T-Mobile and Wyless team to target 4% of the M2M marketplace by 2009T-Mobile, one of the world’s leading companies in mobile communications, announced today an extension of its relationship with Wyless Plc, a leader in the field of Machine to Machine (M2M) connectivity, offering customers a unique managed service using the widest global GPRS footprint of all UK operators.The T-Mobile and Wyless solution means that for the first time machines can communicate over a GPRS network as if they were connected to the same secure computer network. The unique solution creates a connected community of machines and people and delivers major benefits for the customer, including cost reduction and increasing revenues. Mobile data networks provide the opportunity to deliver cost effective, reliable and almost ubiquitous communications for the billions of machines deployed worldwide; with people and each other. The wider potential of M2M has been limited until now by the need to resolve complex connectivity, technical and management issues. The customer solution is delivered through a close collaboration between T-Mobile and Wyless. Wyless provides managed solutions to customers for M2M applications through its patent pending Peer to Peer technology where fixed IP (permanent IP addressing), real-time device management, security and audit trail are required. This leverages the unique fixed IP capability using T-Mobile’s wide footprint of GPRS and SMS coverage across the globe –150 GPRS networks covering more than 70 countries and over 350 networks in over 160 countries in which to use SMS. Key applications of this technology are: · Cost effectively enabling mobile Point of Sale (POS) terminals to support real-time transactions · Instant tariff changes or credit control within utility meters · Instant status reporting for event-driven processes · Diagnostic and CRM feeds from remote devices such as Car Management Systems · Information display changes based on live events e.g. traffic updates · ‘Geofencing’ and tracking of assets or vehicles e.g. parcel or trailer location. Based on this unique offering, a recent analyst report suggests that Wyless is set to gain a 4% share of the total EU M2M marketplace by 2009*. This view is endorsed by IBM, which has approved Wyless as a provider of advanced connectivity for large scale IBM customers in key vertical sectors. Andy Stanford-Clark, Master Inventor IBM, said “We are impressed with the advantages that fixed IP, direct SIM management and full roaming facilitate in building effective large scale applications in sectors such as tracking, automatic metering, remote vending and asset management/supply chain improvement.” Verifone, a global leader in secure electronic payment technologies has recently introduced mobile electronic point of sale (EPOS) credit card swipe machines with the connectivity provided by Wyless. Early deployments have shown a swipe to transaction approval time of less than five seconds – even faster than fixed line equivalents. Wyless enabled terminals are now going into wider service in retail stores throughout the UK. Giles Cooper, Business Development Manager of Verifone, said "We were very impressed with the unique Wyless connectivity proposition which has been built with these types of applications in mind and has enabled us to simplify our supply chain.” The sandwich retail chain Benjys launched a loyalty card scheme with mobile Point of Sale terminals powered by Wyless at the end of 2004. Emma Rickwood, Commercial Director of Benjys Group said "Wyless provided us with a faster and more reliable service. In addition Wyless worked with our partners to ensure that the unique Wyless network enhancements were being fully utilised.” T-Mobile’s Director of Sales, Simon Ainslie, said, “Our agreement with Wyless is a key element of our ongoing M2M strategy. It is another step towards providing customers simple, seamless access to data remotely. Our relationship with Wyless leverages our unique capability and positions us strongly going forward.” Wyless co-founder and CEO, Karl Ahmed said, “Thousands of companies are challenged with providing wirefree connectivity, T-Mobile’s confidence and commitment in Wyless coupled with our leading edge technology provides a unique proposition in the mobile data sector helping to eradicate custom development and simplify solutions, especially in remote device and M2M management. I am looking forward to continuing our successful relationship with T-Mobile and developing the vast potential of this market.”
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