Kindles count as M2M
It's worth mentioning at this point that one thing driving the enthusiasm over M2M is that the definition of what constitutes M2M has evolved. Ten years ago, when people thought of M2M modules, they thought of utility meters and Coke machines. Now it includes things like telematics, health monitoring devices and even consumer electronics products like Amazon's Kindle ebook reader.
"In the consumer electronics space, there's a lot of things you can connect," says Al St George, VP of international markets for the newly formed Qualcomm/Verizon JV. "E-readers are getting a lot of press, but there's a big opportunity there. The Kindle is just the tip of the iceberg."
Even smartphones could qualify as M2M terminals for certain types of business apps, says Francesco Masetti-Placci, head of end-to-end LTE and 4G wireless networks at Alcatel-Lucent APAC.
"You can imagine uploading information and documents from the head office to a mobile workforce, for example," he says.
Digital signage is another segment that comes up in the M2M discussion nowadays, Masetti-Placci adds. "That definitely requires more bandwidth to be more appealing. Today, the interactivity is limited to SMS, but if the signs are enabled to stream video to your iPhone, for example, then there is more value."
Even more traditional categories of M2M like meter reading for power companies are expanding to include more sophisticated applications, says St George.
"Utility companies are building out infrastructure to meet peak demand. So they're looking at M2M solutions connecting houses and appliances where you can not only monitor them but control them remotely," he says. "So on a hot day, they can do rolling blackouts in your house, and shut off the air conditioners street to street for five minutes at a time. That brings peak demand down. So there's a lot of activity going on right now to get on that curve."