BT, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica launch new IoT initiatives

The Internet of Things (IoT) has not delivered the revenue growth that the telco industry hoped for ten or fifteen years ago, particularly in the consumer market. Nonetheless, there have been successes and communications service providers (CSPs) are continuing to develop and explore B2B sector-specific opportunities in the field, with BT and Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica Tech among those announcing new initiatives.

BT, for example, is collaborating on an Innovate UK-funded ‘Robot Highways’ project. Together with partners, BT is demonstrating how a fleet of robots, powered by renewable energy sources can help farmers growing soft fruit with tasks such as picking and packing fresh produce.

Deutsche Telekom has partnered with the software company Syfit to provide an IoT application to PERI, an international manufacturer of formwork for the construction industry. Formwork serves as a surround for poured concrete that will form the wall of a building. PERI, which sells and rents formwork, will use the IoT system to capture data on construction sites so that it can automate and simplify its inventory and warehouse management.

Telefónica Tech meanwhile is partnering with Livall, which makes smart helmets for cyclists, to provide IoT-connected helmets. The smart helmets will be available globally and will have the ability to capture information that will be managed and analyzed on Telefónica Tech's Kite platform. Uses for the data include accident-reporting, and exchanging information with other vehicles and systems, including cars, traffic lights, radar, safety and traffic monitoring systems.

A survey for our recent ‘Telco revenue growth: taking it to the next level’ showed that CSPs are optimistic about monetizing services in future: Almost half of respondents said IoT offers a significant revenue opportunity while a further 40% said it provided moderate opportunities for growth.

Their optimism is not unfounded. Berg Insight forecasts there will be 4.3 billion IoT devices connected to cellular networks worldwide by 2026 and cellular IoT subscribers globally increased by 22% during 2021 to reach 2.1 billion. However, 1.4 billion of the current connections are in China, according to the analyst company. Vodafone leads the way in the rest of the world with 142 million connections, followed by AT&T with 95 million and Deutsche Telekom and Verizon with between 45 and 55 million connections each.

Read our report ‘Telco revenue growth: taking it to the next level’ to find out more about how IoT and other services are feeding into telco revenue growth.