How Nokia is Intertwining Success with IoT for Telecoms

Internet of Things is already getting deeply integrated well inside network of networks – and as a global telecoms vendors – Nokia is helping operators get the most of IoT by integrating a number of solutions built around the IoT fabric.

Jason Collins, Vice President of Internet of Things Market Development, Nokia speaks with Zia Askari from TelecomDrive.com about the company’s current focus on IoT and how this can catapult success for global operators.

How can IoT script fast paced success for operators in the near future?

The operator is preparing several technologies to enable IoT for networks, covering both cellular evolution (NB-IOT, eMTS, EC-GSM) and LPWA technologies (such as LoRa).

Beyond connectivity, an optimized core, a horizontal IoT platform layout and a device & applications ecosystems are key success factors. Beyond the technologies, operators will require expertise in vertical markets to become trusted enablers rather than pure access providers.

Our advice to telcos is to be selective in terms of vertical engagements, since effort and investment are necessary to become an enabler. In areas where they choose not to invest and are content to provide the connectivity layer, operators can partner with specialist systems integrators or use application providers as a channel.

What is your strategy to create better opportunities for telecom operators, carriers and ISPs in this space?

IoT has a transformational impact on all sectors because it is fundamentally changing products, business models, processes, and customer interaction. Nokia’s 3-layer approach towards a Programmable World is helping organizations to become more efficient, agile and real-time.
1. Connectivity: Scalability, coverage, availability, latency, interoperability, and security are key requirements for IoT connectivity.
2. Platform: A horizontal IoT platform is needed to support a broad range of vertical applications, to streamline operations and reduce costs, and to securely mix and match devices and applications.
3. Applications: Nokia is investing in the elaboration of use cases and implementing end-to-end solutions for vertical applications selected sectors.

Where is some of the early adoption that is rejuvenating this space and making it ready for a better tomorrow?

Rapidly developing IoT technology is opening up multiple new business opportunities for operators and enterprises, spanning many industries - public safety, healthcare, connected mobility, smart parking, connected home, water leakage management, smart cities and more.
At the same time, the IoT will improve end-users’ lives through automation, enhanced connectivity and intelligence.
Nokia believes that IoT adoption is driven by growth and experience rather than by cost savings, because the IoT is fundamentally changing products, business models, operational processes, and customer/user interaction:
 The IoT enables customer focused product innovation, introducing smarter products, that are always connected;
 The IoT empowers disruptive business models, players and ecosystems, such as the ‘servitization’ of devices, applications and data;
 The IoT is a key technology for implementing process automation, data-driven control and decision making.
 The IoT facilitates self-measurement and self-management, as well as data driven marketing and customer interaction.
Based upon analysis of the IoT market, Nokia is focusing on 5 key vertical domains, for which we are elaborating use cases and implementing end-to-end solutions. We aim to drive our key customers' success and building a better tomorrow through sharing unique insights on key market opportunities, and the business strategies that will help them succeed. These opportunities are:
o Connected automotive: low-latency, highly scalable, and secure communication are key for remotely managed cars and autonomous vehicles, and supporting track & trace, fleet management, and vehicle2x applications. Nokia’s award-winning testbed on the A9 motorway, with Continental, Deutsche Telekom, and the Fraunhofer Institute, is an example of what can be realized.
o Connected utilities: Nokia’s vision for utilities is that of a highly efficient, safe, and secure city infrastructure powered by our network solutions, our IMPACT platform and our applications ecosystem. Working with U-telcos and utility providers, Nokia supports e.g. demand-response systems, smart metering, and water leakage detection applications.
o Connected cities: our holistic smart city framework targets the best use of urban data to expand the human possibility for economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability and general livability, meeting the needs of present and future generations. We’re aiming at a wide variety of opportunities, ranging from connected street furniture, over smart parking, to real-time traffic/crowd monitoring.
o Connected safety: communication networks, IoT technologies, and video analytics applications can significantly improve the comfort and safety of people, vehicles and assets in private and public places, and improve the efficiency of first responder and surveillance services.
o Connected health and home: smart networks and devices, with preventative and remote care applications, will help people to lead healthier, happier and more productive lives. With the announcement to acquire Withings, Nokia has taken action to make a meaningful difference in this large and important market.

How can operators manage the complexity coming from diversified IoT deployments?

Nokia’s three layer standards-based approach to our architechture provides flexibility for the operator to choose the deployment option that works for them. Further, compared to vertical point solutions, our horizontal IoT platform is a key asset to support a broad range of vertical applications, to streamline operations and reduce costs, and to securely mix and match IoT devices and applications.

Nokia’s IMPACT platform provides a horizontal end-to-end framework, integrating home-grown and best of breed 3rd party components for:
 Connectivity Management: helps operators manage the rapidly growing number of connections from millions of sensors and devices, and automate the business processes between the operator and enterprises. Typical CMP functions are multi-tenant SIM card and eSIM management through VPN configuration, including subscription, provisioning, rate plans, charging , and enterprise management services.
 Device Management: enables remote provisioning, device activation/deactivation, configuration, over-the-air OS, firmware and software updates, and device troubleshooting. With the IMPACT platform, Nokia is extending its #1 position in device management, with more than 700 million devices managed worldwide, into the IoT space (through e.g. support of the LWM2M protocol). The platform offer is complemented by our Device Management Certification Program that handles interoperability testing and device certification.
 Data Collection and Management: provides business-relevant device and network data collection, data and event stream filtering/processing, and trend-prediction to application dashboards and external back-end systems.
 Application Enablement: exposes the IoT network and its connected devices to application developers to speed up service and application creation, and hosts application development and execution capabilities, in the cloud and distributed via Mobile Edge Computing. The platform includes a developer SDK with multi-screen widget based dashboards.
 Security Management: Nokia Guardian provides a comprehensive approach to IoT security, through device certification and encryption, and by analyzing traffic patterns and profiling devices for malware and anomalies.
Nokia’s IMPACT platform can be deployed on-premise, or via a PaaS/SaaS model.

What are some of the big innovations that are coming from your organization in the IoT space?

 Bell Labs, the industrial research division of Nokia, continues to conduct innovative and game-changing research around the big issues affecting the ICT industry. Using its wide-reaching expertise and collaborating with the global innovation community (both inside and outside Bell Labs), the organization is focused on finding solutions that offer a 10x (or more) improvement in multiple dimensions. These solutions will then be used to create cross-discipline ‘Future X’ initiatives that will shape the future communications landscape. We are also focused on security with a facility in France dedicated to hacking IoT and understanding the vulnerabilities of the IoT.
 Nokia Technologies has announced plans to acquire Withings S.A., a pioneer and leader in the connected health revolution with a family of award-winning digital health products and services to help people all over the world lead healthier, happier and more productive lives..
 Nokia is developing and implementing a selected number of IoT use cases, which are critically important in understanding the value proposition to the various players and stakeholders.
 Nokia’s IoT Community (which is part of the ng Connect ecosystem program) engages organizations from multiple industries in collaborating on and validating new business models for IoT use cases to accelerate the delivery of IoT solutions and business value. Some of the recent market trials carried out by the IoT Community are a connected bus shelter (trialed in Auckland, NZ), a connected service vehicle, and a live streaming video experience showcasing Chattanooga, Tennessee’s powerful Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities.
 The "Real-Time Communication between vehicles via the LTE Mobile Network" project jointly launched by Continental, Deutsche Telekom, the Fraunhofer ESK Institute, and Nokia on the A9 motorway in Germany has won the top award in the best-practice competition of the Intelligent Networking Initiative in the "Traffic" category. All award winners were honored during Cebit 2016 by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Intelligent Networking Initiative.
 Nokia Growth Partners raised a USD 350 million investment fund for investments in Internet of Things. The fund is sponsored by Nokia and will serve to identify new opportunities to grow the ecosystem in IoT solutions.