Machine to Machine (M2M) Wireless Communications

All of us need wireless communications to connect with fellow humans or with the Internet. Yes, the machines talk to each other but usually a human is involved on least one side of the machine. The concept of M2M extends that idea through which the devices directly connect with each other with or without human intervention. It is not necessary that an individual initiates such a communication. To make this sound more convincing, here are a couple of examples. Smoke alarms are a common feature of every house in US. Their function is to make a loud unpleasant noise on detecting smoke. What if the smoke alarm can also send a text message or make an emergency call to the owner’s smartphone or to the nearest fire station? Think about a coffee machine which can be controlled remotely from a tablet or phone to brew coffee and notify the owner when the coffee is done. Sounds cool but somewhat unnecessary, correct? We will get to the negative implications of M2M in the later part of this article, but first let us see its positive aspects and related industry developments.

Machine to machine systems consist of intelligent, cognitive and semi-robotic devices that understand and perform their tasks with high efficiency. Once programmed, they do not depend on a human being to set the communication in motion. Such systems use sensors and transceivers to generate data from a device. The data is then transmitted across a communication network to another machine where employed personnel analyze the data. Now let us be clear that M2M networks are nothing new. They have been working in different forms around us for years. Apart from those quoted above, here are a few more M2M network examples which have been either deployed recently or could see the light of day in the near term –

• General Motors’ OnStar is an in-vehicle communication system which provides infotainment, safety and diagnostics services to the occupants of the car. It features an Advanced Automatic Collision Notification that helps emergency response operations in a collision incident. OnStar makes it simpler to recover a stolen vehicle, helps in sending relevant information to insurance companies and regularly notifies owners of their vehicle’s diagnostics. All these services are optional and subscription based. AT&T recently announced that it would be providing all network services including LTE on OnStar equipped cars. Similar initiatives are gaining ground in Europe too.
• Car and truck fleet management systems provide the transport companies the ability to track their automobiles in real time. Ocado, an online grocery store in Britain is in business to deliver fresh refrigerated goods to their customers. A microchip transmitter inside their delivery trucks sends real time air temperature updates to the company’s headquarters thus preventing incidents of food spoilage.
• Smart electricity and utility meters have already been deployed in many countries. Apart from providing insights into power outages and demand spikes, they can assist the customer in regulating their power usage. Turning on a washing machine during off-peak hours and slowing down the air-conditioner when electricity gets expensive are some of the benefits of smart power monitoring.
• In the healthcare sector too, M2M is making inroads. A patient wearing a smart device can have his condition monitored in real-time by a remote hospital or a doctor. M2M equipped exercising equipment can directly send vital data about a person’s body to his healthcare provider.
• The concept of M2M is behind the development of many other customer centric applications. Consider these scenarios – a smart camera that suggests scenic surroundings, refrigerator which can connect to your phone or directly with the grocery store to send notification about low running groceries, trash can alert devices that contact the collector when full and a car sharing your driving habits with the insurance company.

The M2M phenomenon is essentially driving us towards a global network often referred to as Internet of Things. Such a network will not only bridge computers, phones and tablet, but it shall also connect household appliances and all sorts of automated machinery. M2M communications have generated much interest in the past year or so, given that the technology is reaching the threshold required to deploy these systems in a fast, economic and proficient manner. Another motivation behind the recent M2M push is the network operator’s desire to diversify into new fields of wireless communications. Although a huge population in the world still does not have a wireless connection, many markets are approaching a saturation level as far as the voice subscriptions are concerned. Data services have an immense potential for growth and will continue to attract new customers. But still, bigger players like Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Vodafone, Telefonica and Deutsche Telekom are looking for fresh sources of revenue. This is where M2M comes into play. Bundling machine to machine service along with mobile phone and wireless broadband services could open a new door for these providers. Multiple telecom and technology corporations have tied up to promote the machine to machine ecosystem. Ericsson and SAP have joined forces to develop and sell cloud based enterprise level M2M solutions. Vodafone has partnered with Accenture, SAP, Intel and Digi. Their M2M products focus on smart cities, energy, health and automotive sector and were demonstrated at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month. Eight major mobile operators namely Telefonica, SingTel, Rogers Communications, NTT DoCoMo, KPN, Telstra, Vimpelcom and Etilasat are part of an alliance to develop a single global M2M platform for multinational and multi-network businesses which enables management of connected devices in different countries. Jasper Wireless’ Control Center powers the M2M solutions of all these telecom providers. Verizon Wireless had been an early provider of M2M products ranging from the field of telematics and healthcare to mobile payment technology and connected cars. Not to be left behind, AT&T has developed M2M applications for enterprises. It has partnered with Cisco and Qualcomm to promote device platforms for that Internet of Things. Sprint Nextel too offers a wide range of M2M products in retail, smart grids, telematics, public safety, healthcare and insurance. Many other major telcos are involved in M2M in one way or the other. The diagram below represents different M2M networks in an area. Note how similarly colored lines connected to the tower depict a single M2M network.

The number predictions for globally connected machines are humungous. Ericsson forecasts that 50 billion intelligent devices will contest for bandwidth by 2020. That would be around 6 devices per person on the planet. Sweden based telecom analysis firm Berg Insight predicts 187 million M2M connections by 2014. Machina Research, a UK based M2M consulting organization believes that there will be 12.5 billion smart connected devices by 2020 excluding PCs, phones and tablets.

But what about the non-technical and social aspects of machines communicating with each other? Some have rightly called it creepy. Many would not want their household appliances to connect to the outside world. Why does the healthcare provider need to get regular updates about one’s exercising routine? Location tracking, which is an integral part of various M2M products, is not acceptable to most of us. Perhaps machines talking to each other would make us lazy and careless. If I cannot wait for a coffee after getting home or am reluctant to get up from the couch to make it and would rather order the same through my tablet, I surely need help. Already phones and online networking are affecting our social habits. M2M could lead to more disruption. On the other hand, M2M does have multiple cool applications as discussed above. It could lead to financial savings and more efficient lifestyles. Ultimately, it is the customers’ choice. He could opt to subscribe to only certain M2M services that he is comfortable with. Like all other industries, in this industry too, consumer would be the king and he will decide what he wants. But again technology has often created new markets rather than just filling up existing gaps.