AT&T Inc (NYSE:T) and International Business Machines Corp (NYSE:IBM) signed a global partnership agreement to develop solutions that will support the “Internet of Things.”
Both companies agreed to combine their analytics platforms, cloud, and security technologies while considering privacy to gain more insights on data obtained from machines in various industries.
IBM and AT&T’s initial targets
The partnership between AT&T Inc (NYSE:T) and International Business Machines Corp (NYSE:IBM) will initially concentrate in creating new solutions for city governments and midsize utilities. The partners noted that such organizations aim to integrate and analyze huge quantities of data from assets including mass transit vehicles, utility meters, and video cameras.
According to AT&T and IBM, cities will probably be able to better evaluate patterns and trends to improve urban planning while utilities might be able to better manage equipment to reduce costs.
Helping businesses reach the next level
In a statement, Chris Hill, senior vice president, Advanced Solutions at AT&T Inc (NYSE:T) said, “This collaboration of two world-class companies will help deliver a more connected planet. We share a vision that the ‘Internet of Things’ will help companies in a variety of industries rely on their remote assets and connected devices to take their business to the next level.”
On the other hand, Rick Qualman, vice president, Strategy & Business Development, Telecom Industry at International Business Machines Corp (NYSE:IBM) said, “Smarter cities, cars, homes, machines and consumer devices will drive the growth of the Internet of Things along with the infrastructure that goes with them, unleashing a wave of new possibilities for data gathering, predictive analytics, and automation.”
Qualman added that IBM’s partnership with AT&T will offer insights from crowdsourcing, mobile applications, sensors and analytics on the cloud, and it will allow all organizations to better listen, respond and predict.”
Under the partnership, AT&T Inc (NYSE:T) will bring its M2M globally accessible network, devices, and Global Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) to help connect assets worldwide to a single global network.
On the other hand, International Business Machines Corp (NYSE:IBM) will bring its Intelligent Operations Center, Maximo Asset Management, advanced analytics capabilities, and IBM MessageSight MQTT Appliance, which complements the IBM MobileFirst family of solutions.
The two companies will collaborate in building solutions at the AT&T M2M Foundry in Plano, Texas and IBM Global Solution Centers worldwide.
IDC estimated that installations based on the Internet of Things will increase to approximately 212 billion devices including 30 billion connected devices by 2020.
