By Anton Le Saux, Head of Connectivity and Partner Sales at O2 Telefónica UK: During the last two years our active SIM base has grown by over 80 per cent and revenue has increased by over 50 per cent, but this represents only two of our 17 years of experience in the M2M sector.
Recent growth has been driven by this technology becoming recognised, trusted and more accessible to small businesses, and this is likely to be the area that sees significant growth. A few years ago M2M solutions were only considered viable by enterprise businesses, whereas now the SME sector is one of the fastest growing group of adopters.
Looking elsewhere, growth is mostly within businesses looking to optimise their operations. M2M solutions can assist companies when it comes to getting better control and visibility of their connected assets. This facilitates a reduction in operating costs and brings added value through the insight that allows them to do business differently. Even small businesses can achieve true transformation through digital technologies.
We predict that the next wave of growth will be triggered as businesses begin developing end user products to bring smart or connected solutions to consumers. These sorts of innovations will raise competitive advantage and vastly increase audience engagement.
We'll see exponential growth and we need to be prepared. Our focus will be on strengthening our partner relationships, ensuring they are reliable, tested, and trusted, so that our service will not falter. This is when our Global Partner Programme will come into its own as a platform that allows the M2M market to expand into adjacent markets via structured processes and with the support of like-minded experts.