Under the ‘Thinx’ program, the Spanish telco plans to open IoT labs in Europe and Latin America
Spanish telecom operator Telefonica has launched what it calls “The Thinx,” an initiative to promote an open ecosystem for the development of internet of things (IoT) through experimentation with new IoT technologies like NB-IoT and LTE-M.
“The Thinx are open spaces that can be accessed by developers, partners or entrepreneurs. They cover the whole development process for IoT solutions, from the prototype to trials in a real setting,” the Spanish telco said in a statement. To this end, Telefonica said it will make an exact replica of the network available to users, together with the support they need to connect and integrate technologies in IoT solutions. Currently, Telefonica has The Thinx laboratories in Santiago de Chile, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. The telco said it plans to open additional laboratories in London, Berlin and Buenos Aires.
In addition, Telefonica has used different case studies to show that internet of things is already a reality, and that Telefonica IoT is an enabler for the digital transformation of its customers. Some of the solutions presented to this end are cases from Honda, Hertz and the Smart Meter Implementation Program (SMIP), the British Government’s program for the development of millions of smart meters in which Telefónica takes part since 2015.
The case of Honda Peru explains how after a drop in sales because of the theft of motorcycles, Telefonica developed an end-to-end solution that helped to increase sales once again.
For their part, Hertz Mexico digitalized their fleet, managing to improve the profitability of their vehicles thanks to an off-rental optimization, improvements in the return service for clients and greater control over the consumption of fuel.
Finally, Telefonica proposed a solution to the U.K. government through which all the information on the electrical consumption of more than 30 million homes will be obtained in real-time.
