT professional services practice back in January 2017, initially focusing on consulting, application solutions, device lifecycle solutions, and managed services and support.
The AT&T, Ericsson collaboration will be available to customers in more than 150 countries. An example of the benefits of the partnership is Badger Meter, a smart water meter company. Smart water meters are an early and promising application for the IoT. The company already uses AT&T for wireless networking and global SIM wireless connectivity.
Badger Meter needed certification of its meters as it moved into new global markets. AT&T and Ericsson provided such services. Specifically, they set up a global pre-launch process to ease regulatory and technical complexity and coordinated experienced in-country certification processors for Badger’s international efforts.
The IoT is seen as a key growth opportunity for many carriers and their ecosystems. Last December, IDC said that worldwide spending on the IoT will increase from $674 billion in 2017 to $772.5 billion this year, an increase of 14.6%. The increase will not be short-lived: The organization predicts a compound annual growth rate of 14.4% through 2021. At that point, spending will reach $1.1 trillion.
Service providers, carriers and the companies that support them are dealing with many changes simultaneously. Ericsson is one of those companies. Last autumn, the vendor released operator research that said 86% of responding network operators see the IoT as a key element in the monetization of 5G. The survey found that 78% of network operators worldwide already are testing 5G. The Global Mobile Suppliers Association found 81 5G trials in 42 countries. All of those providers clearly have their eyes on the IoT as well as 5G.
