As the Internet of things (IOT) moves out of the "hype cycle", ZTE is cementing its position as one of the leaders turning its potential into reality - and preparing the groundwork for the development of IOT into the future.
ZTE South Africa is part of the ZTE Corporation - a global leader in the provision of telecommunications equipment and network solutions.
The growing commercialisation of the IOT was very evident at the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, earlier this year, says Julian Ramnarain, vice-managing director at ZTE South Africa, where the conference and exhibits all showed how companies are focusing on providing IOT solutions that bring together smart devices and data, and make sense of it.
"But, as the IOT becomes a commercial reality, it's very important that the leading technology companies look to the future of IOT - it will only develop its enormous potential if we begin putting the right technology, platforms and processes in place now," he says. "Significantly, at the Congress, ZTE and Intel signed a strategic co-operation agreement to establish jointly an innovation lab for research and development of future key IOT technologies, including experimental verification, evaluation and development of related technologies.
"Both companies have previously collaborated in other fields, such as IOT access technologies, open source collaboration and solution integration."
IDC forecasts that global spend on IOT will hit US$1.29 trillion by 2020. Coincidentally, that is the same time-frame in which 5G networks are expected to be commercially deployed.
"5G will be the key enabling technology platform in mainstreaming IOT because it will be what facilitates communication between smart devices, and it will also enable the future development of IOT," says Ramnarain. "It is no coincidence that ZTE is already working hard on developing IOT solutions that will leverage tomorrow's 5G networks. To this end, ZTE has developed a smart IOT operating system that provides intelligent capabilities for IOT terminals and acts as an IOT management platform."
In the short to medium term, as an ICT enabler for the IOT industry, ZTE is building solutions that use narrow band IOT (NB-IOT), LTE and various modules for smart devices and software to accelerate the development of sensor technologies. It has also formulated end-to-end security solutions to enable customers to plan, construct and operate solutions simultaneously. The company hopes to co-operate with partners to provide an overall solution for governments and enterprise customers.
Moving forward, ZTE's IOT strategy will focus on four key areas, says Ramnarain: smart cities, smart homes, the industrial IOT and connected vehicles.
ZTE has already deployed IOT solutions to help more than 140 cities in 40 countries manage traffic, conserve energy and monitor the environment. Examples include 20 000 smart street lamps in Paris, smart solutions to help motorists find parking quickly, and better management of power distribution within city buildings.
Smart home solutions account for about 30% of IOT applications and requirements, and ZTE has already developed a future-oriented control centre, ZTE Alighting, to help homeowners control interconnected smart home appliances from anywhere in the world with just a smartphone. Security monitoring via smart cameras will also drive the adoption of IOT in the smart home.
Connected vehicles are already established as one of the primary uses of IOT. ZTE has worked with Chinese car maker, Geely, to make safer and better-maintained vehicles for both private and commercial use. Connected cars can also help keep drivers updated with pertinent weather and traffic information, and are already being used by insurers to incentivise safer driving habits, to manage fleets more effectively and to streamline logistics across the supply chain.
"IOT is still in its very early stages and not many areas are profitable yet, but already ZTE is helping clients to see the potential, and providing end-to-end solutions," says Ramnarain. "More important still, we are already working hard with partners like Intel to lay down the platform on which the IOT can develop into the future."
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