Orange, one of the largest operators in the world, together with another 5 major operators, were categorized as 'Leaders' in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Services. Gartner's Magic Quadrant reports are highly publicized and this is the first of its Quadrant report for the M2M segment. Other operators who made it to the 'Leader' quadrant are Telefonica, Vodafone, Verizon, AT&T and Deutsche Telekom.
Gartner's report evaluated 13 managed machine-to-machine (M2M) service providers, who together are responsible for 70 million cellular M2M connections worldwide. These connections represent a fraction of a bigger number of M2M devices or edge nodes which transmit and receive information on wireless connections including Wi-Fi. Gartner's report categorized the various 'roles' played by the Operators in providing M2M services. As for Orange, the operator's major strenght was noted especially in its fleet management services, which recently saw Orange making rapid entry into the Connected Car segment and forging partnerships with other service providers and building its M2M ecosystem.
According to Orange, Orange Business Services, the entity providing Orange's M2M offerings orchestrates, operates and optimizes complete M2M and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. Orange's services in this segment include consulting, the Intelligent Apps Enabler M2M platform, device management, global support and connectivity provided via cellular, fixed and satellite, along with alternative technologies, including Wi-Fi mesh and radio networks.
Gartner's assessment takes into account various factors including internal capability and expertise. According to Orange, Orange Business Services employs more than 500 M2M and IoT specialists around the world with dedicated expertise in innovation, integration and vertical markets, such as transport, smart cities and health, enabling it to produce market-leading solutions, such Fleet Performance, which is used in more than 60,000 vehicles to-date. To offer a complete perspective, Orange also combines M2M capabilities with customer experience and big data skills in its Orange Applications for Business (OAB) entity, added Orange.
Béatrice Felder, CEO, Orange Applications for Business
We see M2M and the Internet of Things as key drivers for digital transformation. The interactions between products and machines can increase enterprise efficiency and create new business opportunities. Orange Business Services helps global customers across a range of industries take advantage of M2M to create service differentiation, track assets and monitor operations.
