10 IoT Products Turning Heads At Mobile World Congress
New IoT Products
While smartphones are typically center stage at Mobile World Congress, solution providers have a lot more to look forward to at this year's show, which runs from Feb. 27 to March 2 and takes place in in Barcelona, Spain. This year's MWC will be a launching pad for IT vendors to show off their newest IoT products, including sensors, analytics tools and security suites.
At last year's show, partners got a look at a variety of IoT products – from the more consumer-targeted Ambi Labs' intelligent air conditioner to Libelium's sensor platform for smart cities. Following are 10 hot Internet of Things products introduced at this year's Mobile World Congress that solution providers should have on their radar.
Greenwave Systems' Axon Predict
Greenwave Systems launched its analytics product – Axon Predict – at this year's Mobile World Congress. The data analytics tool, which is a result of the company's recent acquisition of Predixion Software, performs analytics capabilities at the edge – enabling machines and smart sensors to collect data at every step of production and deliver real-time action. The company’s real-time visual edge analytics software and data management platform enable enterprises and OEMs to manage critical data at the edge of a network in real time, as opposed to waiting for it to be uploaded and processed in the cloud.
Dell Gateway 3000
Dell is adding a new product to its Internet of Things gateway portfolio as the company tries to engage more with its partner base at the vertical market level.
The new Gateway 3000, which is targeted at fixed and mobile use cases requiring smaller sensor networks, tight spaces and simpler analytics, is a "balance between the maker spectrum and industrial-grade folks," according to Jason Shepherd, director of IoT strategy and partnerships at Dell.
Dell's new gateway, which is available for purchase in summer 2017, comes in three models, targeting general-purpose automation, transportation and logistics, and digital signage and retail.
Intel XMM 7560 Modem
Intel took the wraps off its first Gigabit LTE modem, the XMM 7560, at Mobile World Congress. This modem, manufactured on Intel's 14nm technology, is designed to handle 5G Internet of Things applications, including smart cities, as well as intelligent homes and buildings.
The modem includes support for speeds up to 1 Gbps and upload speeds of 225 Mbps. The XMM 7560 is also suitable for devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.
Intel LIQD Program
In addition to a new modem, Intel unveiled its LTE IoT Quick Deployment (LIQD) program. This program enables partners to tap into faster and more scalable IoT deployments and business results. The program is designed for LTE network operators to help their enterprise customers rapidly deploy IoT platforms, services and devices at scale.
This program, which Intel will demo at Mobile World Congress, will be available in the second half of 2017, according to an Intel representative.
Harman and VMware IoT Partnership
Harman and VMware at Mobile World Congress said they are striking up a partnership around IoT. Harman will integrate its software updates, sensors, gateways and analytics services into VMware's IoT offering to help companies deploy, secure and manage IoT infrastructure at "enterprise scale."
This new collaboration between Harman and VMware will help communications service providers add new offerings and expand revenue streams that will further enhance the IoT user experience and the delivery of innovative services, according to Harman.
Libelium Unveils IoT Offerings, New Partners
Libelium, an IoT sensor manufacturer, unveiled new Internet of Things offerings and introduced new certified cloud partners. The offerings are essentially kits that enable partners to better deploy IoT applications in vertical markets. These include a green cities solution kit, featuring a sound level sensor to regulate noise pollution levels in cities; as well as a smart parking Sigfox solution kit that has been tested with more than 70 nodes deployed.
Libelium also said three new cloud partners have joined its program, including Arrow, Labeeb IoT and Haibu.
HPE, Smartvue Pair Up For IoT Video Services
Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Smartvue said they are partnering to provide video services for HPE's Universal IoT Platform.
"HPE selected Smartvue to provide video services for the HPE Universal IoT Platform because of their experience, scalability and focus on security," said Nigel Upton, director and general manager of HPE's Universal IoT platform, in a statement. "Smartvue is a valuable IoT ecosystem partner that shares our goal of helping organizations gain business insights at the intelligent edge."
Smartvue offers an end-to-end Platform as a Service that supports connected devices requiring video capture, security, transport, cloud storage, management and analytics.
Davra Networks Launches ConnecThing.io Platform
Davra Networks launched an integrated IoT platform, ConnecThing.io, dedicated exclusively to its solution provider channel.
This platform, which Davra said has been in development for four years, is a complete IoT platform offering sensors and gateways, a complete AEP middleware platform with integrated vertical solutions, training and partner programs on one platform. Davra will promote its new platform for the channel in 2017.
’We are very excited about the ConnecThing.io launch, and initial feedback from our partners has been phenomenal. I am also delighted to announce that we have recently been promoted to Dell Associate Partner as recognition of our growing relationship with one of the most exciting hardware vendors in the IoT space today. This new positioning will allow us to offer even more compelling and broader solutions to our global channel," said Davra co-founder and COO Brian McGlynn.
Avnet Adds AT&T IoT Managed Services
Avnet said at Mobile World Congress that it will add AT&T's IoT managed services to its overall IoT offering. This enables Avnet to seamlessly integrate AT&T's cloud application development tools into its offerings. As part of the partnership, Avnet unveiled the Avnet Global LTE IoT Starter Kit, powered by AT&T, which is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2017 and offers a complete development track for sensor to cloud applications and services.
Avnet and AT&T had previously collaborated on IoT initiatives, including the cellular IoT starter kit and an LTE IoT add-on kit.
Sierra Wireless Launches 'Plug-And-Play' Cellular Modules
Sierra Wireless introduced new "plug-and-play" cellular modules and routers with pre-integrated global connectivity, operation management and security capabilities at Mobile World Congress.
The company said its new technology will help reduce the time to launch IoT solutions, streamline operations and enable business model flexibility. The company's new technology will be available for "large-scale" deployments in the second half of 2017 in select embedded module and router products.