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Carriers can’t do IoT alone; need to build an ecosystem

IoT ecosystem needed to ensure growth, with security remaining a top concern

SÃO PAULO – Carriers should look at partnering with other companies to build an ecosystem to jump into the fast-growing “internet of things” market. According to Craig Wigginton, global telecom sector leader at Deloitte, telcos can capture the value on IoT ecosystem.

“Some of them are starting early just in the connectivity layer, but others are building platforms, consortium and alliances to start exploiting opportunities around IoT,” the executive said in a video interview with RCR Wireless News.

The opinion is similar to what Zaima Milazzo, new services director at Algar, said during a panel at Futurecom 2016. Milazzo noted carriers are still figuring out how to make money with “internet of things” projects. “We need to partner with other companies to build an ecosystem in which each player cooperates,” she said.

Wigginton stressed the importance of not jumping into the space alone. A recent Deloitte survey found home and automotive markets are key trends in the consumer space, though there is also a lot of momentum on enterprise and industrial IoT.

Embratel, which is owned by America Movil, said it’s building a platform designed to connect IoT devices. The company told RCR Wireless News the platform is set to be released in the first quarter of 2017, and will replace a third-company middleware the carrier uses today. Embratel said it’s focused on providing solutions to the retail and smart cities markets.

Another concern for the IoT space is related to security. F5 Networks manager Michel Araújo explained risks are still neglected by users and vendors. The company said Brazil is No. 4 in the world in terms of IoT security attacks.

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Roberta Prescott
Roberta Prescott
Editor, [email protected] Roberta Prescott is responsible for Latin America reporting news and analysis, interviewing key stakeholders. Roberta has worked as an IT and telecommunication journalist since March 2005, when she started as a reporter with InformationWeek Brasil magazine and its website IT Web. In July 2006, Prescott was promoted to be the editor-in-chief, and, beyond the magazine and website, was in charge for all ICT products, such as IT events and CIO awards. In mid-2010, she was promoted to the position of executive editor, with responsibility for all the editorial products and content of IT Mídia. Prescott has worked as a journalist since 1998 and has three journalism prizes. In 2009, she won, along with InformationWeek Brasil team, the press prize 11th Prêmio Imprensa Embratel. In 2008, she won the 7th Unisys Journalism Prize and in 2006 was the editor-in-chief when InformationWeek Brasil won the 20th media award Prêmio Veículos de Comunicação. She graduated in Journalism by the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas, has done specialization in journalism at the Universidad de Navarra (Spain, 2003) and Master in Journalism at IICS – Universidad de Navarra (Brazil, 2010) and MBA – Executive Education at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.