The IoT agreement targets verticals including transportation, oil and gas, maritime, mining and government
Global provider of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions Orbcomm has signed a strategic distribution agreement with machinestalk, a provider of IoT solutions based in Saudi Arabia, to provide Orbcomm’s portfolio in Saudi Arabia and other key markets in the Middle East.
The agreement stipulates the distribution of Orbcomm’s global satellite, cellular and dual-mode network connectivity; hardware; web reporting applications; and software.
The deal also stipulates the combination of the firm’s portfolio of IoT products with machinestalk’s IoT and telematics platform to provide asset tracking, monitoring and control solutions.
The two firms said they will target core vertical markets including transportation and distribution, heavy equipment, industrial fixed assets, oil and gas, maritime, mining, and government.
The companies also highlighted that the combined offering will enable customers to increase visibility and security over their fixed and mobile assets and gain operational efficiencies, among other benefits.
“At machinestalk we believe that IoT is no longer an option for enterprises wishing to grow in their industry space or simply defend their market share. Therefore, companies must co-innovate to better serve their customers,” said Mohammad Alkhushail, Chairman of machinestalk.
Orbcomm currently has over 1.77 million subscribers with a diverse customer base including Caterpillar, Doosan Infracore America, Hitachi Construction Machinery, John Deere, Komatsu, Volvo Construction Equipment, C&S Wholesale, Canadian National Railways, CR England, Hub Group, KLLM Transport Services, Marten Transport, Swift Transportation, Target, Tropicana, Tyson Foods, Walmart and Werner Enterprises, among others.
Telefonica joins the 5G Automotive Association
In other IoT news, Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica has joined the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) in order to boost developments in the connected and autonomous car arena.
The association main activities include defining use cases, selecting technology, initiating standardization, addressing specific needs of vehicle-to-x in terms of connectivity and leading innovation and development projects.
“Telefónica expertise and background will greatly benefit the association in its mission to define truly global, end-to-end connected mobility solutions,” Dino Flore, General Director of the 5GAA, said.
The Spanish telco has been working in the connected car space for several years now and has communications and IoT solutions deployed in a large number of vehicles in several countries around the globe.
Telefonica has presence in 21 countries and 347 million accesses around the world. The operator has a strong presence in Spain, Europe and Latin America.
