Japan’s NTT DoCoMo is offering M2M services around the world, and allowing enterprises to manage them via a web interface.
The new service, “docomo M2M Platform,” will connect M2M communication lines in over 200 countries with a unified web interface, which corporate customers can use for such tasks as management of vehicle or construction machinery fleets.
The web interface can be used for real-time monitoring of data usage and communication fees, remote activation and deactivation of communication lines, and basic diagnosis of failures.
DoCoMo said the platform will manage communication lines via not only in its mobile network, including through international roaming, but also those of operators outside of Japan.
DoCoMo spokesperson So Hiroki said the company has started offering the new service from Thursday and is now in talks with several customers on the implementation of the platform.
With DoCoMo’s new platform, the Japanese mobile carrier said, customers can eliminate the cost of operating multiple M2M platforms.
The new offering utilizes the M2M platform of US-based Jasper Wireless, and is the result of a partnership the two companies announced in February.
DoCoMo has also partnered with a number of tier-one operators such as SingTel, SingTel, Telstra, KPN and Telefonica to cooperate globally to address the complex and fragmented nature of the M2M market, as the carriers aimed at gaining a bigger share in the growing market.
Hiroki added that the collaboration, announced in July, is expected to further enhance the service of this new M2M platform. New features as one-time billing and collaboration for local technical support will likely be added in the future.