The aim of the IoT deal is to foster the adoption of enterprise IoT services in Singapore and China
Singapore telecom operator Singtel and China Mobile International, a subsidiary of China Mobile, have signed an agreement to collaborate on accelerating enterprise adoption of the internet of things in the Asia-Pacific region.
Under the terms of the deal, both firms will enable each other’s enterprise customers to deploy their IoT devices installed in cars, consumer electronics, and industrial equipment across China and Singapore. The partners will also cooperate on using Singtel’s network to rollout China Mobile International’s range of narrowband-IoT products and devices in Singapore.
The IoT partnership will enable China Mobile International’s enterprise customers to deploy their IoT devices onto Singtel’s network in Singapore, without having to manually configure the devices or switch networks in-country. Likewise, Singtel’s business customers can use their own IoT solutions or devices in China on China Mobile’s network.
The partners will also provide their customers with a common management platform which gives them network visibility and control of their devices in both countries.
“The partnership reinforces the synergy of our combined extensive networks in China and Singapore to generate economies of scale, allowing enterprises to accelerate the expansion of their IoT footprints in the two countries,” said Diomedes Kastanis, head of IoT at Singtel.
“Future-ready businesses with footholds in multiple markets win by delivering consistently superior customer experiences based on insights derived from data, and this is only possible with the support of a robust IoT infrastructure and network that spans across countries,” said Andrew Niu, chief partnership officer at China Mobile International.
According to the GSMA, the value of the IoT market in the Asia Pacific region is expected to hit US$386 billion with 11 billion connections by 2025.
Singtel, Microsoft to launch AI-powered IoT network services
In related news, Singtel, in collaboration with Microsoft, announced plans to launch an AI-powered IoT network over Microsoft Azure, the carrier said in a statement.
The Asian operator said that the new platform combines intelligent connectivity and cloud capabilities for IoT to accelerate enterprise digital transformation.
“The platform combines the strengths of Singtel’s extensive, intelligent network capabilities with Microsoft’s cloud expertise to create a unique solution that sets new standards for IoT applications,” said Diomedes Kastanis. “Our solution provides speed, transparency and flexibility, paving the way for a more pervasive use of IoT to accelerate enterprises’ digitalisation efforts. AI-powered intelligent connectivity over Microsoft Azure will be the fastest connected path for IoT innovators to scale globally, and the smartest path to cross-device synergy in an instrumented, connected world.”
Singel highlighted that enterprises can leverage the platform’s IoT capabilities to implement network policy control functions. These include network on-demand; virtual private networks on-demand; rate limiting or setting the cap on the use of an IoT device; locking an IoT device’s SIM card; blacklisting or preventing an IoT device from activating and predicting bandwidth demand.
