CV_MayJune_2018

Channel Vision | May - June, 2018 10 The IoT for Partners portal (www. IoTforPartners.com) helps agents and channel sales professionals learn more about integrated IoT solutions. The IoT Channel Accelerator screens technol- ogy offerings, educates suppliers to make their services channel ready and provides master agents and their sales partners with the ability to sell IoT ser- vices under Channel Accelerator pro- vider agreements. “The Technology Solutions Xchange is one of the most progressive master agent groups in the industry,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Convey Ser- vices, which provided the platform for the Accelerator. “The internet of things is the next big revenue opportunity in the telecom/cloud channel. TSX rec- ognizes the opportunity for partners to generate more revenue from connect- ed devices that reduce cost, improve operational efficiency and create a bet- ter customer experience.” The partnership between Con- vey’s IoT Channel Accelerator and the Technology Solutions Xchange helps educate sales partners on the IoT marketplace, as well as the top vertical markets where IoT ap- plications are being sold. It offers integrated end-to-end solutions for partners to sell to their existing cus- tomers and prospects. TSX agents have access to the IoT for Partners portal to view specially-developed content, informational webinars and gain direct access to IoT providers. Email marketing campaigns also will be generated for TSX sales partners using Convey’s new Conduct email campaign management technology, launched in April. “We see the internet of things as a multi-billion-dollar market that isn’t being addressed by our sales part- ners,” said Bill Patchett, co-president of TSX and president of P2 telecom. “Every agent connected to a TSX master agent has customers or pros- pects that are candidates for applica- tions such as LED lighting manage- ment, fleet tracking and employee safety solutions.” Into the Emergent Future There is also a blending of emerg- ing technology areas, including ar- tificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, digital transformation and 5G – with IoT linking them all together. At Mobile World Congress in Feb- ruary, the GSMA made IoT and what some call the “fourth Industrial Revolu- tion” a key focus, and with good rea- son: The twin development of 5G and low-power wide-area networking (LP- WAN) for industrial networks (a.k.a., NB-IoT/LTE-M) will enable new busi- ness models and deployments for con- nected things in 2018 and beyond. “This year, early deployments [of LPWAN technologies such as NB- IoT and LTE-M] should bring a dose of commercial reality to demonstra- tions,” said CCS Insight analyst Kes- ter Mann. “But with connectivity still representing only a minority of the total value of an IoT project, it’s time that debate focused on how operators can better monetize their investment.” Data aggregation, analytics and ma- chine learning present fresh opportu- nities – and channel partners have a place to play here. “The telecom/cloud channel has evolved from providing connectivity, hosted solutions and cloud-based phone systems to being a conduit for delivering next-generation solutions into a marketplace that is constantly innovating,” said Jack Knocke of the IoT Advisor group. On the 5G side, the ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine-type com- munications (mMTC) use cases will bring about new service capabilities for industrial stakeholders thanks to the enablement of unprecedented on- demand performance and real-time reactivity. Smart-city applications could abound, with energy and water utilities connecting to millions of networked devices, using edge computing en- vironments to enable analytics and autonomous decisioning in real time. Sensors embedded in roads, railways, airfields and vehicles would allow them to communicate with each other through the 5G network and/or with smart vehicles. Vehicle-to-vehicle/vehi- cle-to-infrastructure (V2X) communica- tion will make roads safer and more environmentally friendly, while allowing buses and public transportation to run more efficiently. 5G also paves the way for human- IoT interaction in new ways. Users will experience smart cars that are capable of communicating with traffic lights; there will be devices focused on transmitting touch and texture to realize the tactile internet (which could have incredible applications in, say, healthcare). All of this has potentially im- mense repercussions for operators as well as society at large. “The big three will overlap and in- terlock: 5G, the IoT and artificial intel- ligence,” said Rob Gallagher, research practice director at Ovum. “5G will be fleshed out with demo smartphones, radio access and antenna innovation, and use cases for network slicing, en- terprises, and IoT. Progress with IoT won’t be limited to 5G; expect to see more announcements about LPWAN trials, deployments and commercial- ization strategies. AI will permeate everything from consumer and enter- prise IoT, to self-optimizing networks and support systems, smart devices and digital assistants, though not all demos will be genuinely intelligent – or useful.” o EMERGENT “Every agent connected to a TSX master agent has customers or prospects that are candidates for applications such as LED lighting management, fleet tracking and employee safety solutions,” said Bill Patchett, co-president of TSX and president of P2 telecom.