The Internet of Things Will Keep Demand for Standalone Bluetooth ICs Strong

The share of standalone Bluetooth ICs will be about 40% by the end of 2014, down from 42% in 2013, and by the end of 2019 that share will remain at 40%.
The steady market share of standalone Bluetooth IC market share is being maintained by both traditional device categories which consist of handsets, tablets, and PCs, and new growth categories including wearables, sports and fitness equipment, and smart home nodes.
Research director, Philip Solis, said:
“End user products such as smartphones and PCs have been shifting away from standalone solutions for some time now, and smartphones have shifted to integrated platforms with Bluetooth as well.”
“On the other hand, there is a growing long tail of devices around the Internet of Things (IoT) that will gravitate towards standalone Bluetooth in many cases. The end result is that standalone Bluetooth ICs will remain steady in share and grow with the overall market.”
Handsets – smartphones and feature phones – are a dominant part of the Bluetooth chipset market and will remain so, but to a lesser degree throughout the forecast period.“Handsets comprised 62% of the market for Bluetooth ICs in 2013 and this will fall to 53% in 2019,” added Solis.
This is a big part of the reason why over 70% of Bluetooth ICs will be Smart Ready with a much smaller portion being Smart. These trends play into the hands of dominant vendors like Broadcom and Qualcomm, but still leave plenty of room for smaller Bluetooth chipset vendors.
“The IoT will provide additional growth opportunities for all vendors, but while the larger vendors tend to work with high volume customers and products, it is the smaller vendors that will be able to take advantage of the long tail of opportunities.”
Bluetooth has become ubiquitous in end user devices, which has been critical for the growth of the technology in the IoT. However, one of the biggest growth markets for standalone and combo Bluetooth ICs – smart home nodes – will also have many competing wireless connectivity technologies. Bluetooth's lack of mesh networking capabilities (aside from a proprietary implementation from CSR) might put it at a disadvantage against 802.15.4-based solutions.
These findings are part of ABI Research's Bluetooth Market Research.
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OT expands its M2M and IoT offer to application enablement with Cumulocity

Oberthur Technologies (OT), a world leader in digital security solutions for the mobility space, today announced its partnership with Cumulocity, the leading ‘Internet-of-Things' (IoT) platform provider, to offer an application enablement and objects management platform for the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) markets.
This new OT solution has the flexibility to address various M2M use cases from fleet management and asset tracking to industrial remote maintenance and surveillance, among many others.
The IoT market is exploding in many verticals with industrial machines, vehicles, smart meters and also wearable devices getting connected. Beyond connectivity, market stakeholders such as mobile operators, OEMs and enterprises need to remotely control and automate the management of these objects. OT is now able to propose a simple and secure solution to help them collect data from any connected object over any network, manage them in real-time including remote configuration and software updates or real-time alerts, and easily develop business applications.
Thanks to OT platform, OEMs, M2M/IoT enterprises and leading mobile operators will accelerate the launch of new service offerings, with simple integration into their existing IT infrastructure. This future-proof solution offers maximum scalability and native support for Big Data use cases, including Big Data collection, storage and analysis.
The partnership expands OT's existing M2M portfolio, already including secure elements and solutions to manage the connectivity, to monitor the network quality and the continuity of service, and to secure the end-to-end communication between devices and service providers.
“Connected objects are expected to reach tens of billions by 2020. OT's comprehensive, robust and flexible M2M offer is designed to help our customers tackle the challenges and seize the full benefits of upcoming Internet of Things growth while addressing the very important security aspects related to IoT. By joining forces with Cumulocity we are extending our offer beyond connectivity and security and moving up the M2M value chain”, said Marek Juda, Managing Director of the Solutions Business Unit at OT.
Bernd Gro

Open-source Approaches To Ensure IoT Success

Guest post by Eva Enanoria.
Certainly, the Internet of Thing goes beyond connected television, surveillance cameras, smart gadgets and wearable technology. And as the adoption of the Internet of Things increases and becomes widespread in several different markets, issues on its lack of interoperability and integration cost have been raised along with its consistent escalating growth. Nonetheless, innovators from all over the world try to create different solutions such as Hypercat, in an attempt to bridge these gaps. At the IoT 2014 Conference held in Singapore, Juha Lindfors, Co-founder of OpenRemote USA, spoke about a case study on Open Source Approaches to IoT Solutions. During the presentation

What Drives Internet Traffic?

Guest post by Eva Enanoria.
Internet traffic is to grow more than 20 percent by 2018, according to Cisco

Greenpeak Technologies’ Smart Home Chips Support New Networking Protocols Like Thread

Networking protocol agnostic radio chips provide a safe path into the future for Smart Home systems developers and end-users.
GreenPeak Technologies is pleased to recognize Thread's entry in the family of protocols based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. GreenPeak's family of patented multi-stack low-power radio chips has been developed to simultaneously support different wireless networking protocols. The family of GP71x chips today supports ZigBee PRO, SEP 2.0, RF4CE and Green Power, and is capable of supporting new and emerging protocols such as the recently announced protocol by the Thread Group, allowing customers to upgrade their devices to support existing protocols for legacy devices as well as newer devices running Thread at the same time.
GreenPeak is pleased to see that various consortiums are launching IoT and Smart Home standardization efforts and that many of these solutions are based on the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC/PHY standard, using the uniform, worldwide available 2.4 GHz band that makes product development and certification for manufacturers a straightforward effort. GreenPeak's industry leading, low-power radio chips with innovative antenna diversity technology, are networking protocol agnostic and can run multiple protocol stacks at the same time on a single radio chip.
After the specification has been solidified, the recently announced IPv6 based protocol promoted by the Thread Group, is supported by GreenPeak's multi-stack chips. Existing GreenPeak based installations as well as those in the process of being rolled out on a broad scale, are already “multi-standard”, and can be upgraded to include support for new stacks with a simple software download. GreenPeak's customers are ready for existing and future industry standards without the need to change hardware.
“The Smart Home and IoT markets are still in early stages and different network protocols offer different advantages for different applications,” says Cees Links, founder and CEO of GreenPeak Technologies.
“It is the products and services that we offer to our customers that really matter. For that reason, our chips are designed to be agnostic for the network layer. With our multi-stack capability, we protect our customers' investment in infrastructure.”
The consumer market is getting ready for the Smart Home. Applications like security, energy management and elderly care will become more integrated with standardization, helping to bring the cost of installation down, while improving the ease of use. The standardization on uniform worldwide networking protocols will help to integrate Smart Home solutions with life style management software and social networking applications, creating tremendous new opportunities for innovation!
“While the market addressed by low-power RF communication chips for the Smart Home is just emerging today, it is on track to grow to multiple hundreds of millions of units per year”, according to Caroline Gabriel, Research Director of Rethink Technology Research.
“Standardization of the underlying communication technology is pivotal, but implementations that keep options open towards the future will help to accelerate the market.”
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Telefónica now has over 250 M2M partners in Europe and the US

Telefónica's M2M Global Partner Programme now has 250 partners in Europe and the US. This includes device manufacturers, solution providers and distributors.
Telefónica today announced that over 250 partners have now joined its M2M Global Partner Programme, exceeding the Programme's target of “250 partners by the end of 2014” six months ahead of schedule. This partner milestone comes just six months after the Programme expanded outside of the US to Europe.
Since February, 170 new partners – which includes device manufacturers, solution providers and distributors from Europe and the US – have joined the Programme with expansion into other markets expected this year. Interest in the Programme continues to grow with 100 additional companies close to joining as M2M partners.
The M2M Global Partner Programme was first launched in the USA by Telefónica in June 2013 as a way for the company to extend the commercial reach by partnering with key players in the M2M value chain. Telefónica is also able to use the Programme to find successful M2M Service Providers that could become future vertical solution partners for the company. The partner ecosystem supports a collaborative approach to M2M companies, enriching Telefónica's M2M proposition to potential customers and generating a multiplier effect in terms of scale. In addition, partners can use the Programme as a way to reach new markets, helping them to increase sales and create new revenue opportunities.
Rafael García Meiro, Director B2B Global Partners Sales – Indirect Sales Channels at Telefónica commented:“Our Programme has been positively embraced by the m2m market, exceeding our initial expectations and proving that this framework can establish new commercial opportunities.”
“We're moving fast, having surpassed our partner targets 6 months ahead of plan. We will now be working to extend the Programme into new regions which will further accelerate membership and enhance the portfolio of M2M solutions we can sell to our customers.”
“The continued success of the M2M Global Partner Programme proves that Telefónica remains a leader in the M2M market and is further evidence of our successful transformation into a digital telco.”
It is estimated that there will be up to 20 billion objects connected by 2020 according to the GSMA. By comparison in 2004 only 92 million devices were connected worldwide.
The Global Partner Programme, and Telefónica's activity in the global M2M market more widely, was recently praised – for the second year in a row – by Machina Research in their annual “Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Communications Service Provider – Benchmarking 2014″ report. Telefónica is listed among the four major global players dominating the global M2M market with activity such as the win of the UK smart meter contract and notable connectivity deals with the likes of Tesla and JC Decaux cited.
More information available about Telefonica M2M Channel Partner Programme on http://partners.telefonica.com
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Automile partners with Telit

Automile partners with Telit to deliver Automile connected car platform to leading international car manufacturer.
Automile AB, a Swedish start-up based in Stockholm, has built a telematics platform with the Internet of Things in mind, called Automile PRO, reinventing fleet management for businesses to connect with their car and driving data via a smart cellular based OBD II device, available in 53 countries. Automile has partnered with Telit Wireless Solutions to use Telit m2mAIR Mobile Core service to provide network connectivity and ePortal management for the Automile connected car platform.
Thanks to the flexibility of Core rate plans and the simplicity of the ePortal subscription management tools, Automile had the competitive advantage to close a deal for its connected car platform with a leading international car manufacturer valued at more than US$4 million in the first year. The agreement follows another milestone deal closed earlier this year with leading aftermarket auto parts provider, reinforcing the offering's value and product differentiation in the fleet management market.
Automile has been through an extended market assessment of m2m technology providers and selected Telit for the technical superiority of its m2mAIR Mobile offering, together with its understanding and flexibility in collaborating with high growth companies like Automile.
“Providing a proven and tailored-made m2m communication foundation, Telit, with its compelling m2mAIR Mobile services and deep understanding of our business DNA, has naturally positioned itself as the provider of choice for Automile,” said Jens Nylander, VP and Co-founder of Automile AB.
Sander Mulder, Global Sales Manager m2mAIR mobile, Telit Wireless Solutions, said:
“We are delighted to have been chosen by Automile to make their connected car platform a strong and reliable, enterprise-grade communication platform between businesses, drivers, and their vehicles in over 53 markets, while supporting the richness of their product creativity and speed of development to make Automile the connected car platform of reference.”
“By utilizing our unique portfolio of value added services Automile, has been able to increase its serviceability level while extending its offering with new differentiating set of capabilities.”
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u-blox SARA 3G module, industry’s smallest, wins Product of the Year award

SARA-U2 UMTS/HSPA modules receives industry honor from M2M Evolution.
Swiss u-blox, a global leader in wireless and positioning modules and integrated circuits for the industrial, automotive and consumer markets, has been honored by M2M Evolution magazine with ‘Product of the Year' award for its SARA-U2 UMTS/HSPA module series. The modules are the industry's smallest surface mount UMTS/HSPA cellular modems, ideal for a wide range of industrial M2M, vehicle and consumer applications. The new SARA product line is available either as a 3G only version, or with 2G fall-back capability.
Applications include connected navigation systems, mobile-internet devices, security and surveillance systems, eCall, fleet management, metering, anti-theft and usage-based insurance systems, and battery driven handheld applications.
“The solutions selected for the M2M Evolution Product of Year Awards reflect the diverse range of innovation driving the machine to machine market today. It is my honor to congratulate u-blox for their innovative work and superior contribution to the rapidly evolving M2M industry, and I look forward to seeing more innovative M2M and IoT solutions from u-blox in the future.” said Carl Ford, CEO of Crossfire Media, a co-publisher of M2M Evolution Magazine.
Thomas Seiler, u-blox CEO, said:
“We are extremely proud to receive this award from M2M Evolution. Our SARA-U2 allows the creation of ultra-compact 3G M2M solutions at price points unthinkable before. The 2G fall-back option makes it the ideal choice for systems that must deliver maximum coverage.”
“u-blox now provides the industry's most comprehensive, cross-compatible selection of cellular modems supporting all mobile standards, a significant achievement recognized by this award.”
SARA-U2 UMTS/HSPA modules provide efficient and cost-effective high-speed mobile connectivity in an ultra-small 16 x 26 mm LGA form factor. Two of the four variants, the SARA-U260 and SARA-U270, provide GSM/GPRS fallback while SARA-U280 and SARA-U290 are cost-efficient 3G-only variants . The modules are pin-compatible with SARA-G3 GSM/GPRS modules, as well as layout compatible with LISA-C2 CDMA and TOBY-L1 LTE modules to support future-proof 4G designs.
All SARA modules share the exact same form-factor and footprint, and are designed to support u-blox' “Nested Design” philosophy which enables modems to be swapped on the same printed circuit board across the entire range of u blox 2G, 3G and 4G cellular modems.
SARA provides a perfect solution to a wide range of M2M applications requiring UMTS/HSPA, GSM/GPRS, voice and/or data, plus Internet suite (embedded TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTTP and FTP). In-band modem support for eCall and ERA GLONASS vehicle emergency call applications is also provided. Extremely low power consumption makes SARA perfect for battery powered communication applications.
The SARA Land Grid Array (LGA) form factor enables extremely compact designs and supports A-GPS for accelerated positioning used in telematics devices. It also supports u-blox' unique CellLocate®hybrid positioning technology to facilitate advanced location-aware systems requiring reliable indoor positioning.
RIL software for Android and Embedded Windows is available free of charge.

Visit www.u-blox.com for more information.

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Telit Expands m2mAIR Mobile Coverage Across Europe and Latin America in Partnership with Telefonica

By joining Telefonica's m2m Channel Partner Programme, Telit to extend unique value added services to customers around the globe.
Telit Wireless Solutions, a global provider of high-quality machine-to-machine (M2M) modules, services and solutions today announced its appointment to the Telefonica m2m Channel Partner Programme. As a result, m2mAIR Mobile can now offer local Telefonica connectivity services, together with its own suite of value added services to M2M customers throughout Europe and Latin America.
Telit m2mAIR Mobile offers service providers of M2M the resources and tools to manage their deployments regardless of size or global distribution, streamlining provisioning, connectivity and module management. Core is the basic mobile connectivity and management package, which includes access and use of ePortal, a convenient and efficient Web environment to manage m2m accounts, review and control billing and charging. A number of optional services allow service providers to diagnose connection issues, create secure connections between device and server, set overage alarms, analyze business performance of the whole or part of a deployment among others. m2mAIR Mobile customers can leverage this unique set of services on Telefonica networks to differentiate themselves from competitors; generate new recurring revenue streams, and fundamentally change the way they troubleshoot, control, monitor and manage their m2m assets globally.
“We are delighted to serve Telit's partner ecosystem within our m2m Channel Partner Program,” said Rafael Garcia Meiro, Director of Telefonica B2B Indirect Sales Channels.
“This enables Telefónica to address new markets and segments and enriches our value proposition based on Telit's global leadership in module development and differential value-added services.”
“Telefonica has long been a leader in supporting the m2m marketplace with connectivity services around the world,” said Yossi Moscovitz, President of Telit Wireless Solutions.
“Our long standing relationship will undoubtedly be enhanced thanks to participation in the new Channel Partner Program – enabling us to continue to offer pre-certified M2M modules as well as connectivity and value added services directly to our customers in Telefonica coverage areas as part of our ONE STOP. ONE SHOP. value proposition, designed to simplify the adoption of m2m solutions for customers around the world.”
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Arvento selects u-blox GSM & GPS modules for vehicle tracking & diagnostics

Turkey's number one mobile applications vendor relies on u-blox for connectivity & positioning.
Arvento Mobile Systems, the market leader in vehicle tracking and fleet management systems in Turkey, has selected Swiss u-blox for global positioning and cellular module technology in its new tracking and onboard-diagnostics device, the imt.24 – OBD Tracker. With complete hardware and software solutions for advanced mobile tracking systems, Arvento has deployed its solutions at over 30 thousand customers in over 400 thousand vehicles in 23 countries.
Arvento General Manager, Özer Hıncal, Turkey, said:“For our leading mobile tracking solutions we have been using u-blox GPS modules for 9 years now, and have been very satisfied with their features and support. Based on this successful cooperation, we began using u-blox GSM/GPRS modules over the past 2 years with excellent results.”
“We are pleased to continue our cooperation with u-blox for our new product, the imt.24- OBD Tracker.”
With embedded u-blox cellular and GPS modules, the easy-to-install, “plug and play” unit is designed for real-time vehicle diagnostics and tracking. It provides GPS positioning based on a variety of real-time sensor inputs: time, speed, distance, motion, pause, idling, geo-fence monitoring, acceleration, route violation, fuel consumption, engine rpm, alarms and reports.
Thanks to its “Black Box” feature and special data recording algorithm, it also enables detailed accident analysis and re-construction used for insurance purposes.
Arvento is one of the leading telematics companies in the world, designing, manufacturing and marketing complete software and hardware packages used in numerous fleet telematics, industrial monitoring, person and asset tracking applications. All Arvento's devices have international key certificates, and may be deployed in markets around the world.
In addition to hardware, Arvento provides comprehensive web-based enterprise software solutions for desktop, smartphones and tablets with 9-language option.

For more information about u-blox wireless and positioning components, visit www.u-blox.com
For more information about Arvento's mobile tracking solutions, visit www.arvento.com

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