Vodafone New Zealand launched Connect by xone, which it describes as an “intuitive end-to-end Internet of Things (IoT) management solution” that gives businesses visibility and control over all their owned IoT assets.
Globally, Vodafone Group says it manages more than 100 million IoT connections, and that Vodafone New Zealand supports more than 1.6 million IoT connections including energy meters, sensors, medical equipment and tracking assets.
Vodafone New Zealand Head of IoT Michelle Sharp explained that the carrier now provides local businesses with a local IoT-based solution to join Vodafone’s Global Data Service Platform (GDSP).
“For those businesses with IoT assets located around the world, the GDSP is ideal, whereas Connect by xone is the best solution for the vast majority of businesses that have all of their IoT assets within Aotearoa,” the executive said.
“Both platforms allow businesses to keep track of their whole inventory of connected devices, tracking the home country of any SIMs installed in an asset, getting alerts on unusual activity, activating new SIMs, producing reports on performance or data usage, and more. Connect by xone then provides the local New Zealand voice calling, support and management of data without the latency that arises when routing through a global platform.”
“The great thing is that as businesses grow and start to use their IoT devices overseas, the Connect by xone platform can scale up and continue to support all assets through integration with the GDSP,” Sharp said.
Small businesses throughout the country are already reaping the benefits of the localization, according to Vodafone. EFTPOS New Zealand Limited’s thousands of EFTPOS terminals on Vodafone’s GDSP used to take 45-50 minutes for a software upgrade. However, by re-routing the data through Vodafone’s new Connect by xone solution the time it takes to upgrade the terminals has been reduced to 4-5 minutes.
Securely’s medical alarms will also be powered by Connect by xone on the Vodafone IoT network. The medical alarms, used predominantly with elderly people in independent living, are monitored 24/7 and send out an alert if medical assistance is needed.
Securely General Manager Mark Smith said that the firm monitors thousands of medical alarms throughout New Zealand and a key concern for the business is the privacy and security of customer information.
“We feel confident that Connect by xone will enhance the security of data and allow us to safely manage communication with our customers,” Smith said.
“Connect by xone allows us to manage the SIMs that we have in the thousands of devices we monitor throughout the country. If an alert is triggered we can identify that device and call that particular alarm to provide immediate assistance as needed,” he added.
“The real-time data analysis and actionable insights that IoT devices provide make these tools invaluable throughout a wide range of industries, such as agriculture, healthcare, transportation, and security. We are seeing many incredible innovations in the IoT field, driving more efficient, safer, and more sustainable businesses and communities,” Sharp added.
In December 2019, Vodafone New Zealand launched commercial 5G services in parts of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. Vodafone New Zealand said that it will continue to build the 5G network over the coming few years, adding Nokia 5G technology to more than 1,500 existing cell sites around the country.
