The four major wireless carriers in the UK (O2, T-Mobile, Orange, and Vodafone) have all expanded their M2M offerings, according to ABI Research director of RFID and ubiquitous networks research, Erik Michielsen. Across the rest of Europe, he adds, carriers and MVNOs are making similar choices, while in North America, he noted "increased commitment" from Cingular, Sprint and Verizon. "The deployments of higher-speed networks such as GPRS, EVDO, and EDGE has helped raise interest," Michielsen explained.
ABI's new study,
"Cellular Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Networks," explains how communications networks and technologies are intersecting with software and systems integration to create new business models across the globe. According to Michielsen, carrier involvement falls into three categories: providing bandwidth and airtime; offering limited services and outsourcing others; and becoming a full end-to-end services provider. Many, he says, "are still figuring out where best to position themselves on that spectrum."
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