U.S. Wireless carrier Verizon and chip maker Qualcomm on Tuesday announced a new Internet of Things (IoT) partnership that will see Verizon’s IoT developer platform integrated into Qualcomm’s Category M chipsets.
Verizon said Tuesday it will pre-integrate its ThingSpace IoT platform as-a-service in Qualcomm’s MDM9206 Cat M1 LTE modem. The carrier said this integration will help make IoT deployments on LTE faster by making it easier for developers to build and manage applications.
“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, deliver better healthcare, conserve water and make the digital world work better for consumers and citizens,” Verizon’s Senior Vice President of Enterprise Products and IoT Mike Lanman said. “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.”
Verizon said it expects its ThingSpace IoT platform will be available for OEM integration on MDM9206-based solutions in early 2017.
Verizon on Tuesday also announced it is working to bring more IoT solutions to market for electric, water and gas companies and cooperatives. Those solutions will also utilize Qualcomm chips.
Verizon said its Category M1 solution for water and gas companies will be commercially available in early 2017.
The move comes as Verizon looks to grow its IoT business.
In the second quarter, Verizon boosted its IoT revenue 25 percent year over year to hit $205 million.
Following the close of the quarter, the carrier announced its purchase of Fleetmatics, a software-as-a-service fleet management company to further boost its IoT portfolio.
Last week, Verizon said it is working toward an end-of-year deployment of Category-M1 technology.
The carrier said its new Cat-M1 ecosystem will help reduce the cost of IoT deployments, which in turn will help innovators, developers and business scale from millions to billions of connected devices.
