The leading companies in M2M, or machine to machine, technologies have come to dominate the way we live. As networks expand and the world becomes more connected M2M has proven to be integral to everyday life.
In the past signals would be sent to a central hub to process information for analysis but nowadays the machines are capable of completing these tasks with one another. The continued growth of worldwide networks has made M2M technologies quicker, more efficient, and cheaper as time has gone one.
The companies behind these technologies have helped to revolutionise the world, so here is CBR’s look at the top 13 companies in M2M technologies.
Cisco
Cisco was founded in San Francisco, CA, in 1984 and since gone on to become one of the world’s largest suppliers of networking hardware and telecommunications products, generating $49.2 billion in revenue for 2016.
In M2M the company announced a strategic partnership with Salesforce in September of last year which, among other things, aims to integrate the popular Cisco Spark and Webex into the Sales Cloud and Service Cloud. The two companies are also integrating Cisco Jasper and the Salesforce IoT Cloud.
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Nokia
Nokia was founded in 1865, in the Grand Duchy of Finland in the, long since passed, Russian Empire as a pulp mill. Naturally the company has changed significantly over the last 150 years and, as one of the leading companies in M2M, now focuses on large scale telecommunications networks and generated €23 billion in revenue for 2016.
The company is more widely known for its range of mobile phones which gained significant popularity in the early 2000’s, in particular the 3310 model. In terms of M2M the company launched an IoT platform earlier this year which uses M2M technology at its core, the platform also supports smartphone traffic.
IBM
IBM was originally founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and was renamed International Business Machines in 1924. Currently the company employs over 350,000 people, and historically employees in the past have been awarded, ten National Medals of Technology, five National Medals of Science, five Nobel Prizes, and six Turing Awards. Last year the company generated $79 billion in revenue.
The company offers an award winning M2M platform, known as M2M intelligence, which allows users to build secure solutions for IoT projects that can provide continuous data analysis to create a more efficient business. Currently M2M intelligence is $15 though there is a free trial available.
Huawei
Huawei was originally started in 1987 as the Chinese government was undergoing ventures to modernise the country’s underdeveloped telecommunications network. Initially the company focused on small town and rural areas but was eventually able to break into the mainstream market. Last year the company reported revenue of $75 billion.
Currently Huawei, is one the largest companies in M2M and producer of telecoms equipment, though M2M is expanding more and more into IoT. The company’s latest LTE-only module was recently certified by Verizon as being compatible with the Verizon Wireless Network.
Sprint
Sprint was founded in 1899, beginning its life as Brown Telephone company, in order to supply telecommunication networks to the rural area around Abilene, Kansas. The company is now one of the largest long distance providers within the US, and reported revenue of $32 billion in 2016.
Sprint currently offers several M2M solutions, most notably in education. These systems are designed to create a safer campus environment, control costs with an intelligent system, and deliver important dynamic information.
EE
EE, previously Orange UK, is a relatively new company, particularly when compared to others on this list. The British mobile network operator was founded in 2010 in a joint venture between Deutsche Telekom and Orange SA. Today the company is the largest operator of 4G in Europe and its 2G and 4G service reaches 99% of the UK population. The company is a division of BT which generated £18 billion in revenue for 2016.
One of the M2M services offered by EE is EE Connect which allows users to self manage their networks whilst offering customisability and great scalability in order to create an ideal solution.
Orange SA
Orange SA, previously France Telecom SA, was founded in 1988 and currently provides mobile, landline, and internet services for 256 million people worldwide, employing over 150,000 people. In 2015 the company reported a net revenue of €40 billion.
The company offers several M2M solutions which can be found in over 220 countries, 166 of which have local support. Due to industry competition Orange has developed several platforms with full customisability in numerous different fields, from Finance, to education, health, and even homes.
Who else is leading the way in M2M?
Vodafone
Vodafone was founded in 1991, in London, and predominantly operates services in the regions of Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania, in 26 different countries. In 2016 the company generated £40 billion in revenue last year. In February 2016 it had the eighth largest market capitalisation on the London Stock Exchange.
As one of the largest companies in M2M, Vodafone offers a range of solutions for those looking to capitalise on the technology, one such solution can even be used to offer comprehensive support for farming. By keeping feed control in contact with machinery, farms are able to ensure that things are operating at peak efficiency.
Bosch
Bosch was founded in 1886, by German engineer Robert Bosch, and is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of automtotive parts, among other things. In 2016 the conglomerate generated €73.1 billion in revenue and the company is 92% owned by Robert Bosch Stiftung, a private charitable organisation.
Whilst Bosch’s predominant trade is in the automotive industry, the conglomerate has also developed its own M2M/IoT platform known as Bosch IoT suite. The platform is currently available on either the AWS cloud or the IBM BlueMix, and offers users the ability to protect and streamline processes in Manufacturing, Energy, Mobility, and homes.
AT&T
AT&T was founded in 1983, and is currently the second largest provider of mobile phone services and the largest provider fixed telephone services in the United States. As well as being one of the leading companies in M2M, T&T has also branched out into different industries including satellite television and home security. In 2016 the company generated $163 billion in revenue.
In terms of M2M, AT&T also offer a range of services designed to create quick and efficient access to data and insights from network connected machines. The company’s M2X Data Service gives a range of industries the ability to manage their data storage, device management, and message brokering with the ability to establish triggers, alarms and geo-fencing.
Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom was founded in 1995 after it was privatised and the Deutsche Bundespost was divided into three section, though the German government still retains a 30% stake in the company. The telecommunications giant is one of the leading companies in M2M and has existed as part of Europe’s telecoms network for the better part of its existence and holds significant shares in other companies across the continent, including Hungary and Macedonia.
Among the services offered by Deutsche Telekom is the NarrowBand IoT service which the company says is a new standard for IoT. The platform can be used to establish networks on anything from water meters to parking spots, by sending frequent small amounts of data, and is capable of transmitting over long distances.
Ericsson
Ericsson was founded in Sweden in the year 1876 by Lars Magnus Ericsson, and was originally a telegraph repair shop. After two years however, Ericsson began selling his own equipment and today the company has a 35% market share of the 2G/3G/4G market. In 2016 the company generated over £24 billion in revenue.
Ericsson states that its vision is to see over 50 billion devices connected and they believe that the Ericsson Device Connection Platform is one of the ways to make this happen. The Platform is capable of doing for the enterprise what other platforms have achieved for smart homes and aims to reduce the complexity of M2M device connection and management.
Verizon
Verizon was founded in 1983, as Atlantic Bell, in the United States and is currently the largest US wireless communications provider. It was formed as one of the Seven Bells after the Justice Department ordered AT&T to relinquish control of the Bell System. In 2016 the company generated revenue of $125 billion and employs over 160,000 people.
Verizon Wireless, is the company’s main M2M platform and its designed to automate processes for the enterprise in order to increase profitability. The company offers a range of different plans and pricing aimed at small businesses so that more attention can be spent on critical tasks.
