Telstra’s foray into the IoT market is kicking into higher gears. With over 3.2 million devices already couched in the network, forecasts show the company will take up some 1 million more IoT devices in the next one year. Initially, it took Telstra eight years to put together their first 1 million devices, five years to rack up the second million, and two years to notch the third million.
At this year’s Telstra Vantage event, the telco giant demonstrated how the millions of connected devices on the network are helping shore up safety, minimize waste and costs, and enrich the consumer experience.
And thanks to the successful launch of two IoT networks — NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) and Cat M1, which helps streamline the management of these connected devices — the company’s IoT revenue rose sharply by 20% in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019.
Giant strides in the transportation and logistics IoT subsector
Key among the IoT network infrastructures on exhibit at the annual event were those of the Track and Monitor, smart spaces, IoT Connection Manager, and the Telstra Locator (a Bluetooth-powered finding network). These infrastructures are geared towards providing small businesses as well as private individuals with highly efficient and cost-effective location tracking services.
They’ve already made a huge impact on the transportation and logistics space. In one case study of a business client, SCT Logistics, the tracking facilities helped whittle down annual losses of $4 million in the management of 1500 trailers, containers, and rail wagons.
Companies are also benefiting from these infrastructures thanks to enhanced visibility of fleets, a reduction of idle time and resources, and maximization of utilization rates of resources. The platform will also furnish users with “near real-time” information related to traffic and connectivity.
Telstra’s smart buildings management platform
According to Telstra’s Global IoT Solutions executive Gerhard Loots, the company is prioritizing the co-option of “smart, secure spaces” in its imminent IoT agenda. Proof of this is the company’s recent launch of a software platform for collecting data from occupancy sensors mounted across buildings, precincts, and smart cities. The platform is designed to help building managers gain insights into what constitutes optimal living and work spaces.
In a similar development, the company is poised to launch the Connected Buildings platform in 2020, which has been in the works since last March. This development is particularly geared toward the banking and property management sectors.
With an impressive capacity algorithm for measuring the occupancy of a building in real-time, the platform will help businesses and building managers make highly accurate and efficient decisions concerning how they use their spaces. The end result for users will be a reduction of waste, decrease in overhead costs, easier cleaning and maintenance regimes, and enhanced user experience.
These advantages can also manifest in the form of enhanced safety and security by allowing users to put together more effective security and emergency management plans. The insights from the platform are also transferable, with data generated from one building being applicable to the management of others.
The launch of Telstra’s IoT Connection Manager in 2020 will facilitate the monitoring and management of IoT SIMs, plans, and protocols from a single location.
Final words — The developments on the horizon
As Australia continues to witness the deployment of IoT devices at a breathtaking pace, Telstra, the nation’s leading telco, is positioning itself as a go-to network for IoT projects. From connected vehicles to traffic cones, solar panels, and health equipment, Telstra’s network is facilitating the collection of data from a vast range of devices across homes, buildings, and odds and ends facilities.
The company is facilitating an unprecedented abundance of data points that will help revolutionize the business world, economy, and overall well-being of Aussies. Already, the company’s Bluetooth finding network has experienced a sharp surge in the rate of data collection – from 7.5 million data points last February to over 25 million in July. This unprecedented flow of information will help prevent road accidents, trailer losses, product-to-market misfits, and errors in decision making processes.