Verizon, Qualcomm extend partnership to aid IoT deployments

Broadband and telecommunications firm, Verizon has entered into an agreement with digital wireless telecommunications product company Qualcomm. The collaboration between both will see Verizon pre-integrate its ThingSpace IoT platform as-a-service (PaaS) within Qualcomm Technologies’ MDM9206 Category M (Cat M1) LTE modem. It is also said, the initiative will utilize Verizon’s 4G LTE network as the gateway for simplifying the process of building, deploying and managing IoT applications customized for a wide-range of use cases.

What is ThingSpace?

ThingSpace, the web-based platform was in fact developed to fuel IoT development, according to Verizon. Posing as a path to to a simplified IoT workspace for prototype through production, ThingSpace offers a consolidated portal with an access to application enablement platforms (AEPs), RESTful application programming interfaces (APIs), an API simulator, developer kits and further documentation to help build and test new IoT solutions.

How will it help businesses?

It will enable businesses to speed up connectivity to the cloud using ThingSpace, Verizon’s global IoT platform which allows developers to build and manage applications. And the availability of ThingSpace within low power LTE modems offered by Qualcomm Technologies. The joint effort aims at doubling down IoT and address challenges related to IoT deployments including firmware management, real-time device diagnostics, device on-boarding and data access. The synergy also hopes to bring business intelligent apps to the forefront such as device security and sensor data visualization. Mike Lanman, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Products and IoT, Verizon said, “When it comes to the Internet of Things, no single company can go at it alone in order to scale from the millions of devices to the billions of devices needed to create cleaner cities and make the digital world work better for consumers and citizens. Simplicity is a necessary starting point and working across the ecosystem – at the network, platform and application levels – is also needed in order to capture the real market opportunity of the Internet of Things.”

“That’s why solidifying our long-standing relationship with Qualcomm Technologies in this manner to give developers worldwide the tools they need to innovate seamlessly, securely and in a cost-effective structure on 4G LTE combined with our ThingSpace platform, built by Verizon Labs, is an exciting milestone for the industry,” Lanmann added.

This relationship Lanmann talks about has withstood years. One such commitment took place in 2009, where Verizon and Qualcomm paired to offer machine-to-machine (M2M) wireless communications and smart services offerings across a wide variety of market segments, including healthcare and manufacturing. Raj Talluri, Senior Vice President, Product Management, Qualcomm believes Wireless technologies, including LTE and 5G are rapidly evolving to deliver a scalable and unified connectivity platform for IoT. Talking business, he also stated:

Our LTE modems bring not only connectivity but also compute capabilities to all kinds of IoT devices, helping leading operators such as Verizon extend their business models into promising new areas including smart energy and metering, building security, infrastructure, industrial control and automation, retail point of sale and asset tracking.