Etisalat Group, a telecoms operator in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has pioneered machine-to-machine (M2M) technology and is gearing up to showcase the industry’s potential.
Khalifa Al Shamsi, chief digital services officer at Etisalat, says: “Having launched a major M2M control centre in the UAE and taken a leading role in an international alliance of M2M operators, we are now committed to being a major player in this new and exciting field.
“Now it is time for Etisalat to show businesses the vast and barely tapped potential of M2M and demonstrate technology that will revolutionise the field,” he adds.
Etisalat will host a forum to explore the adaption of M2M technology in the Middle East in sectors such as transport and automotive, utilities, oil and gas, healthcare, e-governance and retail at the Address Dubai Marina hotel from September 22 to 23. The M2M Middle East Forum will include presentations and discussions by industry leaders and give vendors a chance to showcase innovative products.
Etisalat launched an M2M control centre in the UAE last month – the first of its kind in the Middle East – to enable customers to begin, manage and grow M2M businesses and monitor connected devices. Powered by Jasper Wireless, the centre is one of several steps the group has taken to unlock the potential of M2M.
Etisalat is already offering end-to-end M2M solutions such as fleet management in many of its operations, Energy Star for Building energy management in the UAE and a health care solution in Saudi Arabia. In addition to these applications, Etisalat Operations are powering a solutions in automotive, utilities, home monitoring, security and logistics with its M2M Managed Connectivity.
Earlier in the year, Etisalat joined the M2M World Alliance, eight international telecoms operators working together to simplify and promote M2M technology for global deployment.
The alliance enables global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), in areas such as automobiles and consumer electronics, to easily integrate M2M connections with their products and helps facilitate international customer support for connected products marketed and sold locally.
“We are committed to M2M and this forum will give us an opportunity to demonstrate our current unique capabilities and express our vision for the future,” says Al Shamsi. “We will also use the event to let customers explore how M2M is evolving to the Internet of Things with the power of operator-based M2M application development platforms.”