Swisscom lets things communicate

Swisscom is to bundle its future M2M activities in a specific department.

Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication is growing rapidly. It is estimated that there will soon be more machines communicating directly with each other than there are mobile phone users. Swisscom wants to drive communication between devices even more strongly, and to this end it is establishing a separate M2M department.

In the last quarter of 2011 alone, Swisscom recorded an increase of roughly 10% in demand for M2M communication. Swisscom estimates that over the long term more than 100 million machines will be connected with each other via the mobile network in Switzerland. This “Internet of Things” will help to simplify processes, reduce costs and make more sustainable use of scarce resources. Municipal power companies can already read electricity meters remotely over the mobile network rather than having to send field staff to customer premises. Navigation devices receive current information about traffic jams, calculated from anonymous movement data from mobile customers. And in the near future, cars will warn each other about danger areas, coffee machines will automatically re-order their own beans, and medical devices will transfer patients’ blood pressure readings online.

Swisscom is driving the Internet of Things

To drive the M2M market even more strongly going forward, Swisscom is to bundle its future activities in a department created specifically for this purpose.

In Gerhard Schedler we have been able to attract an experienced businessman to head up the new business area,” said Urs Schaeppi, Head of Swisscom Corporate Business.

In recent years he has had great success in building up a company that provides solutions for communication between things.

The new department will accompany customers at every stage, from the initial project idea through to implementation and eventual operation. As well as providing complete business solutions for corporate customers, Swisscom will also actively support international M2M solution partners in the marketing and operation of their products and services.

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