IoT driving innovation: How wearables are changing the world of business
The Internet of Things (IoT) has become one of the biggest innovation drivers for tomorrow’s business. It is decisively expanding the spectrum of connected devices, which will soon become an integral part of our day-to-day lives.
Posted on 09.08.16
In healthcare, for example, wearables and smartphones are already changing the delivery process, offering innovative solutions both in care delivery and diagnosis, as well as the possibility of saving significant expenditure. According to a current Gartner Inc. report, over 274 million wearable electronic devices will be sold worldwide in 2016 – an increase of 18% from the 232 million units in 2015 – and are set to be even higher in 2017. In parallel, SIM card shipments will increase from 5.4 billion units in 2015 to 5.6 billion units by 2020, according to Don Tait, senior analyst from IHS Technology. The leading global industry analyst sees an “interesting move toward wearable devices as companions to smartphones and other mobile devices, such as smartwatches, health bands, glasses and smart clothes, which present a growth area for smart-card suppliers and mobile network operators.”
The rising number of such connected devices in the market delivers new opportunites for SIM deployments in both traditional pluggable and new embedded form factors. Companion devices can have an additional SIM card inserted or an embedded SIM (eSIM) and are expected to drive growth in the SIM card market from 2015 to 2020, according to the IHS Digital Security Intelligence Service.
On the road to IoT commercial success, two key aspects have to be considered: interoperability and security. Yves Portalier, Vice President and General Manager Telecom at Safran Identity & Security, explains the main steps to achieve this: “The first step is to create common standards for eSIMs and remote SIM provisioning of M2M and consumer-connected devices, and the work by the GSMA has been crucial.” At the same time, commercial solutions implementing interoperability and security specifications will need to be interconnected. For this reason, Safran is working with many customers and solutions providers around the world, and has started testing the interoperability of its IoT solutions with competitors.
To achieve commercial success with IoT, close partnerships and cooperation with other industry players are needed to address new and fast developing opportunities. Safran’s remote SIM provisioning solution, MorphoFlex, creates a secure bridge and manages connectivity and subscriptions for the world of connected objects. When used in combination with eSIMs, MorphoFlex delivers a revolutionary new commercial mass market capability to enable the remote provisioning and change of localized cellular connectivity for globally deployed devices.
To discover more about MorphoFlex™, Safran’s remote SIM provisioning solution for connected objects, click here, or to ask a question or request further details please email us.
