AT&T introduces all-in-one IoT Starter Kit for developers

Dallas headquartered AT&T that provides mobile telephony, fixed telephony and broadband subscription television services has launched an all-in-one IoT (Internet of Things) starter Kit for developers who are willing to start IoT projects. Along with this AT&T is also planning to pilot CAT-M1 network technologies later this year, that will help businesses cut costs and boost device performance for IoT deployments. The company claims that developers will be able to quickly build their IoT solutions using AT&T IoT Platforms and Microsoft Azure cloud, analytics and visualization tools. According to AT&T, the Starter Kit contains all the elements to help developers take advantage of 4G LTE connectivity, enabling tech innovators to create IoT solutions quickly and efficiently. With a plug-and-play model, this kit will make it easy for the developers to commence their IoT projects without searching for multiple vendors to purchase technology, helping developers build projects from scratch. Chris Penrose, Senior Vice President, AT&T IoT Solutions, said:

Developers are the ones driving innovation in the IoT industry. Our new IoT Starter Kit creates a faster and easier way for them to create IoT solutions. We’re now offering a one-stop shop to help transform their ideas into impactful IoT services.

The AT&T IoT Starter Kit comprises of:

• An AT&T Global SIM that works in 200+ countries and territories.
• An LTE modem that runs on the AT&T LTE network.
• Access to AT&T Control Center, an industry-leading IoT connectivity management platform.
• An expandable development board that works with a wide range of plug-in sensors.
• An API to monitor the network connection and data transfer.
• REST APIs, including easy-to-follow documentation and the ability to quickly test APIs without any coding.
• Cloud storage to host, manage and share data across multiple groups.
• Access to AT&T Flow Designer which helps developers launch IoT apps in minutes.
• Microcontroller carrier board with Arduino compatible expansion slot

Mike Reich, CEO of Sensamo, IoT Development Company and AT&T customer said, “One of the biggest barriers getting started with IoT is choosing from rapidly changing hardware and software. Because the Starter Kit provides the leading IoT technology and ‘just works’, we can focus our development time on what makes our product unique. What used to take days can now be done in hours.” The company states that it is working with Avent and Cisco to produce the starter kit. The developers will have an entrée to AT&T Control Center which will help them to grow in theIoT market across industries. AT&T is claiming to offer third-party IoT solutions along with the starter kit, that includes versions made specifically for developers using IBM Watson IoT and the Microsoft Azure IoT Suite which also integrate with the Cisco IoT service platform. Martyn Etherington, Head of IoT Cloud Marketing at Cisco said:

The Internet of Things is not about ‘things’ – it’s about service. IoT developers play a critical role in the development of applications that deliver new, valuable services through connected devices. With this all-in-one Starter Kit, we’re helping to accelerate IoT success for developers looking to build or enable connected service businesses.