Life in the conditions of total network connection
It became known that one of Japan’s leading telecommunications holdings, SoftBank (the owner of SoftBank Mobile), acquired the British company ARM Holdings, specializing in the development of microprocessors, for £ 23.4 billion. The news was somewhat unexpected, especially given the fact that SoftBank’s area of interest mainly extends to the mobile communications market, and was covered mainly in terms of the implications for the British technology sector, especially against the background of voting results for the UK’s exit from the European Union, however there is a definite message for both mobile operators, and the Internet of Things (IoT), and even for the industrial Internet of things, which should be given special attention.
The Internet of Things is increasingly important for mobile operators
The acquisition of SoftBank demonstrates the growing interest of mobile operators in the Internet of things. We have already said that in the future we are waiting for billions of powerful network-connected devices , and in this regard it is not surprising that mobile network operators are striving to be at the very center of this growing ecosystem. Recall only last year the operator Vodafone joined forces with EMC and invested 2 million euros in the development of infrastructure for industrial IoT in Cork. Another operator, Verizon, clearly demonstrated its intentions when it acquired Telogis, a company specializing in the development of telematics equipment.
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There is no doubt that these acquisitions are not some separate experimental secondary projects, but important transactions that play a key role in the development strategy of telecommunications operators. By positioning themselves as major stakeholders, mobile network operators ultimately seek to provide intelligent network access for various consumer devices through a single core master account.
The impact of the Internet of Things is unlikely to be limited to a revolution in consumer technology alone. As Vodafone’s Internet Development Director for Northern Europe noted in his interview, we are witnessing the ongoing convergence of the world of consumer technology and the world of industrial technology - this is an important factor for mobile network operators, forcing them to become increasingly active in the Internet of things.
Perhaps the best example of this phenomenon is an intelligent car connected to the Internet. Imagine that you have acquired such a car. Of course, you expect to be able to listen to music stored on your phone, or control home smart devices right behind the wheel. This requires that automotive technology, developed, for example, BMW, Volkswagen or Ford, could interact with the "home" technologies from Apple, Google or Microsoft. It is at this intersection that all market participants want to be, in order to play an important role here and become a key element of the entire IoT ecosystem.
In this regard, SoftBank is no different from other players. Acquiring ARM, SoftBank first of all acquires a company that owns intellectual property for the production of processors, and such an acquisition is quite a deliberate step.
It is expected that by 2020 there will be about 20.6 billion intelligent Internet devices in the world. As our study of Connected Living 2025 shows, the generation of 2000th wants to see convenient and integrated services on their smartphones and wearable devices. Microprocessor development companies like ARM Holdings should carefully consider the development and production of network solutions demanded by users in our digital age. In the past year alone, about 15 billion chips have been released based on the ARM architecture; to assess the potential of the market, it should be noted that on the basis of these processors built about 95% of all modern smartphones. And, although ARM does not release chips, the company owns intellectual property on their design, which makes this investment even more valuable for SoftBank.
Anyway, the future for SoftBank and for ARM Holdings looks very optimistic. From a business standpoint, the combination of smartphones and billions of consumer and industrial Internet devices looks economically attractive, especially against the background of the active development of IoT. Of course, by entering into this agreement, SoftBank and ARM are building the basis for their future in terms of computing power and managing network connections. As partners, we at Gemalto wish them to achieve maximum success in their new status.
The Internet of Things is increasingly important for mobile operators
The acquisition of SoftBank demonstrates the growing interest of mobile operators in the Internet of things. We have already said that in the future we are waiting for billions of powerful network-connected devices , and in this regard it is not surprising that mobile network operators are striving to be at the very center of this growing ecosystem. Recall only last year the operator Vodafone joined forces with EMC and invested 2 million euros in the development of infrastructure for industrial IoT in Cork. Another operator, Verizon, clearly demonstrated its intentions when it acquired Telogis, a company specializing in the development of telematics equipment.
')
There is no doubt that these acquisitions are not some separate experimental secondary projects, but important transactions that play a key role in the development strategy of telecommunications operators. By positioning themselves as major stakeholders, mobile network operators ultimately seek to provide intelligent network access for various consumer devices through a single core master account.
Convergence
The impact of the Internet of Things is unlikely to be limited to a revolution in consumer technology alone. As Vodafone’s Internet Development Director for Northern Europe noted in his interview, we are witnessing the ongoing convergence of the world of consumer technology and the world of industrial technology - this is an important factor for mobile network operators, forcing them to become increasingly active in the Internet of things.
Perhaps the best example of this phenomenon is an intelligent car connected to the Internet. Imagine that you have acquired such a car. Of course, you expect to be able to listen to music stored on your phone, or control home smart devices right behind the wheel. This requires that automotive technology, developed, for example, BMW, Volkswagen or Ford, could interact with the "home" technologies from Apple, Google or Microsoft. It is at this intersection that all market participants want to be, in order to play an important role here and become a key element of the entire IoT ecosystem.
In this regard, SoftBank is no different from other players. Acquiring ARM, SoftBank first of all acquires a company that owns intellectual property for the production of processors, and such an acquisition is quite a deliberate step.
Powerful processors will be crucial
It is expected that by 2020 there will be about 20.6 billion intelligent Internet devices in the world. As our study of Connected Living 2025 shows, the generation of 2000th wants to see convenient and integrated services on their smartphones and wearable devices. Microprocessor development companies like ARM Holdings should carefully consider the development and production of network solutions demanded by users in our digital age. In the past year alone, about 15 billion chips have been released based on the ARM architecture; to assess the potential of the market, it should be noted that on the basis of these processors built about 95% of all modern smartphones. And, although ARM does not release chips, the company owns intellectual property on their design, which makes this investment even more valuable for SoftBank.
Anyway, the future for SoftBank and for ARM Holdings looks very optimistic. From a business standpoint, the combination of smartphones and billions of consumer and industrial Internet devices looks economically attractive, especially against the background of the active development of IoT. Of course, by entering into this agreement, SoftBank and ARM are building the basis for their future in terms of computing power and managing network connections. As partners, we at Gemalto wish them to achieve maximum success in their new status.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/309294/
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