American multinational telecommunication company AT&T is helping businesses connect their assets all over the world to better manage their Internet-of-Things deployments through its new satellite connectivity services. The companies are able to track assets even in areas where the cellular reception is limited or even unavailable.
The company has tied up with Globecomm, a leading global solutions integrator and data management company, to launch a new service that allows satellite connectivity to work in conjunction with AT&T’s cellular network. This allows IoT devices to operate on cellular when a signal is available, and then automatically switch to satellite when cell service is unavailable. Hence, businesses will not have to buy cellular and satellite services separately and can use both to manage their IoT devices, networks and applications.
It is difficult for business and government clients to pull data from devices in remote areas with limited connectivity, for example a generator in a desert or oil pipelines in remote regions. With businesses and government clients’ assets spread across the globe, satellite connectivity and AT&T’s existing cellular services can help businesses have their most isolated assets working properly.
Mike Troiano, Vice President, AT&T IoT Solutions, says, “We’re offering a one-stop shop for IoT connectivity. Our customers now have a flexible, reliable and highly secure service to monitor their assets nearly anywhere. They don’t have to choose one connectivity solution over the other – they can have the full package.”
According to a Gartner forecast, 6.4 billion connected “things” will be in use in 2016, which is a 30 per cent growth from November 2015. Markets and Markets’ M2M Satellite Communication Market: Worldwide Market Forecast and Analysis 2014-19; those with satellite connectivity should grow 9.8 per cent year on year over the next four years.
“Businesses want more real-time visibility into their assets on a global scale,” “We’re working with AT&T to offer near-seamless connectivity over a single platform. We’re helping businesses collect and analyze critical information wherever their assets are – to generate operational improvements and hard ROI – on land or at sea,” says, Jon Kirchner, Senior Vice President, Products and Corporate Strategy, Globecomm.
