DT said M2M deal with China Mobile will provide customers access to the Chinese market, while smart glass partnership could target augmented reality.
BARCELONA, Spain – Deutsche Telekom and China Unicom inked a partnership to enhance their respective machine-to-machine operations and promote the expansion of narrowband-internet of things technology in Europe and China.
DT said the deal will allow customers to equip and manage M2M devices in China and manage connectivity via the same portal used for Europe and other regions. China Unicom customers will experience the same benefits on the carrier’s portal when they are offering M2M products and solutions in Europe.
“This is not only a commercial agreement. We are integrating our M2M platforms in both regions,” explained Claudia Nemat, member of the DT Board of Management, Technology and Innovation, during this week’s Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain.
Nemat said German technology and service companies are already investing in tapping the potential of the emerging Chinese M2M and IoT markets.
“With this agreement we take a next step toward greater developments in the area of M2M connectivity for our customers,” Nemat added. “Our partnership with China Unicom accelerates business opportunities and paves the way for new services and applications for our globally operating customers.”
DT, Zeiss sign deal on smart glasses
DT also signed a deal with German firm Zeiss to explore and promote hardware and applications for smart glasses. DT will supply the technology to connect the glasses directly to the network and cloud while also conducting research on potential ways to move hardware to the cloud.
“Today, smartphones are the devices for fast, mobile internet access. In the future, other devices such as smart glasses could challenge their dominance in this field,” said DT CEO Tim Höttges, in a statement. “Together, we want to gain experience and advance the possibilities of augmented reality.”
