Ericsson, the world-wide leader in the rapidly changing environment of communications technology, is focusing on Internet of Things (IoT) and working to provide products and services that cover this exciting new world of connected things. Ericsson’s Cloud IoT Device Connection Platform (DCP) is it’s core IoT product that is complemented with simplified connectivity capabilities from Ericsson’s partners, interconnecting different operators.
Ericsson forecasts 16 billion IoT connected devices by 2021. This a massive market, and Ericsson’s efforts are targeting device management (see DCP product) and communication (see Telia partnership).
The Device Connection Platform (DCP) was launched as early as 2008 for the then called M2M market. Ericsson reports that DCP is used by more than 24 operators and supports 1,700 industry customers.
As with most Ericsson products, DCP was (and still is) developed to adhere to standards. Ericsson works together with the Bridge Alliance and the Global M2M Association to realize it’s vision for M2M and IoT applications:
- Seamless customer experience with worldwide coverage
- Superior quality of service .
The worldwide coverage is indeed very important for a global player like Ericsson. Ericsson targets industry market leaders that frequently have a worldwide presence and would greatly benefit from a solution that can be applied world-wide without need for customization and integration for each country.
Cloud IoT Device Connection Platform Capabilities
The Ericsson Device Connection Platform (DCP) is built from the ground up to handle IoT.
A key competitive point of Ericsson’s Cloud IoT Device Connection Platform is that it has its own built in mobile core network, instead of relying on the mobile core network of each operator.
This creates new possibilities and a more efficient workflow than the traditional set up. The key point is that this own mobile core network allows customers to have a single integration to provide IoT applications around the world, and unifies every single processes related to connectivity.
DCP Functions & Features
DCP is a cloud-based IoT platform that offers enterprises:
- IoT connectivity management,
- real time SIMs managed
- subscription management,
- network connectivity administration and
- flexible billing services.
DCP implements self-service capabilities through a graphical user portal as well as business process automation using software APIs and configurable, automatic business logic based on triggers and actions, a necessity for managing the large volumes of devices in IoT.
DCP Business model
Enterprises are able to deploy, manage and scale IoT connected devices and applications globally, while improving operational efficiency and reducing costs.
DCP is offered as a service, running on its own mobile core network. This minimizes resources to maintain the service as it is separated from existing core network operations.
The platform is offered as a revenue share model.
Ericsson Strategic IoT Partners
Telia Carrier (June 2016)
The agreement signed in 2016 between Ericsson and Telia Carrier is about providing backhaul and interconnect solutions to Ericsson’s Device Connection Platform (DCP) via Telia’s dedicated Internet of Things (IoT) Carrier backbone.
With this agreement, Ericsson will provide a device connection service for quicker deployments. Ericsson IoT customers will be connected directly to it’s Device Connection Platform nodes in Stockholm and Amsterdam through secure, scalable and end-to-end (E2E) supported connectivity across Telia Carrier services.
By reusing the already existing connection Device Connection Platform has with Telia Carrier in Stockholm and Amsterdam, Device Connection Platform customers can now have access to the
Telia has 220 Points of Presence (PoP) worldwide. By connecting to one of these PoPs, Ericsson’s DCP customers shorten the lead time and number of connectivity providers to reach the platform services.
This is a pre-integrated, scalable & secure backbone solution for DCP that is fully aligned to provide the SLAs demanded by business-critical IoT applications.
KDDI (June 2016)
Ericsson announced a strategic partnership with KDDI in June 2016. This partnership came days after announcing a successful joint verification of cellular low power wide area (LPWA) technologies, specifically Cat-M1 and narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT).
Ericsson’s LTE base stations, including those in KDDI’s network, can support cellular LPWA through Ericsson’s new software product, Massive IoT RAN.
The agreement allows KDDI to deploy Ericsson Device Connection Platform (DCP). The partnership will provide enhanced connectivity services to KDDI’s enterprise customers and support the deployment of IoT solutions on a global scale.
KDDI Corporation is a leading Japanese telecommunications and a Global Fortune 300 company. Serving 40 million domestic mobile subscribers, KDDI provides a diverse portfolio consisting of managed networks, data centers, cloud, security and system integration.
The two companies continue to study possible use cases enabled by LPWA technologies.
China Mobile (Dec 2016)
Ericsson and China Mobile signed a strategic agreement to cooperate on the Internet of Things at the China Mobile Global Partner Conference in Guangzhou, China, on December 20, 2016.
The two companies aim to start in-depth cooperation to manage connections efficiently, provide a consistent service to global enterprise customers and to explore new Internet of Things markets.
China Mobile will use the Ericsson Device Connectivity Platform (DCP) to streamline the process for provisioning, as well as deploy services to capitalize on new business opportunities.
With the Ericsson platform, China Mobile will be able to integrate resources of roaming partners and offer global enterprise customers reliable connectivity based on service level agreements. Other benefits include a common and unified approach to customer portals and selection of access network.
China Mobile expects to have 200 million IoT connections by 2017.
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