Wireless services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) further ushers the Philippines into the era of machine-to-machine communication with the launch of innovative M2M solutions and by spearheading the formation of the country’s first “Internet of Everything” (IoE) consortium.
The Smart IoE Consortium is a select group of industry leaders and technical partners aiming to collaboratively build machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions that will empower business through systems intelligence and interconnectivity.
The consortium is the first alliance in the Philippines seeking to develop IoE solutions which would make devices and processes “smarter” and more connected.
Among the founding members of the consortium are Samsung, InfoSys, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines (SEIPI), Meralco, Far Eastern University, Voyager Innovations, Novare Technologies, E-Sci, Cormant Technologies, Tech Mahindra and Wipro.
In a brief interview with media, Jovy Hernandez, PLDT FVP and Smart Enterprise Sales and Marketing Head, revealed that there are 40,000 connected devices under the M2M ecosystem of Smart, a small figure compared to other countries such as Indonesia which has more than 200,000 devices connected. Hernandez hopes the consortium will help in facilitating the mainstream adoption of M2M across all business sectors of the country.
“Businesses must act now in order to remain competitive as more firms drive profitability with the help of relevant and unique M2M solutions for their line of business,” said Hernandez.
The global “Internet of Things” market is expected to grow from a meager $1.9 trillion industry in 2013 to a whopping $7.1 trillion market by 2020, according to international research firm IDC.
Jovy Hernandez, PLDT FVP and Smart Enterprise Sales and Marketing Head
The most popular application of M2M right now in the Philippines is mobile POS which has 10,000 connected devices within Smart’s ecosystem. Other potential areas of growth are salesforce automation, logistics and health.
“As an entire world is heading to the hyper-connected eventuality called Internet of Everything or IoE, every enterprise organization will benefit from the pooled expertise, massed resources, and rare insight the Smart IoE Consortium represents,” said Eric Alberto, EVP and Head for Enterprise, International, and Carrier Business Business at Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Smart.
The group would be expanding to include more representatives from banking and finance, utilities, retail and distribution, pharmaceuticals, software and hardware development and distribution, as well as hospitals and universities.
Aside from developing comprehensive IoE solutions for different industries, the Smart IoE Consortium will enhance existing solutions and will monitor upcoming trends in the IoE space to ensure business readiness for future developments.
Mobile-based M2M solutions
Meanwhile, through its corporate wireless arm Smart Enterprise, Smart has expanded its array of M2M wireless solutions.
The new additions to Smart’s expansive portfolio of M2M solutions include Smart M2M PowerForm, Smart M2M Workforce, and Smart M2M Health, which are expected to boost productivity and therefore drive results in businesses willing to adapt the solutions to their enterprises.
India-based Tech Mahindra, one of the founding partners of the IoE consortium, showcases a SIM-based intelligent water metering system. PHOTO BY MELBA BERNAD
M2M Health will include two solutions that will enable hospitals to monitor their patients even from vast distances: Mobile ECG and Remote Fetal Care.
Smart’s Mobile ECG solution will provide a flexible alternative to traditional ECG monitoring using a portable cardio device with an updated SMART data SIM card, which automatically transmits results online.
The Remote Fetal Care solution, meanwhile, will allow doctors to monitor the vital signs of pregnant women and their babies even from vast distances. Delivered through a Bluetooth-based device worn by the mother, the solution provides doctors a quick and accurate view of patients’ conditions which are useful in providing relevant care to expectant mothers.
Cut down on printing costs
PowerForm is a powerful utility used alongside the latest mobile devices that allows businesses to cut down on printing costs and drive productivity upward by routing the usual paper forms into customized digitized formats.
Using PowerForm, businesses with field operations—such as credit card companies, insurance marketers, and sales teams—can process applications faster by sending relevant portions of their forms to the respective business units concerned, which speeds up the review and approval process.
The Smart M2M Workforce solution, meanwhile, aims to streamline coordination among field teams and the corporate headquarters to ensure quicker delivery of services to clients.
The workforce management solution that works on mobile devices supports work tickets, GPS location data syncing, and work and productivity status reporting for field agents that enable them to cut down response times and allow the head office to communicate with mobile workers on the fly.
