Vodafone M2M Is Now Vodafone Internet of Things

Quite recently, there’s been a proliferation of connected devices. From coffee-makers that send text messages to $35 computers which are supposed to increase device-to-device connectivity, the world now is more connected. This whole system of devices that communicate to each other is what has been described as the Internet of Things.

Vodafone has always had Machine 2 Machine(M2M) solutions for businesses. M2M is now Vodafone Internet of Things, and they already have experiments running in the wild, around agriculture, health, transport, logistics, banking and utilities. This was announced at a workshop in Accra. The workshop brought together stakeholders in tech who were made aware of some of Vodafone’s pioneering actions in the Internet of Things space.

Internet of Things Technology is considered the new (maybe, not so new) frontier of technology across the world. Vodafone Internet of Things envisages a world where machines and humans co-exist to ensure efficiency and great returns.

At the workshop in Accra, the team did a pretty good job depicting the “IoT chain” and where every stakeholder fits in, more importantly where they fit in. For IOT, Vodafone provides:

• custom SIM cards for sensors (they have both physical and financial properties that qualify them for the job)
• a support system for IoT entrepreneurs, from getting you the sensors, partnerships you need, bearing some of the cost, and of course, sharing your profit.

“It’s not just about tech, it’s not just about connecting machines. it’s about connecting people and making sure that we embed connectivity in everything we do. It’s really about launching into the gigabit society where everything is digital.” — Angela Mensah-Poku (Head of Vodafone Business Solutions)

A quick look around will show that this is not a move by just Vodafone Ghana. Globally, the leading telecom brand has been pushing for Internet of Things. Come to think of it, the more devices are connected, the more lives are made easier, and the more data is consumed.

Though it’s possible to reduce the intent to just that, having a telco lead these kind of discussions is helpful for the community. Maybe Vodafone and WAZIUP can work together to make Ghana more Internet-of-things-friendly.

As developers, the general drive of the industry towards hardware with very specific yet useful solutions opens up a new wave of opportunities to build solutions for everyday life. Programming heat sensors, home cooling systems, and even lights may sound trivial but that also makes cases for building rain sensors for farms, electricity sensors for homes, etc. Think of this, and the possibilities are endless.

Hopefully, there will be a lot more innovations from Ghanaian developers in the IOT space.

Originally published at gharage.