Service Delivery Platforms: The Next Wave In M2M Network Management
Compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) in excess of 25% mean that in 2013 there will be more than 180 million cellular M2M connections active worldwide.
That figure, from the latest ABI Research M2M forecasts, has a wider implication for the evolution of the M2M market: the rapid growth is spurring adoption of M2M service delivery platforms (SDPs). Fundamentally, M2M SDPs enable the management of cellular connections to remote devices and machines in the field. At heart, they are provisioning, management, and billing platforms for connected devices.
A small flurry of M2M service delivery platform (SDP) partnership and deployment announcements have been made over the past few months. Telstra (the incumbent mobile operator in Australia) announced its adoption of the Jasper Wireless Control Center SDP. Canadian mobile operator TELUS announced its adoption of Sierra Wireless' AirVantage SDP. And in the US, Sprint has announced deployment of its own "homemade" SDP.
The last announcement is particularly noteworthy, says ABI practice director Sam Lucero. "Over the past decade the key providers of SDP functionality have been M2M-specialized MVNOs and alternative (non-carrier) connectivity service providers. But as mobile operators have become much more directly and prominently involved in the M2M market in the last two years, many have introduced their own SDPs, either "home-grown" or sourced from third parties such as ASPIDER Solutions, Jasper Wireless, nPhase, Sierra Wireless, and SmartTrust."
ABI Research believes that mobile operators not already in the M2M market by now will largely opt for third-party platforms, to save the time and development costs needed to develop an SDP in-house.
Discussion of these and many other topics may be found in ABI Research's "M2M Market Data" which tracks the M2M market on the basis of wireless WAN embedded modules and product revenue, as well as wireless WAN active connections and service revenue. Shipments, active connections, and revenue are segmented on the basis of region, application, and air interface standard. Furthermore, M2M embedded module vendor annual market share, for the calendar year prior to that in which the Forecast Database is published, is provided on a total unit shipment basis.
This database is part of the firm's M2M Research Service which also offers Research Reports, Research Briefs, ABI Insights, and analyst inquiry support.
About ABI Research
ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research's worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 30+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information, visit www.abiresearch.com.
SOURCE: ABI Research