Daily Buzz

As we prepare to make the leap into 2013, year-end wrap-ups and prognostications, predictably, are proliferating. Here are some thoughts on what the future holds for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication from Jürgen Hase, Vice President of M2M Competence Center at Deutsche Telekom and Chairman of the M2M Alliance. Healthcare will drive M2M in the United States, according to Hase, but automotive is in the driver's seat in Europe.

Healthcare will be a main driver of M2M in the United States, writes Hase. "Using M2M devices, a patient’s state of health can be monitored continuously. A computer checks readings such as blood pressure, pulse or blood sugar level and notifies a doctor or care workers in the event of an emergency. As US health insurance providers recognise the potential long term savings, they will subsidise a great number of M2M solutions in 2013," he predicts.

In Europe, automotive applications will spur M2M developments. Starting in 2015, all newly registered motor vehicles must be equipped with an eCall emergency call system, says Hase. This will lead automobile manufacturers to focus on integrating embedded SIMs to comply with this new EU regulation, he adds.

Other M2M trends that will flourish in 2013, according to Hase:

Middleware layers will speed up development and deployment. Placed on top of existing layers such as connectivity and device management, they will provide support for common tasks in all industries – for instance, in setting up heterogenous sensor networks for industrial monitoring.

M2M is about to enter the next evolutionary stage from simply collecting data to analysing it. Today, it is already possible to detect attrition in production facilities by analysing data in real time. Combined with machine learning algorithms, such applications will recognise more and more patterns and allow completely new insights in our businesses.

M2M is not a local-based business. In 2013, we will witness a number of strategic alliances, which will shape the future of the M2M market and provide seamless service in all countries.