Ericsson jumps on M2M bandwagon

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With all this talk of mobile internet being the best-thing-since-sliced-web, Ericsson has decided to throw its two cents into the ring with the proclamation that the internet had reached yet another milestone this week with the five billionth mobile subscription helped largely by emerging markets India and China.
According to Ericsson’s numbers, the mobile web gets about two million additions per day and counts more than 500 million 3G subscriptions.
In the year 2000, says Ericsson, only about 720 million people had mobile subscriptions, which is less than the amount of users China alone has today.
Mobile broadband subscriptions are growing at similar pace and are expected to amount to more than 3.4 billion by 2015 (from 360 million in 2009), according to Ericsson. Keeping with the results of a similar study out this week from Pew, Ericsson also mentions that soon 80% of all people accessing the internet will be doing so using their mobile device.
“For some it’s a question of convenience, for others a necessity,” noted Ericsson, referring to the digital divide created between those who can afford laptops and personal computers, whilst others can only afford a mobile phone.
“Mobile subscriptions allow people who don’t have access to a bank or a bank account to transfer money; fishermen and farmers can get quick updates on sudden changes in the weather forecast, villagers to get local medical care, and children to access online education. It facilitates daily operations of small businesses and drives economic growth,” explains Ericsson.
The firm also mentioned the recent explosive growth in M2M technology, highlighting the fact that in more mature markets, connected devices rather than people, are beginning to drive the increase in network traffic. Indeed, according to Ericsson’s vision, the world will reach 50 billion connections within this decade, an impressive, if sci-fi like feat.
Ericsson believes the world is on the precipice of great mobile change, pushing itself in a very web-connected direction, giving as an example the fact data traffic carried over mobile networks has already exceeded that of traffic generated from voice calls.
The firm is also taking M2M very seriously indeed, banking on the fact it will be a key component in the future growth of the mobile industry.
“For energy companies it could be smart meters that read themselves, increase business efficiency and cut operational expenses. In transportation – tracking solutions improve route optimization and safety for vehicles on the road. Digital signs that can be updated remotely, cameras that can send pictures halfway around the world and even a soda machine that requests restocking when needed,” says the firm.
Talk about rise of the machines. Sheesh.