Verizon Business announced a potent combination of customer-facing network, hardware and intelligence offerings for Internet of Things (IoT) applications across industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, utilities, transportation, retail/supply chain, public safety and more.
Verizon-certified IoT devices can now access Verizon’s 5G Nationwide network through current compatible data plans, a new low-cost narrowband IoT module has achieved certification on Verizon’s network, and new Intelligence capabilities combining network and device analytics on a single dashboard are available for customer trials now, all via Verizon ThingSpace, the company’s IoT marketplace and management platform. IoT devices and plans compatible with 5G Ultra Wideband are expected by Q1 2022.
The ThingSpace Intelligence suite includes a bundle of existing IoT services, such as Intelligence Analytics Dashboard, SIM Secure, Device Diagnostics and Location Services, and new capabilities including the features listed below, which together allow customers to protect against, detect, and respond to device and connectivity issues and threats. These features are available for customer trial now, with commercial availability expected later this year:
Wireless Network Performance, an advanced analytics-as-a-service offering for coverage, outage, event, service notifications and performance metrics. For example, customers could view network status and service/maintenance tickets during powerful weather events such as hurricanes.
Anomaly Detection, a service that leverages machine learning to alert users to atypical device behavior (coming in Q4 2021). For example, customers could see that a device is using unusual amounts of data, an indication that it might be compromised.
Network-coordinated firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) management, a software management feature designed for 5G massive IoT devices that performs reachability checks when managing firmware upgrades, resulting in higher device compliance ratios. For example, users will know that firmware could not be upgraded in some devices because they might have been powered off or experiencing a similar interruption, allowing users to better coordinate and manage upgrades.
TJ Fox, SVP of Industrial IoT and Automotive, Verizon Business
But it’s not just the expanding breadth of offerings -- it’s the lowered costs, power-efficiency, and heightened accessibility. Broadband IoT on 5G Nationwide and new narrowband IoT hardware in the sub $4 range, with plans under $1, can help open up IoT for new customers, new use cases, and innovative developers.
Patrick Qian, the CEO of Quectel Wireless Solutions
The ability to supply Verizon customers with the module at a very cost-effective rate alongside connectivity plans from Verizon for $1 is transformative and will make a huge variety of IoT use cases possible for the first time. We’re proud to be playing our part, along with Verizon and Qualcomm Technologies, in helping IoT innovators build a smarter world.
