KORE Blog

Connected Car – One of M2M’s New Poster Children

Whether you call it the “connected car,” telematics, infotainment or even the iCar, our automobiles are quickly becoming intelligent, personalized communication devices that enable us to remain “connected” while on the go. Just close your eyes and think about some recent automobile commercials you have seen, from Ford’s voice-activated Sync system to USBs plugging into consoles for a global scavenger hunt.

In most cases, this connectivity is provided by cellular communications, either directly to the vehicle or via the driver’s smart phone, which is “tethered” to the car’s computer.

The next wave in the “my car is another personal device” evolution will likely focus on applications. While safety still outweighs convenience, automakers are now tricking out “apps” for your car, just like your iPhone. But as these app libraries grow, what will it mean for the cellular connectivity demands of your vehicle? Will bandwidth requirements go through the roof? Who, or better yet how, will you pay for the chunks of data consumed by these apps? Having to add a new cellular contract for your Chevy Cruze or 328i probably isn’t that appealing for consumers who are already paying subscriptions for devices like phones and tablets.

The closest subscription example that one can look to is that of GM’s OnStar, where subscribers pay a flat monthly fee for the service, which varies depending on selected “levels” of service. However, does the flat fee approach to the connected car make the most sense? What data plan will your car need? How often will you use your vehicle as a “device?”

When you start asking these questions, you start to see that best practices from the M2M market may make the most sense. KORE pioneered pay-for-what-you-use data plans and our IntelliRate service is currently used across a number of vertical industries to help both application providers and end-users better monitor and control wireless connectivity costs.

As the automobile ushers in the next wave of mobile applications, connectivity within the vehicle will become even more crucial to delivering the same personal user experience as we’re accustomed to getting from our smart phones. The question is, will we be willing to pay more for this data? Will the network service providers of data services be able to offer a single subscription that covered multiple devices, including your in-auto connectivity?  I would argue they have to and that it will be offered sooner rather than later.

As the connected car evolves, we believe there are significant consumer benefits to be gained from the M2M user model. We at KORE are happy to help automakers define the roadmap for, and drive user adoption of, apps in the connected car.

By Stein Soelberg, Director of Marketing

Stein leads a team whose responsibility is to own the branding, advertising, customer engagement, loyalty, partnership and public relations initiatives designed to propel KORE into the 21^st century. With over 15 years of technology marketing experience in the business to business software, Internet services and telecommunications industries, Stein brings a proven track record of launching successful MVNOs and building those brands into leaders.

Application Spotlight: Crime fighting Laptops

We’ve hinted in recent posts that we’re at a bit of an inflection point in the maturity of the market, where M2M is going to start showing how it can help organizations make money by enabling new services and providing enough implicit value that users are willing to pay more.

Earlier this year, the “backtalk” project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which is ostensibly designed to track what happens to electronics devices once they are discarded by consumers, proved its mettle as a crime fighting solution in a rather unexpected way. A couple of bumbling thieves (I picture ne’er-do-wells that make Cruella de Vil’s henchmen seem like society men) decided it would be cool to pilfer some of the laptops used for the project. But things turned sharply when the devices reported back with the stolen devices’ exact locations — and even took pictures of the thieves’ faces as well as the logo on one of the suspect's shirts, which revealed his business’ address.

When we look at the “innovations” that made this possible, there really isn’t much to it. The computer has a thin-client, M2M-enabled device (or devices) embedded inside, designed to communicate location via GPS and cellular triangulation, as well as to take pictures of its surroundings and transmit this data back to a host server. In consumer terms, the iPhone’s "Find My iPhone" feature is analogous, as it makes use of the device's GPS to track its location on demand.

The implications for M2M-enabled security are significant. Computers can now be pre-loaded with a theft-deterrent component, one that goes so far as to say, “Don’t steal me, for I will identify you to the authorities.” In the wider context of premises security, M2M-connected devices enable better user interaction with home or business security systems. If the alarm gets triggered these new systems might send you a real-time picture of your home, to show you (and the authorities) that the back door's been opened or a window's been broken, or maybe the cat's just knocked over a flower pot. (In such an instance, the smartphone could be used to remotely reset the system).

Clearly, add-on theft deterrent and interactive alarm applications such as these open a new revenue source for computer manufacturers and after-market vendors. What consumer in his or her right mind would turn down such a service? We’re already seeing wireless home security make its way into the product set of cable providers. Talk about non-traditional revenue.

But no matter how sexy or high-value the application is, you cannot communicate with the necessary devices without broadly-based, fiscally-minded connectivity. This will be the factor that continues to push M2M onto everybody's radar screen, and we’re thankful that it is our bread and butter at KORE.

The most important lesson in all of this, however, is obvious: Don’t steal from MIT!

By Danny Thomas, VP Operations

Danny has over 23 years of experience in the wireless and telecommunications industry working in Asia, North America, and the U.K. He joined KORE in 2009 and was instrumental in driving the implementation of our state-of-the-art, fully redundant network architecture. Danny joined KORE after 14 years with AT&T Mobility as the Sr. Director of National Wireless Data Operations, where he worked on several state-of-the-art wireless projects including the launch of the first 2G, 2.5G, and 3G networks and the launch of the Apple I-Phone.

More M2M devices obviously means more data to process, right? Not so fast.

By all counts, it stands to reason that a world enmeshed with a multitude of data collecting, signal-sending, communicating M2M devices would exacerbate the Big Data challenge in IT. All these devices will produce Terabytes more information for an organization to manage, store, parse and analyze, right? When we really examine what these devices are doing — the role they play the vast majority of the time — the opposite appears to be true.

In reality, the majority of M2M applications and services prove their worth by reporting on exceptions as opposed to simply sending data for the sake of sending it. If I’m GE and I’m going to have millions — perhaps billions — of sensors around the world making up the Industrial Internet, the last thing I need is to be bombarded with information telling me that everything is fine. The majority of data a device collects cannot easily be transformed into actionable information.

Even the proverbial refrigerator that tells you when you’re out of milk does not send bit after bit of data to tell you the milk supply is “All good.”

A good analogy is the modern automobile, which has hundreds of sensors monitoring all sorts of functional components, from tire pressure to valve timing to cylinder heat. But mind you, these sensors do not send everything to the engine control unit (ECU); they do so only if there’s an exception. Something’s too hot. Tire is deflating. Then you get a warning on the dash so you can do something about it.

Most of the M2M industry is driven by very thin applications. If you take 90 percent of cellular-connected M2M applications in the world today, they probably move less than a MB of data, collectively, in a month. In fact, if you dial back to look at 80 percent of the application universe, it probably doesn’t create more than one-half of a MB, per month.

Of course there are some applications that use 10s of MBs, even Gigabytes in a month. These might include digital billboard signage, which is managed via wireless M2M to change its content based on time of day or highway traffic volume.

When the discussion gets hyperbolic about how the Internet-of-Things will redefine what we mean by “Big Data,” it is easy to let that become a development barrier. At KORE, we are 100 percent committed to being your M2M onramp, and sometimes that means taking a critical eye to the market chatter.

By Felix Chuang, Senior Product Manager

Felix Chuang is Senior Product Manager at KORE Telematics, an industry leader in the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) wireless market. He has more than fifteen years of experience in the Internet and wireless industries in a broad range of roles such as product management, business development, and operations.  He is currently focused on the KORE Global Connect product line, which provides a single SIM for M2M network service in 180+ countries and 230+ carriers.

He can be found on twitter at: @felixc and KORE Telematics can be found at: @koretelematics

 

2012: Year of the Dragon? Try Year of the Lion!

I recently read an interesting story on CNN.com about conservationists in Kenya tracking lions roaming the savannah. What was so special about this article? Well, for one, instead of tracking the movements of lions with VHF collars that emit radio signals that required near-field communications (NFC) technologies, conservationists are now using GPS-enabled collars to map the lions’ whereabouts from one central location.

Whether or not you agree with putting tracking collars on wild animals, you have to admit that new advances in location-based services (LBS) are driving a plethora of new applications for both businesses and consumers alike.  The lion-tracking application is yet another real-world example of the need for hybrid network (cellular and satellite) connectivity. After all, there aren’t very many wireless network towers in the savannah (and that’s a good thing!).  Hybrid network connectivity is becoming more prevalent across a number of M2M use cases, from the expected commercial – global asset management and supply chain integrity – to the exotic and sometimes esoteric, such as this wildlife monitoring example.   

Machine-to-Machine (M2M)-powered LBS’ operate in many industries, serving functions similar to tracking lions. Virtually anything that moves or can be moved or shouldn’t be moved, can be monitored and tracked. Business-to-business (B2B) and M2M network communications send wireless signals and data to and from receivers in the field, transmitting back valuable information. Advances in both network connectivity and price points for SIM cards and wireless chipsets and their related hardware are helping LBS drive efficiency and safety improvements in more applications across the globe.

In a previous blog, we discussed trends in tracking people with M2M, utilizing various technology forms including small wearable devices that blend in, disguised as items such as wrist watches. EmFinders specializes in these devices and caters to a large population of caregivers and parents looking to monitor their patients or children. This is a great example of how M2M is providing safety and peace of mind with a one little device.

Whether you’re tracking lions in the savannah or an elderly person missing from their care facility, LBS – whether using pure GPS or assisted GPS or cellular triangulation via enhanced cell ID -- work in a similar fashion. The difference being the technology used and the accuracy of the location result returned to the LBS application. When working remotely, tracking devices connect to satellites in the atmosphere to transmit data. But once back in range of network towers, the device automatically switches. The challenge here is to find a carrier that offers this service to prevent the device from driving up roaming costs. While costs have come down in recent years, satellite connectivity is still more expensive than cellular and the data payloads are typically smaller so the application on the back-end needs to be much more efficient.

At KORE, we offer cellular and satellite services for all of your tracking needs. Regardless of whether your device is in the middle of the savannah, out in the ocean or in the cargo hold of a Mack truck in Michigan, you will be given the connectivity and peace of mind needed to operate to full capacity.

I just wonder how Simba, the Lion King, would have felt about wearing a tracking collar and having his location broadcasted 24/7.

By Stein Soelberg, Director of Marketing

Stein leads a team whose responsibility is to own the branding, advertising, customer engagement, loyalty, partnership and public relations initiatives designed to propel KORE into the 21^st century. With over 15 years of technology marketing experience in the business to business software, Internet services and telecommunications industries, Stein brings a proven track record of launching successful MVNOs and building those brands into leaders.

No Card, No Cash, No Problem –Thanks to the e-wallet finally becoming a reality

Previous posts on this blog have discussed the convenience and proliferation of machine-to-machine (M2M) technology to power wireless payment processing applications. These applications enable credit card payments at remote locations such as doorsteps and parking meters, with M2M handling the wireless backhaul required for our credit/debit card-based society to function.

As we become more “cashless” in our purchasing process, the emergence of a once futuristic application is beginning to become a reality—the e-wallet.  Yes, this means that we are getting one step closer to the one-device nirvana that the world of cellular communications has promoted for years. Using your cell phone to buy a bag of chips or to pay for your haircut sounds great, but how does it all work? And what role does M2M play in making it a reality?

The truth is that the e-wallet, or virtual wallet, will rely on multiple communication mediums to operate effectively.  A number of these cell phone-based electronic transactions will occur via near-field communications (NFC) technology, where your cellular phone communicates with some type of point-of-sale device. In this scenario, your phone, in effect, acts as credit or debit card. It’s similar to Mobil’s Speedpass™, with two devices communicating with one another. There’s no card swipe required, just a tap and pay.

Where M2M comes in is when the transaction collected by the NFC system is transmitted back to the retailer or financial services institution via cellular network. It’s probably fair to say that as point-of-sale devices begin to proliferate across retail locations, M2M will play a significantly increasing role in powering this industry. In addition, remote payments via credit cards at locations such as vending machines will continue to drive wireless transactions across the globe.

While e-wallet payments are beginning to become more commonplace, a number of issues still need to be ironed out.  For instance, it's not entirely clear if e-wallet transactions will occur over the customer’s own cellular data plan (which limits its reach and adds security questions) or is simply a “stored value” on the phone itself. All of these areas need to be worked through to ensure a viable and reliable e-wallet system that can improve purchasing efficiencies at any location.

With our global M2M network and full suite of cellular and satellite services, KORE is well positioned to participate in the e-wallet revolution. We may be witnessing the next wave of mobile technology breakthroughs, and M2M is once again at the center of it all, so come right on in.

By Felix Chuang, Senior Product Manager

Felix Chuang is Senior Product Manager at KORE Telematics, an industry leader in the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) wireless market. He has more than fifteen years of experience in the Internet and wireless industries in a broad range of roles such as product management, business development, and operations.  He is currently focused on the KORE Global Connect product line, which provides a single SIM for M2M network service in 180+ countries and 230+ carriers.

He can be found on twitter at: @felixc and KORE Telematics can be found at: @koretelematics

The M2M Debate Rages On: 2G vs. 3G – Why Not Let the Customer Decide?

With the first consumer-oriented smart phones and tablet computers accessing the Internet, making calls and sharing data using the fastest 4G LTE wireless networks in the world – there is certainly an argument that the paradigm shift to 4G is well on its way for the consumer electronics market. These popular new consumer devices present the opportunity for us to look at the ongoing network technology debate that rages on for the machine-to-machine (M2M) communications industry. 

2G, which has been in existence since 1994, has long been the sole network for well over 90 percent of the M2M connected devices in North America. Subsequently, the network has undergone more than a decade of development and features a built-in infrastructure and extensive service footprint for most M2M devices and applications. For a variety of reasons both economic and service-related and the fact that it is the legacy network, 2G has been the network of choice for the majority of M2M solution providers in North America, even though 3G and 4G are faster and could offer new features such as video to an M2M application.

However, the roll-out of the 4G network begs the question: should M2M devices begin to deploy exclusively on 3G and 4G or should they continue relying upon the older, but cheaper and more geographically reliable 2G networks – and if so, for how long?  When you consider that 3G devices are more costly and are typically less power efficient, than 2G devices, 3G M2M devices are less attractive to the lower ARPU models on razor thin profit margins in the M2M solutions marketplace. This should lead the M2M market to determine what makes the best sense for its device manufacturers, application providers and end users.

The 2G networks are completely paid for, fully depreciated, expense items. Yet, keeping them running poses operational overhead and maintenance costs as well as opportunity costs of limited spectrum by the traditional carriers who own and operate the network infrastructure and license the spectrum from their respective governments.  The carriers therefore have incentive to decommission 2G networks and migrate those dollars and spectrum to support 3G and build-out 4G networks. 

There is, however, a price that will be paid for this “progress” in the form of new devices, using new modems, many of which will have to go through an extensive and expensive network certification process – will have to be replaced and upgraded from 2G to 3/4G by the M2M solution providers – a costly, time consuming and operationally disruptive exercise in which there is, unlike the smart phone consumer market, no subsidization for hardware costs by the traditional carriers themselves.  100% of the costs will be paid by the M2M solution providers and thus their downstream customers.   

The M2M solution providers will not experience improved performance due to the extra bandwidth capacity provided by 3 and 4G, however, the majority of their applications do not require this extra burst of capacity and are just fine within the current limitations posed by 2G networks.  What’s more, the network pricing on 3 and 4G is typically higher than its 2G counterpart, making M2M solution providers pay extra for capacity and performance their applications simply do not need.  Add this monthly recurring expense item to the other costs of migration (hardware, etc.) and this forced migration is potentially very disruptive to M2M solution providers and their customers.

So the questions remain: Can M2M devices stick with the existing 2G network before being phased out? For how much longer? Or is it time to move on toward the 3G network or possibly jump straight into 4G LTE? Or should the networks evolve into each other, thus progressing from 2G to 3G to LTE? The predictions continue to foreshadow that costs and spectrum utilization will likely continue to be THE deciding factors in these decisions and further promote that 2G and 3G are simply more cost effective for M2M applications than LTE.

What is most interesting in these spaces is the lack of answers from many of the national carriers as to whether or not they will continue to service customers in the 2G space or if/when they will end-of-life it for good.  Asked directly, most will deny the intention to end 2G but that answer flies in the face of the economic and spectrum realities of the market. The one thing we do know is that the M2M market will continue to remain a separate beast from more consumer-driven services market. As a M2M pioneer and partner, KORE will continue to communicate the status of this tradition as openly as possible and provide its customers with the network bandwidth that their applications require to operate efficiently and cost effectively, whatever its flavours.  We urge the tier 1 consumer-focused network operators to take a look at the unique needs of their M2M customers before making any rash decisions on the elimination of any network services.

By Chuck Horne, VP Product and Service Management

Chuck Horne currently serves as Vice President of Product and Service Management for KORE Telematics, an industry leader providing wireless M2M network services for enterprises and solution providers. Chuck is a senior marketing and product executive with over 30 years of strategic product management and business consulting experience in the wireless, internet, and telecommunications industry. In his current capacity, Chuck is responsible for product planning and management of KORE’s wireless services portfolio.

What does 2012 have in store for M2M? Optimized Pricing and True Global Connectivity.

More and more, M2M is a story about ensuring global connectivity. It is about infusing critical systems—e.g., supply chain management, health management, energy management — with improved connectivity, automation and control. The trouble is these connections are impeded at times by political or geographic boundaries.

Interestingly, and perhaps surprisingly to many, roughly 92 percent of the globe’s surface area is not covered by cellular connectivity due to oceans and non-inhabitable land masses, for example, at the polar extremes. This means, from the M2M stakeholder’s perspective, that 2012 must bring about an integration of terrestrial and satellite services so that devices can communicate whenever, and wherever, they are needed.

The economics of global connectivity must therefore also evolve. Forcing a device to roam every time it crosses a border is not the answer, long-term. Instead, services that encompass global connectivity, pricing and management, such as KORE Global Connect, should become the rule not the exception. But M2M operators must go even deeper than offering in-country network connectivity around the world—they must cut directly to the ebb-and-flow nature of M2M device usage. Businesses cannot be expected to pay large, recurring fees if an M2M application exists merely to detect exceptions.

To meet these increasingly sophisticated demands from the marketplace, KORE has designed and launched a self-managing, automatically calculating tariff structure for our on-net devices, which we believe solves several economic questions relating both to sporadic, seasonal or unpredictable airtime usage, as well as an expanding geographic footprint for devices in general.

Dubbed “IntelliRate” we designed our rate structure to detect usage variability and apply an equitable rate according to each device’s actual usage on a monthly basis. The key is that IntelliRate does this automatically, with zero customer intervention required to optimize pricing. KORE designates several rate “steps,” based on a combination of 10 tiers of data usage and seven geographic coverage areas. And in order to further control costs, customers can precisely control which geographic zones a device or group of devices can access. What’s more, KORE now offers hybrid service plans with discounts applied that allow a multi-mode device to connect via the best network technology available, either cellular or satellite.

One size no longer has to fit all.

To be sure, 2012 will be a year when the three pillars to true global service and support for M2M take root: a high-reliability network infrastructure, self-adjusting tariff plans and a technology platform, PRiSMPro, to ease the process of device provisioning and management.

Finally, as we’ve referenced in recent posts, 2012 will begin to yield some answers as to the long-term utility of 2G technology, particularly as a means to “serve the machines.” The fact is, 2G devices will remain in place for even the most advanced M2M applications in the near term – the next 2-3 years at least. These devices do not use as much power, cost less per device and have a substantially larger geographic foot print compared to their 3G counterparts. In fact, the entire population of M2M devices in North America could be run, coast to coast, on roughly 5 mHz of spectrum over pre-existing, fully depreciated 2G networks. Think about that — pure profit for the operator, great economics for the user.  Mark our words — this discussion will take center stage as a driver for the future of connected devices.

The M2M industry is strong and continues to grow. We are only beginning to see its implications take shape for important applications such as public safety, consumer convenience, healthcare, utilities and environmental controls, among many others. At KORE, it is our job to create an accessible on-ramp for innovators to advance the state-of-the-art.

by Alex Brisbourne, President and COO

As the president and chief operating officer of KORE, Alex has over 20 years of experience in the networking and telecommunications industry, in Europe, North America and Asia. His expertise and areas of concentration center around wireless, enterprise and fixed line services. In his current role at KORE, he continually strives to improve company growth, by ensuring the M2M marketplace and KORE customers are well served by members of the KORE team worldwide.

The Next Technology Status Symbol: The M2M-powered Ultimate Smart Home – Complete with My Top 10 Smart Home Wish List (Part 2 of 2)

This is the second part of a two part Blog – click here to read Part 1

Not to be left behind in the push toward owning the “ultimate smart home,” I recently installed a new security system that allows me to check its status, view the system log and turn it on and off remotely from my iPhone.  Paying up for this “luxury” versus having a second keypad installed enables me to command the system from my second story bedroom (the primary keypad being located next to the kitchen door on the way into the garage, a pain to activate once I am already in bed) was actually less expensive than installing a second keypad and provides much more flexibility and control.  Now I can check on my house when at business or family functions that take me thousands of miles from home.  See one example from Alarm.com.

Looking at the current list of home automation technology services, I have been underwhelmed at the options and features available as an “entry level” consumer; nervous about being price-gouged; fearful of the chaos and disruption caused during installation process; leery at the “unknowns” related to the total cost of ownership (cost of service and support – what happens when something goes wrong!?), and; surprised by the lack of technology standards and true integration.  Clearly this is bleeding edge stuff and unlike Bill Gates, I don’t have $100 million to invest in outfitting my home.

So, what do I envision or desire in a smart home? 

Here’s my Top 10 Ultimate Smart Home Wish List

1. Plug and Play — I want the technology to be plug and play – to integrate seamlessly and to WORK – period.  It should require the least amount of retrofitting for an existing home – no more than the amount of effort and disruption to install a decent home theater system.
2. Subscription Fee Consolidation — I don’t want to get nickeled and dimed by monthly subscription fees. Ideally, I want one consolidated bill per month that contained all the subscription content I have ordered (my XM radio, premium Pandora, Cable/Sat TV content, Netflix, broadband/wi-fi connections so everything connects etc., etc.) and any additional network services required (satellite, cellular).
3. Voice Commands — And I want everything to be voice command enabled.  Talk about flattening the learning curve on adopting the technology – I can still barely use the basics on my state-of-the-art smartphone – if I had to invest significant time to learn a new set of commands, I would be very frustrated (easy button please!).
4. No Additional Hardware — I DO NOT want to have the technology require any additional “wear-able” hardware in order to operate it, though I could consider compromising on having the system distinguish different users via a thin client on their cell phones. However, I am convinced there are other, biometric ways for the system to distinguish users via a combination of motion detection and voice command (see #3 above).
5. Command Center Interface — I want a command center type of interface that tells me the status and verifies the connectivity of all my devices graphically.  If my HVAC system needs a new filter, or my sprinkler system needs repair, or my server needs an injection of RAM, I want an indicator light and message on the command center just like I get the indicator light in my car when it needs an oil change. Oh, and I would like it to tell me in English versus some techno-geek, engineering code that I have to scrutinize and translate via the user manual to understand.
6. Remote Access — It needs to have remote access capabilities for the command center – preferably from any web browser but alternatively from thin clients downloadable on any flavor of smartphone so I always have control via remote access.  Even better – the home could be tied into the GPS on my phone so it knows when I am approaching and can turn on climate control, entertainment, illumination controls, de-activate my security system, etc. prior to my driving into my driveway.
7. Proactive trouble-shooting — If something goes wrong (this is software, after all) I want the device/command center to take charge of reporting the trouble and starting a diagnostic process in which it “self-heals” – downloading the latest firmware or software patch and restarting and reconnecting itself.  If a more extensive repair is required, report it to the central station office and put the next available appointment into an opening on my calendar.
8. Security — It must be secure with protective monitoring and safety controls in place to protect against both unauthorized access and user error or misuse (e.g. when my 5 year niece old tells the house to go to 100 degrees – over-ride that command, gratuitous 2001: A Space Odessey reference here).  Ideally it has built-in, biometric voice recognition software tailored to a specific individual so a super user is recognized by his/her voice and has master user privileges for set-up, command privilege hierarchy and control.
9. Intelligence — I want it to be intelligent enough to “learn” from activities preformed, by user, so that it can suggest activities or settings and distinguish individual users (my 6 year old son’s television channels or favorite Internet sites – with parental controls – distinguished from those of myself or my wife).
10. Function Properly — Lastly, it needs to WORK.  As a former product manager who has written dozens of product requirement definitions (PRDs to the geeks out there like me), I don’t want to hear about missing features or incompatibility issues due to manufacturer spats or lack of standards.  I am less concerned about whether or not my refrigerator can sense that we’re running low on milk and alert me or re-order from a grocery delivery service (if any of these services return in my lifetime) – I just want delivery on the promise of the ultimate smart home.

Here’s to the future of home automation and showing it off to your friends – here’s to the ultimate status symbol – the M2M connected smart home!

By Stein Soelberg, Director of Marketing

Stein leads a team whose responsibility is to own the branding, advertising, customer engagement, loyalty, partnership and public relations initiatives designed to propel KORE into the 21^st century. With over 15 years of technology marketing experience in the business to business software, Internet services and telecommunications industries, Stein brings a proven track record of launching successful MVNOs and building those brands into leaders.

The Next Technology Status Symbol: The M2M-powered Smart Home (Part 1 of 2)

I was recently visiting a friend in California’s Silicon Valley and we were discussing the advances in consumer technology that are automating the mundane and helping improve lives.  Mesh networks of connected devices combined with artificial intelligence  are truly automating everything in daily life. I predict that in the very near future, consumer devices such as the iPad or iPhone will be trumped by the ultimate status symbol – the automated smart home. 

The intelligence of your home illustrates your technical sophistication, your commitment to being “green” and your ultimate mastery over your domicile.  How cool is that?

For example, imagine the scenario where you control your audio entertainment system and lighting with verbal commands.  Imagine the wonderment of your dinner guests when you command your chandelier to “dim lights to romantic dinner setting” and they automatically respond.  As dinner is concluding, tell your kitchen to “brew some coffee” for dessert and – voila – nobody has to get up from the table to flip the switch on the coffee maker.  Seem too futuristic?  Check out the video demo of Siri – the disembodied voice feature of the new Apple iPhone 4S.  Today on your phone, tomorrow in your home. 

You can already use your voice to command your car, straight from the factory.  With much fanfare, Ford launched its MyFord Touch powered by Microsoft Sync feature with the 2008 Ford Fusion and has already added it to many additional models.  Now you can tell your car the desired AC temperature or to open the windows or sunroof with voice commands.  Smart phones are now integrated into vehicles so you can get in-dash navigational, turn-by-turn directions to any contact in your phone’s address book. Even if there have been some problems, this is a huge step forward in the area of technology automation and integration.

Famous Apple alumni are also getting into the act.  Apple iPod former SVP Tony Fadell and lead engineer Matt Rogers partnered to found Nest, a company that intends to profoundly change your home’s power consumption through ‘smart thermostats’ – enabling comfort while helping you save money.  Each of these thermostats has a motion detector and is connected to each other wirelessly, sharing data on user preferences and activity. For instance, when the home is vacant, it can optimize power-savings. When occupied, the home can “learn” a family’s temperature preferences interactively based on time of day, unique individuals in the home (my wife likes it hot, I prefer cool) and seasonality – then share the preferences universally across devices.

Much of this home automation, via extended “Home Area Networks,” will have its genesis in green energy and smart grid. Similar to how Nest is going to market as a provider of both energy efficiency and comfort, the driving value proposition behind home automation is going to be energy conservation.  Innovators are developing devices that can communicate wirelessly and provide ultimate control for the sake of economic and environmental advantages. The byproduct is that I get my smart home entertainment features – I can live with that. 

For example, KORE partner Digi International introduced the Digi X-Grid^TM, a means to offer real-time energy consumption usage information and control energy use by extending the smart grid from the meter into the home.  There is even a smartphone app for it, dubbed the Digi Energy Daytrader.  It stands to reason that once connected devices are communicating, improving feature richness and control is the next logical step. 

I, for one, am excited to be an early adopter so I can show off in front of my friends.  

Check back next week for Part 2: The Ultimate Smart Home – Complete with My Top 10 Smart Home Wish List.

By Stein Soelberg, Director of Marketing

Stein leads a team whose responsibility is to own the branding, advertising, customer engagement, loyalty, partnership and public relations initiatives designed to propel KORE into the 21^st century. With over 15 years of technology marketing experience in the business to business software, Internet services and telecommunications industries, Stein brings a proven track record of launching successful MVNOs and building those brands into leaders.

Something Old, Something New

I just recently got married, so pardon me for the analogy, but I have had wedding on the brain for months now.  But it got me thinking…the marriage of the Internet with machine-to-machine connected devices brings this concept into a brand new light.  Something old – the Internet. Something new – the Internet of Things.  “What do you mean by the ‘Internet of Things’?” you ask.

Well, according to Wikipedia, the Internet of Things is commonly defined as:

“Uniquely identifiable objects (things) and their virtual representations in an Internet-like structure…Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is often seen as a prerequisite for the Internet of Things. If all objects of daily life were equipped with radio tags, [so] they could be identified and inventoried by computers...”

 McKinsey & Company takes the concept even further in the following:

“In what’s called the Internet of Things, sensors and actuators embedded in physical objects—from roadways to pacemakers—are linked through wired and wireless networks, often using the same Internet Protocol (IP) that connects the Internet. These networks churn out huge volumes of data that flow to computers for analysis. When objects can both sense the environment and communicate, they become tools for understanding complexity and responding to it swiftly.”

There’s even a new comic book dedicated to explaining the Internet of Things. 

Translation: Every person, car, appliance –  thing – will be married to an IP-address and connected through the Internet to transmit data back and forth, just like computers “talk” to one another today.

For example, the day will likely come when you run out of milk and the refrigerator transmits a wireless signal to your smartphone, so the next time you stop at the grocery store, you pick up a half gallon. Or your car will tell, and schedule an appointment with, your mechanic directly when it needs a replacement part.  IBM released this thought provoking video about the Internet of Things.

Our lives are becoming more intertwined with the Internet and machine-to-machine applications (i.e. the Internet of Things) are becoming more evident by the day.  Many have never considered the fact that technology now truly has this capability. However, we at KORE, have long since recognized this benefit of machine-to-machine (M2M) connected devices. Rather than proclaiming the future possibilities of these connections, we strive every day to create value within businesses; whether it is providing the wireless connection for remote healthcare monitoring systems, so the patient never has to leave the comforts of their own home. Or helping fleets determine the exact locations of their shipments, the speed of the trucks and the specific temperature of the cargo hold.  Regardless of the application, KORE aims to provide cost effective wireless connection to keep all your devices communicating.

So the next time you read about the trendy name, Internet of Things, just imagine that bride in white and think to yourself, a good marriage is a great thing and while you’re at it - wish me luck in this new adventure too.  

By Felix Chuang, Senior Product Manager

Felix Chuang is Senior Product Manager at KORE Telematics, an industry leader in the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) wireless market. He has more than fifteen years of experience in the Internet and wireless industries in a broad range of roles such as product management, business development, and operations.  He is currently focused on the KORE Global Connect product line, which provides a single SIM for M2M network service in 180+ countries and 230+ carriers.

He can be found on twitter at: @felixc and KORE Telematics can be found at: @koretelematics