The Week In Review: IoT

Finance
NXP Semiconductors reported its Secure Connected Devices group posted revenue of $569 million in the fourth quarter, a gain of 10% from a year earlier. NXP CEO Richard Clemmer said in a statement, “All major product lines contributed to a seasonally solid quarter.” The chip company reported Q4 revenue of $2.44 billion and 2016 revenue of nearly $9.5 billion.

Consortia
Bosch, Cisco Systems, Foxconn, Gemalto, and other companies, including Bank of New York Mellon, have established a consortium to improve Internet of Things security through blockchain technology. “We are seeing tremendous potential for the application of blockchain in industrial use cases,” Dirk Slama, chief alliance officer at Bosch Software Innovations, said in a statement. “Being able to create a tamperproof history of how products are manufactured, moved, and maintained in complex value networks with many stakeholders is a critical capability.”

Products
Google’s Android Things operating system will be incorporated in Intel’s Joule 570x single-board computer for development of gadgets and smart devices, including wearable electronics.

The BLOODHOUND Supersonic Car project, which aims to achieve a land speed record of 1,000 miles per hour, is using AirPrime LTE embedded modules, AirLink gateways, management services, and technical support from Sierra Wireless for its wireless connectivity. A custom 4G LTE network was created to enable live data feeds from the vehicle, including live streaming video, as the connected car goes through test runs in the U.K., preparing for record-breaking attempts in South Africa.

FreeWave Technologies is now selling its ZumLink Z9-C and Z9-T serial radio modules for embedded applications. The modules are meant for use in unmanned systems and industrial machinery needing highly reliable, high-speed data communications and networking. Pricing depends on configuration and quantity.

CalAmp says its Vanguard 400 and Vanguard 600 industrial-grade routers are now available with 4G LTE Category 1 technology. Potential applications include the Industrial Internet of Things.

Services
Pareteum says its Global Mobility Cloud Platform now supports the Internet of Things and machine-to-machine communications used in business and industrial automation monitoring and sensors, health monitoring devices, utility meters, and wireless connectivity for automobiles.

Market Research
BI Intelligence estimates the market for IoT platforms will be worth more than $300 billion in 2021. Its market report is available here.

Connectivity, privacy, and security are the leading concerns in IoT this year, according to Strategy Analytics. The firm’s IoT Strategies service has a new report, “Top Internet of Things (IoT) Trends in 2017.”

An ON World survey found that nearly half of wireless sensor network adopters are employing cloud infrastructure for their industrial IoT deployments. IoT platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and IBM Watson are the choice of 48% of respondents. Almost two-thirds of respondents have deployed wireless mesh nodes, according to the survey, while approximately one-third have deployed more than 1,000 nodes, two times more than a 2014 survey found.

Cognizant Technology Solutions is recognized as a leader in a report, IDC MarketScape Worldwide Internet of Things Consulting and Systems Integration Services 2016 Vendor Analysis. Cognizant was cited for its IoT service lines in product engineering, industrial operations, and commercial operations.

Education
Northeastern University is establishing an Internet of Things laboratory at its Silicon Valley campus in San Jose, Calif. Cisco Systems is working with the university on the IoT skills training program.

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