Maxis and 10 other APAC mobile operators form M2M alliance

• Bridge M2M Alliance eliminates complexity of dealing with multiple operators
• Will partner technology players in M2M value chain, including app developers

ELEVEN Asia Pacific mobile operators have formed what they claimed was the region’s largest Machine-to-Machine (M2M) alliance that would offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ experience for M2M deployment across Asia Pacific.
 
The Bridge M2M Alliance comprises members of the Bridge Alliance and is made up of Airtel (India), AIS (Thailand), CSL (Hong Kong), Globe Telecom (Philippines), Maxis (Malaysia), MobiFone (Vietnam), Optus (Australia), SingTel (Singapore), SK Telecom (South Korea), Taiwan Mobile (Taiwan) and Telkomsel (Indonesia).
 
Together, the group serves a combined base of over 500 million subscribers, making it the largest M2M alliance in the Asia Pacific region, Malaysia’s Maxis said in a statement.
 
With its Bridge M2M Alliance partnership, Maxis’ Managed M2M service would be able to better support the M2M requirements of major multinational companies beyond Malaysia in a seamless manner.
 
Maxis is already addressing customer needs for cross-border services such as M2M roaming, required for sectors such as transportation and logistics.
 
“M2M is an important pillar of our digital strategy serving a wide range of enterprise customers,” said T. Kugan (pic), head of digital services at Maxis.
 
“Being the only telco in Malaysia to be part of this initiative gives us a strategic advantage in our local market, and our customers can look forward to comprehensive regional geographical coverage and superior service,” he claimed.
 
“Moving forward, we plan to enrich our service offerings by exploring other parts of the M2M value chain so that we can provide end-to-end tailored M2M solutions for selected customer segments,” he added.
 
Bridge M2M Alliance eliminates the complexity of dealing with multiple operators by offering seamless delivery of regional M2M services across geographical borders, the group claims.
 
The Alliance will also improve customers’ service experience through enhanced interoperability, service levels and customer support.
 
“Asia is made up of highly varied economies, uneven technological development and diversified regulatory requirements,” said Bridge Alliance chief executive officer Alessandro Adriani.
 
“As a result, multinational businesses find it extremely difficult to navigate the intricacies of the region and to fully capitalise on economies of scale. The evolution of Bridge Alliance in the M2M business is an indication of the commitment from the 11 operators to overcome these challenges for the success of customers’ businesses,” he said.
 
The M2M partnership covers commercial as well as technological cooperation across various industries such as vehicle telemetry, security, energy management and others. This enables the development of new business models, the creation of new products and services, and a reduction in customers’ operational costs.
 
The alliance said it is determined to build an innovative ecosystem by partnering technology players in the M2M value chain like application developers, module manufacturers and service providers.
 
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