Toward providing an open platform to connect people and things (IoT)

Jasmy Incorporated and Panasonic Advanced Technology Development Co.,Ltd. have started collaborating to develop a platform that integrates information generated by individuals with information generated by things, enabling highly secure processing.

The Jasmy platform, which includes the Jasmy Personal Data Locker (hereinafter “PDL”) — an online storage-based personal information management and usage system provided by Jasmy — along with Panasonic Advanced Technology Development’s extensive IoT expertise, experience, and high technology, will drive the development of platforms applying blockchain technology and IoT synergistically.

This platform will incorporate agile development methods with Web3 technology, emphasizing speed in its development. Our goal is to release it as a platform, attracting a wide range of users across various fields. By utilizing this platform, we can create services that work well with many different things and can be used in various ways, significantly enhancing the efficiency of app and service development.

Specific details of the collaboration will be announced in the future.

Background of Collaboration

Until now, various personal information held by individuals has been owned and utilized by IT companies through internet services. PDL is a platform that not only securely stores data but also allows users to provide and share data under their own will, while maintaining security. Additionally, with the exponential increase in internet-connected devices, the functionality of each device has evolved extensively. The data generated from these diverse devices is vast and varied. Furthermore, besides requiring fast data processing and security, real-time responsiveness is also becoming increasingly important.

Furthermore, combining “information generated by people” and “information generated by things” requires a perspective beyond just data exchange. It involves building trustworthy relationships through the transfer and delegation of authority among “people and people,” “people and things,” and “things and things.” Additionally, to accelerate various service developments, there is a growing need for widely available platforms along with development environment packages (SDK) for developers. This will enable the creation of user-centric data utilization environments and new value, promoting “Data Democracy” worldwide.

Both companies share this understanding and have agreed to collaborate, combining their respective strengths and experiences to aim for the early realization of a widely used platform, leading to the agreement on this collaboration.

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ABiT Corporation, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) device developer and solution provider, announces partnership with UnaBiz, a Massive IoT service provider and integrator, to enhance their technological offerings in the smart cities and logistics sectors in Japan and around the world.

The partnership will enable ABiT to create Sigfox-version of their IoT devices and solutions aimed at addressing the challenges facing smart cities and logistics industries. UnaBiz’s research and development team will support ABiT with expert engineering advice and essential documentation to ensure the seamless development and adaptation of devices.

The new line of Sigfox-ready solutions is targeted to be launched in Q4 2024, in markets within and beyond Japan through joint sales and marketing efforts. Existing customers of ABiT and UnaBiz will have priority access to the new solutions wherever they align with their technical requirements. UnaBiz will also promote ABIT’s made-in-Japan, high-quality IoT solutions to its network of 0G Operators present in more than 70 countries globally, supporting the adoption of market-defining Sigfox-enabled and multi-mode products and solutions.

Furthermore, both parties will engage in ongoing discussions to explore the development of Sigfox versions for bespoke products and projects, highlighting their long-term commitment to this partnership.

Takeo Hiyama, CEO of ABiT said, “UnaBiz and ABiT are complementary to each other: UnaBiz designs and markets Sigfox 0G Technology and has a strong distribution network through its Sigfox 0G Operators, while ABiT has excellent technical knowledge and experience to develop IoT devices and solutions on various LPWAN technology such as Sigfox, LoRaWAN and other cellular-based networks. We are looking forward to bringing Sigfox-enabled devices to market and promoting these products & solutions to our growing ecosystem of partners and customers.”

Alexis Susset, Group CTO of UnaBiz Group said, “UnaBiz’s approach towards LPWAN Convergence has paved the way for developing multi-connectivity devices, an area where ABiT’s capabilities shine. This partnership presents significant market potential for single-SKU, multi-mode solutions, demonstrating a strategic alignment to leverage the combined strength of both UnaBiz’s LPWAN convergence-ready Sigfox 0G Technology and ABiT’s LPWAN Products & Solutions within smart cities industries. Leveraging our global Sigfox operators footprint, the collaboration will enable both parties to expand our businesses and accelerate their go-to-market strategy in Japan and around the world.”

Together, they are also jointly designing and developing solutions at the forefront of government IoT use-cases innovation, paving the way for secure and localized implementations that address the unique challenges of the public sector.

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Since the Trump administration took office in early 2017, the United States and China relationship has varied between hot and cold. First there was a trade war as President Donald Trump attempted to keep a campaign promise to revamp trade deals around the world to make them fair to America. It didn’t take long until he was butting heads with China and soon the tariffs were flying fast and furious from both sides.

But then that cooled down and the relationship seemed to be making progress until coronavirus reared its ugly, invisible head and has Trump blaming the Chinese at every opportunity. Understandably, this made leaders of the world’s second largest economy a tad nervous and looking for technical help and expertise elsewhere in their bid to dominate the growing world of IoT manufacturing in industries such as health care, agriculture, and energy to name a few.

It turns out Japan is making great strides in that area.

Rise of the IoT

For those who haven’t been paying attention, which might not include this reading audience, the IoT has become something of a thing lately, not only with consumers but in the manufacturing space as well. While estimates of the growth rate vary, most experts peg the number of internet-connected devices that make up the IoT to reach 25 billion globally by 2021. Additionally, the rise of IoT has led to a number of other important developments, such as making our everyday devices significantly more powerful and helping businesses to break beyond the barriers of centralized cloud networks through edge computing.

In other words, this is a big deal. If the US were to decide to limit or eliminate knowledge-sharing, China’s bid to become the number one global high-tech manufacturing epicenter of the world by 2025 would suffer a serious setback. As the Beijing brain trust began looking around the world for a way to reduce their reliance on the US, they noticed that Japan seemed to have a slam-bang IoT industry going.

Before long, the calls to Tokyo were flying fast and furious.

Welcome to the IIoT

Though not terribly creative, the acronym IIoT has been informally adopted to refer to the Industrial Internet of Things. See what they did there? They just added another “i.” Regardless, this designation allows us to refer to that part of the IoT which has been incorporated into large industrial corporations and especially the manufacturing process.

The IoT created the capability of collecting and analyzing huge data sets much faster than had ever been done before. This makes for a more efficient process, though one we’ve recently discovered has an Achilles heel. When it comes to manufacturing, they who possess the greatest efficiency tend to make the most money and rule the roost. Let’s look at an example of why the IoT has become so darn important to manufacturers.

Yaskawa Electric, a Japanese company that builds systems controls and various other industrial products, has over a thousand motors installed in various devices in its one manufacturing space. Using advanced IoT methods, Yaskawa monitors all these motors in real time and can ascertain each one’s operating status at a glance.

Here’s why that matters.

Assume there is a motor about to fail. Rather than wait for the moment of death that could unexpectedly shut down the manufacturing line for some length of time, line workers can see the failure coming, thanks to the IIoT, and get a replacement into position to take over before the original one croaks. Presto. The line stays up and running with zero interruptions.

China Comes Courting and Japan is Suspicious

Most of the Japanese IIoT advancements have come as a result of a 300 member group of leading companies called the Industrial Value Chain Initiative. These companies are working together to set a nation-wide data exchange for the benefit of all members, and Beijing is jealous. Or maybe desperate.

Unsurprisingly, China has taken to rolling out the red carpet by inviting IVC member representatives to a series of Chinese symposiums addressing the IoT topic. These jaunts have been ritzy, all expense paid trips for the obvious purpose of inculcating joint ventures between the two countries.

China has asked the IVC to help out with forming an international organization that focuses on researching and implementing better IIoT technology in the workplace. Also unsurprisingly, Japan is curious about how this organization benefits the home team? Questions from IVC member company Nikkei regarding what the true aim of the proposed organization will be have gone unanswered by Beijiang.

Presently, China is concerned not only about their lagging IoT capabilities but resistance to hacking attempts by their good friends in the CIA and elsewhere. While the problem is improving, IoT devices are still one of the most notorious security risks overall.

These risks can be minimized through segmenting IoT devices across VLANs, avoiding IoT devices with a physical vulnerability such as a hardware factory reset button, and actively monitoring them to discover attacks, and securing devices with VPN services. Free VPN services are rarely a good option, as most are known for installing malware and selling private user data. Three quarters of all free Android VPN apps, for instance, run on third party tracking software and 82% will request access to private user data.

China Lags in New School Tech

As manufacturer-to-the-world, it’s no secret that China knows how to run old-school assembly lines and manufacturing processes, many of which rely on decades-old technology and even hand-crafting in some instances. The bottom line is that present Chinese manufacturing methods are a long way from being able to implement the latest technologies.

They lack the specific knowledge that the U.S., Japan, and a few other countries possess. But, as China has shown in the past, when the national will is applied to a problem, it tends to get solved one way or another.

With the government focused like a laser on making up ground, Japan is concerned that cooperating on the IoT issue would be akin to ceding the technical high ground. They will likely move very slowly in building any sort of strategic alliance with China unless they see a benefit for themselves.

Final Thoughts

Currently, it’s hard to guess how the U.S. and Chinese relationship will go. Though President Trump seems to be good at the brinkmanship game of pushing an opponent to the edge and then backing off, there is also always the potential for a Soviet-style Cold War to emerge between the two countries.

The Covid-19 pandemic has only exacerbated matters, with various Trump administration officials referring to it publicly as the Chinese virus, since it appears to have originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Obviously, the Chinese aren’t terribly fond of that name.

It didn’t help that recent days have raised the issue that, along with the World Health Organization’s complicity, China might have underreported the number of people who were stricken with and died from the disease.

The Bottom Line

President Trump has already threatened to pull U.S. funding from the WHO, and it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if he takes aim to try to punish China in some way for fudging numbers in the midst of a global crisis. If the government in Beijing fears the American tech pipeline will be shut off, who could blame them for seeking technology anywhere they can find it?

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The SCSK Corporation, one of the largest system integrators in Japan, has chosen Comarch as a partner to enrich its portfolio with IoT device management and monetization capabilities.

Comarch will deliver elements of its IoT ecosystem offer, and related solutions, in order to accelerate SCSK’s Internet of Things’ business in Japan.

SCSK insisted on obtaining an end-to-end, open IoT platform to facilitate a variety of future use cases in the different market segments addressed by the company. Comarch is going to deploy a number of solutions as well as its IoT devices, including:

• Comarch IoT Enablement Platform – a scalable, modular and flexible, device-management platform supporting all major connectivity standards (Wifi, BLE, Thread, RFID, NB-IoT, LoRa and Sigfox). The solution’s main function will be the management of devices enabling asset tracking and other location-based services (LBS) – Comarch IoT Hub, Comarch Beacon, and Comarch NB-IoT Button.
• Comarch IoT Solution Management – a set of functionalities to support the overall sales process in the IoT area. The solution boosts automation from the point of onboarding existing and prospective customers to the final purchase.

“SCSK looks forward to exploring market possibilities offered by the IoT ecosystem, and intends to evaluate possible synergies related to cooperation with Comarch in other product areas”, says Atsushi Watanabe, Managing Executive Officer and General Manager of the Distribution and Media Systems Business Group at SCSK Corporation.

The solution is expected to facilitate sales support, design, quoting, and the creation of IoT-related service agreements. With the support of Comarch IoT devices, the platform will enable scenarios such as asset tracking, indoor navigation and presence detection.

The project commenced in October 2018.

“This is an important step in expanding Comarch’s presence in Japan. Not only have we teamed up with a leading IT technology player there, but the cooperation also pertains to one of the hottest topics on the IT landscape – the enterprise Internet of Things”, says Pawel Kleczek, Managing Director at Comarch Japan.

“The platform will enable SCSK to flexibly develop new applications on top of the provided IoT ecosystem as required.”

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Kerlink, today announced the launch of a Japanese subsidiary to support LoRa network deployments in that country and accelerate the company’s growth in Japan and across Asia.

Tsuneo Tatara, an international information and communications technology (ICT) veteran who joined Kerlink in the fall of 2017 as country manager to guide the company’s ramp up in Japan, was promoted to general manager of the subsidiary, Kerlink Japan KK.

Robert Clapham, Kerlink’s assistant general manager, said:

“Japan is a very large potential market for IoT deployments in the key verticals, such as smart cities, smart industry, asset tracking and smart health, and Kerlink will help develop that potential with this expanded presence in Japan.”

“Tsuneo Tatara has laid the groundwork for this expansion, which marks Kerlink’s commitment to help large network operators, cities and small businesses realize the benefits of LoRa low-power, wide-area networks. One of his first tasks will be increasing Kerlink’s sales staff in Japan and Asia.”

Tatara has more than 40 years of professional experience with companies whose businesses spanned Japan, Canada and India. His expertise ranges from engineering and business development to sales and marketing, working with international fixed-operators and mobile telcos, telecom vendors and Japanese multinational companies.

“Kerlink has become a leading global provider of turnkey solutions for deploying LoRaWAN networks, because of the reliability of its products, and focus on building long-term relationships with its customers, so they can achieve the specific goals for their IoT networks,” Tatara said.

“Since opening a sales office in Japan last fall, we have seen growing interest among Japanese ICT companies and smart-city proponents in deploying both public and private LoRaWAN networks. With this subsidiary, Kerlink will work closely with customers in Japan and Asia to start realizing the efficiency, safety and security benefits of the Internet of Things.”

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Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, announces its Cinterion® LTE Cat.1 specific M2M module has completed the interoperability testing by NTT DOCOMO, INC., Japan’s largest mobile network operator¹.

The ELS31J and ELS51J wireless modules are engineered for IoT applications and helps to drive innovation to IoT device makers. Gemalto Cinterion® provides the vital communication links between a wide range of IoT devices, such as consumer wearables, smart meters, and remote sensors to the enterprise back-end enabling new services and new business models. The module’s ruggedized and future-proof design further offers manufacturers a highly efficient and cost-effective LTE connectivity, as well as easy migration from existing to future telecommunication standards.

One of the most advanced nations in the world, Japan is constantly at the forefront of technological innovation, including IoT with key Japanese companies² investing heavily in this sector. Last year, an estimated 624 million³ IoT devices were deployed across the country, contributing to US$103 billion⁴ in market revenue. By 2020, these figures have been forecast to reach over 1 billion units and 176 billion, respectively. The transformative impact of IoT is evident in all industries, from connected cars to smart factories.

“We continue to collaborate with Gemalto, a trusted and long-time partner, to deliver LTE connectivity to our M2M and IoT enterprise customers,” said Toshiyuki Futakata, Vice President and Senior Manager of Radio Access Technology Group, Communication Device Development Department at NTT DOCOMO.

“Given that this wireless module has already been successfully deployed in the U.S, we are confident that businesses and consumers in Japan will also enjoy the same highly efficient LTE connectivity, harnessing Gemalto’s field-proven expertise.”

“Gemalto and NTT DOCOMO share the same vision of accelerating IoT and LTE adoption and innovation in Japan,” said Thothadri Sashidhar, VP M2M Sales APAC at Gemalto. “Our Cinterion family of wireless modules is the world’s first to support LTE Cat.1, and being qualified, means device manufacturers can shorten the time-to-market for their products.”

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NetComm Wireless Limited and Kanematsu Communications Limited today announced that NTT DOCOMO, Japan’s largest mobile service provider with over 63 million subscribers, has passed two NetComm Wireless 3G M2M Smart Router models (NTC-6200-12 and NTC-6200-13) for deployment on its nationwide 3G network to expand customer access to DOCOMO M2M services.

The Japanese government expects much of Japan’s ICT industry growth to come from the Machine-to-Machine (M2M)/IoT sector as network operators such as NTT DOCOMO develop partnerships that provide domestic and export customers with price-competitive M2M solutions that generate value. Developed to meet the high-grade requirements of the Japanese market, the NetComm Wireless NTC-6200-12 and NTC-6200-13 have passed NTT DOCOMO’s Inter-Operability Test (IOT) and are ready to provide reliable access to DOCOMO’s M2M services.

The technology allows enterprise customers to monitor and manage mission-critical assets and systems located anywhere in the world from an online management website. The NTC-6200-12 and NTC-6200-13 feature a number of communication interfaces, seamless integration and open customisation to give businesses complete control of construction equipment, machinery, surveillance cameras, digital signage and other remote assets in real time. Both devices offer the capacity to troubleshoot issues, upgrade firmware and rollout new applications from any location.

Mr. Koji Nishimaki, Corporate Officer & General Manager of Corporate Sales Division, Kanematsu Communications, said:

“Companies are adjusting their business models to take full advantage of the new efficiencies made possible using open and adaptable 3G M2M technology and we will continue to collaborate with NetComm Wireless on the delivery of cost-effective connection and communication technology that brings global M2M capabilities to the Japanese market.”

“This launch represents our strong position in the Japanese market and we look forward to continuing to deliver a portfolio of M2M products to DOCOMO customers in partnership with Kanematsu Communications. The highly efficient and economical NTC-6200 series is equipped with the features, interfaces and scalability needed to support Japan’s surging pace of change,” said David Stewart, CEO and Managing Director, NetComm Wireless.

The NTC-6200-12 and NTC-6200-13 are JATE/TELEC certified, having passed DOCOMO’s Inter-Operability Testing, and each enable easy integration with enterprise IP systems using VPN connectivity. The embedded Linux OS and Software Development Kit (SDK) facilitates the development of custom software applications; and multipurpose interfaces including: GPS, I/O ports, Serial, Ethernet and USB vary between models.

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Japan Mobile Service Provider to Make Available IoT Solution to 65 Million Customers.

PTC and NTT DOCOMO, INC., Japan’s largest mobile service provider, today announced the companies are expanding their relationship to extend the use of the ThingWorx® IoT Development Platform at DOCOMO in order to streamline use of cloud-based IoT platforms. Serving more than 65 million mobile customers, DOCOMO operates a high-quality nationwide LTE networks.

PTC and DOCOMO will continue to jointly market IoT solutions that are specifically developed for the Japanese market. ThingWorx will provide its IoT development platform for DOCOMO cloud-based software, taking advantage of its connectivity and communication technology to implement IoT solutions. Together with Nippon Systemware, a Tokyo-based system integrator with a proven track record in software and hardware development, the companies will deliver solutions that customers can use, utilizing the DOCOMO high-quality, nationwide mobile network to serve the specific needs of its individual business customers.

“The extension of our business relationship with DOCOMO is a great opportunity for businesses that want a single source for device, network and IoT solutions,” said Russ Fadel, president, ThingWorx, a PTC Business. “We look forward to continue working with DOCOMO to drive business value in the emerging IoT market.”

ThingWorx offers an innovative platform for rapidly developing and deploying applications to realize the opportunity and value presented by the Internet of Things economy. The ThingWorx simplified and unified approach to IoT applications enables companies to iteratively innovate business processes significantly faster than conventional methods and tools, thus accelerating time to value, reducing cost and risk, and transforming how products, people, and systems connect and interact.

Naoki Tani, managing director, M2M business department, NTT DOCOMO, said:

“The ThingWorx technology enables us to rapidly generate applications that are easily extended and modified through the lifecycle of the service, giving us the ability to quickly respond to the demands of our business customers.”

“We look forward to continuing our work with PTC to offer our business customers this joint, next generation IoT solution.”

PTC and DOCOMO expect to offer business customers customizable solutions that will seamlessly integrate applications, networks and devices, helping them to transform their businesses in the IoT market.

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Oberthur Technologies (OT), a world leader in digital security solutions for the mobility space today announces its partnership with SoftBank Corp for M2M, IoT and connected devices in Japan where Mobile Network Operators (MNO) are leading the way on these fast growing markets.

OT’s longstanding experience with both MNOs and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) is a key asset for SoftBank which will benefit from the state-of-the-art solutions offered by OT to secure and enhance connectivity.

SoftBank is not only a leading MNO in Japan, but also a recognized global connectivity player that serves its users through multiple approaches, targeting vertical markets that can potentially integrate M2M platforms and other specific devices and machines.

OT is a major player in securing the M2M/IoT and connected devices space thanks to its innovative solutions and existing partnerships worldwide. OT will bring SoftBank its experience and expertise on M2M through its DIM®¹ portfolio (SIM cards for M2M) adapted to all types of connected devices in terms of features and quality. Furthermore, OT will enable SoftBank to build projects with OEMs in partnership with OT for vertical markets such as the automotive industry, industrial devices, robotics, Smart metering, vending machines, gaming, etc.

“We are delighted to be the first company selected by SoftBank as their strategic partner on M2M and IoT in Japan where this growing market is particularly dynamic and innovative,” said Pierre Barrial, Managing Director of OT’s Mobile Network Operators business.

“Our unique DIM® offer and strong experience with MNOs and OEMs will allow us, with SoftBank, to build connected device solutions meeting the highest standards of privacy and security to serve expanding M2M needs.”

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Cumulocity and Micro Technology sign a Strategic Partnership Agreement to offer IoT / M2M services under the brand of “CUMoNoSU” in the Japanese market.

Micro Technology Co., Ltd., a solution provider for embedded system development and Cumulocity GmbH, the global leading cloud based software platform provider for the IoT (Internet of Things) have announced their Strategic Partnership for the Japanese market.

The Japanese IoT/ M2M market will soon become one of the globally leading innovation hot spots in the area IoT/ M2M for B2B and B2C.

The aim of this partnership is to respond to the increasing demand for IoT / M2M solutions in the Japanese market.
The offering enables Japanese enterprises to kick start their IoT/ M2M deployments without the need to re-invent the wheel. They can simply focus to innovate ‘around’ the CUMoNoSU SaaS offering. By doing so Japanese Enterprises are going to speed up their innovations as well as reduce their project costs fundamentally. Furthermore the overall project risks including software development, operations and support are lowered to a minimum. CUMoNoSU SaaS offering will be hosted and operated in Japan with multilingual support including Japanese. The service will become commercially available in 3Q 2015.

Mr. Shinichi Ishimatsu, President of Micro Technology states:

“I am realizing the expanding demand of the IoT platform in Japan, but in reality, there are a lot of cases where the introduction of the IoT services makes no progress since ‘traditional’ IoT solutions cannot meet customers’ requirements from the viewpoint of ROI. We are sure that our new IoT Cloud platform service “CUMoNoSU” will meet such customers’ needs in the future.”

“The ‘CUMoNoSU’ is perfectly suited to the realization of IoT services, not only in the aspect of function but also of price”.

Bernd Gross, CEO of Cumulocity, said about the partnership with Micro Technology:
“This partnership will enable ‘Industrie 4.0’ solutions for the Japanese market, which our company has been participating in Germany since 2010. Our partnership creates excellent end customer value and promotes an adoption of innovative IoT solutions in Japan. With “CUMoNoSU” we can expand our offering in one of the most important markets globally”.

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Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, announces that NTT Docomo, the largest mobile operator in Japan with about 65 million subscribers, has selected Gemalto to enable connectivity for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Gemalto’s Cinterion® Machine Identification Module (MIM) complies with the most stringent industry standards1 and was first to meet the high quality requirements of the Japanese market.

Japan IoT and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication market is estimated to grow from $11.34 billion in 2014 to $41.61 billion by 2019¹ due to increasing demand for smart infrastructure and fully managed network appliances. The IoT applications will enable Japanese businesses to collect real-time information on mission-critical systems, better manage their networks and logistics and remotely perform intelligent operations, for increased efficiency and reliability.

Gemalto offers the highest quality of ruggedized MIM² that can sustain extreme environments of humidity, corrosion, vibration, and temperatures from -45 to 105 degrees Celsius. It also leverages Gemalto’s unique operating system to offer optimized memory management, data retention and one million erase/write cycles, which extend the lifespan of the device and prevent service disruptions.

“We have a long standing relationship with NTT Docomo, which includes Japan’s first (LTE) wireless connectivity in 2010, and more recently, the NFC deployment,” said Michael Au, President South Asia and Japan at Gemalto.

“With our advanced MIMs now, NTT Docomo will be able to leverage their LTE networks to further expand their portfolio to other M2M applications in industrial and automotive sectors.”

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Office provides local support for M2M customers in the south of Japan.

u-blox, a global leader in wireless and positioning modules and chips, announces the opening of a u blox office in Osaka, Japan.

Tesshu Naka, Country Manager of u-blox Japan, said:

“Since the foundation of u-blox Japan eight years ago, we have supported the southern-central region including Osaka from Tokyo. With the continued expansion of the business in the Kansai region, we want to move closer to our customers.”

The new office further strengthens the position of u-blox in Japan and allows high-level support to automotive and industrial industries.

The new u-blox office is located at:

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NTT DOCOMO, INC., a personalized mobile solutions provider for smarter living, announced today it will offer Japan’s first Embedded Subscription Identity Module, or eSIM, a new type of SIM that works on mobile networks of various international operators, for M2M Devices.

DOCOMO’s eSIM, which is able to register phone numbers and other subscription-identity data of DOCOMO and other international operators in machine-to-machine (M2M) devices, such as connected automobiles, industrial equipment and many more, will be available to business customers from June 30.

Conventionally, connecting a M2M device to a local mobile network requires a SIM offered by the operator. DOCOMO’s new eSIM, however, will enable a single embedded SIM to load subscriber identities issued by multiple mobile operators. This will simplify manufacturing and inventory-management tasks over operator-specific SIMs, a major advantage for transnational M2M enterprises and solution providers. Also, subscriber identities stored in the eSIM will be interchangeable as the user moves from country to country with their M2M device, leading to enhanced operability.

DOCOMO’s eSIM will be available as a M2M solution for corporate customers using the docomo M2M Platform in Japan.

The eSIM is an emerging technology in the global M2M industry. DOCOMO, a member of GSMA, has been actively involved in the establishment of an eSIM global standard, which was officially released in December 2013. Going forward, DOCOMO is committed to offering advanced M2M services to support Japanese and international business customers.

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NetComm Wireless Limited today announced the signing of a wireless Machine-to-Machine (M2M) distribution agreement with Kanematsu Communications Ltd, wholly owned by Kanematsu Corporation.

Kanematsu Corporation is one of Japan’s largest trading companies with 41 global offices, 113 affiliated companies and a market capitalization of USD $657 million as of the end of March 2014. Kanematsu Communications is the distributor for Japan’s major telecommunications carriers including NTT Docomo, Softbank and KDDI.

The distribution agreement involves the delivery of wireless M2M products to Kanematsu Communications’ major export and telecommunication carrier customers. With the expansion into the Japanese market, NetComm Wireless is set to open a branch office in Tokyo to support market development within the region.

The partnership marks NetComm Wireless’ entry into the Japanese M2M market which is seeing rapid growth as carriers accelerate the deployment of economical M2M solutions designed to connect and control assets such as vending machines, parking stations, Point of Sale terminals, digital signage, security systems and medical equipment throughout Japan.

The information and communication technology (ICT) industry is the largest industry sector in Japan with its market value expected to double from USD 1.2 trillion in 2011 to 2.4 trillion by 2020[1]. Much of this growth will be driven by the uptake of wireless M2M communications as Japanese network operators develop partnerships with foreign device manufacturers to provide domestic and export customers with cost-effective M2M solutions.

Mr David Stewart, CEO and Managing Director, NetComm Wireless, said:

“This partnership strategically positions NetComm Wireless’ M2M products in the Japanese market and presents tremendous new expansion and growth opportunities for the company as Japanese carriers focus on offering economical and efficient M2M solutions for domestic and international asset management.”

“Japan leads technological innovation in terms of electronics and national connectivity, and is now on the cusp of significant M2M growth. Our relationship with NetComm Wireless will play an important role in our strategy to capitalise on Japan’s rapid M2M market growth in partnership with our carrier and enterprise customers,” said Mr Koji Nishimaki, Corporate Officer & General Manager of Corporate Sales Division, Kanematsu Communications.

NetComm Wireless’ M2M devices meet the requirements of wireless M2M communication to effectively address the need for reliable and cost-effective communications. The industrial-strength devices also feature an open Linux (non-proprietary) platform with Software Development Kit (SDK) to enable custom M2M application (App) development for specific business requirements.

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Collaborates with Nippon Systemware to Deliver Next Generation Cloud, Called ‘Toami’.

ThingWorx, a PTC (Nasdaq: PTC) business and leading Internet of Things (IoT) platform provider, today announced NTT DOCOMO, Japan’s largest mobile service provider, has partnered with ThingWorx and Nippon Systemware Co., Ltd (NSW) for its new M2M cloud solutions powered by the ThingWorx® platform.

Serving more than 63 million customers, NTT DOCOMO operates a high-quality nationwide 3G network and one of the world’s first commercial LTE networks.

ThingWorx collaborated with NSW, a partner in the ThingWorx global partner ecosystem, to power the DOCOMO M2M cloud solutions. Toami makes it possible for DOCOMO customers across a variety of industries to quickly develop M2M solutions that connect to communication devices and networks, display and manage data, and link to external services on a cloud server. Because Toami is powered by ThingWorx, a non-programming platform, it can be implemented more quickly and inexpensively than conventional M2M cloud services which often require significant programming skills.

“We are pleased to be selected by NTT DOCOMO as the technology powering Toami, their innovative M2M cloud offering,” said Russ Fadel, president, ThingWorx.

“NTT DOCOMO’s decision signals the beginning of the next generation of M2M, one focused on making it easy for partners and customers to build and deploy complete M2M solutions. Enabling rapid application development catalyzes innovation and speeds the adoption of M2M, resulting in a more sustainable and resource efficient world.”

“We are confident that DOCOMO customers will take full advantage of the flexibility and power of the Toami platform to drive innovation and create value.”

“NTT DOCOMO customers have an increased interest and demand for innovative M2M solutions that are easy to develop and deploy,” said Yasuo Ichiya, executive director, M2M Business Department, NTT DOCOMO.

“We chose to work with ThingWorx and NSW so that we can provide our customers with a one stop source of device, network, and M2M cloud solutions.”

The ThingWorx partner ecosystem offers a wide range of applications, pre-integrated software components, and skills providing the necessary building blocks required to rapidly design, build, deploy and manage IoT and M2M applications. Comprised of components that are built by ThingWorx, ThingWorx partners, third party developers, and independent hardware and software vendors, these offerings add value to all members of the IoT/M2M value chain by delivering the technology, tools and expertise to implement IoT solutions.

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KORE, the world’s largest dedicated provider of machine to machine (M2M) wireless data networks, has appointed Micro Technology its exclusive regional partner for Japan.

Based in Tokyo, Micro Technology have been providing research, design and manufacturing services for embedded systems since 1983 and have recently expanded their portfolio into M2M solutions.

KORE has expanded its global footprint into the Japanese market following its recent successes throughout Asia Pacific.

President and Chief Operating Officer of KORE Wireless, Alex Brisbourne said the partnership is a first for the business and brings new opportunities for companies based in Japan to expand their operations using the KORE Global M2M network.

“We’ve long seen Japan as a market with great growth and potential in the M2M space, with many companies based in Japan wanting to expand their operations internationally. With the help of Micro Technology KORE is now perfectly positioned to make these plans a reality.”

Vice President and General Manager of KORE Wireless Asia Pacific, Shane Murphy said this partnership will enable full support for local Japanese customers as well as KORE customers wanting to approach the Japanese market from the outside.

“This new partnership will allow us to drive in-country sales and provide localised support to customers in Japanese. Micro Technology has a history of success in the embedded solution field, and an intimate knowledge of the Japanese market; we couldn’t have asked for a better partner for the region.”

Micro Technology will complement the KORE service offering by developing end to end M2M solutions in vehicle telematics, remote healthcare and factory automation, all connected by the KORE Global M2M Network.

Shinichi Ishimatsu, Chief Executive Officer of Micro Technology has been watching the steady growth of the Japanese M2M market and thinks now is the perfect time for the partnership with KORE:

“We’ve seen demand for m2m wireless solutions growing in Japan for some time, our partnership with KORE now allows us to capitalise on this. Not only can we design and build these solutions for our customers, we can now offer them a full service including a platform and connectivity.”

Micro Technology now have access to the full range of cellular and satellite based KORE M2M services and are already building devices for use locally in Japan and across the KORE Global network.

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Telit Wireless Solutions, a global provider of high-quality machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions, products and services today announced participation in ‘CEATEC JAPAN 2013’ to be held at Makuhari Messe, Japan from October 1st to 5th.

The event represents an ideal opportunity for the company to showcase its products and customer applications to the Japanese market, particularly to hardware and software developers in the quickly growing convergent space between IT and M2M.

This year’s theme “Smart Innovation Technology to Create Future Society and Lifestyles,” is in great alignment with Telit’s presence at the show. The company will introduce key data communication modules well positioned for the convergent space to enable a variety of “smart-related” solutions including security, energy, and telematics. At the show, visitors can experience Telit’s entire lineup spanning GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA/HSPA+, CDMA/EV-DO, LTE as well as GNSS and ZIGBEE.

Telit will be highlighting especially those products with clear benefits in high demand by local customers. These include the HE910 series, the market’s smallest five-band HSPA+ LGA module; the JF2 and JN3 GPS modules and the Jupiter SE880, Telit’s ultra-compact award-winning GPS receiver with groundbreaking 3D-SiP design; and the LE70-868, a wireless M-Bus module.

Telit recently reached a key milestone doing M2M business in Japan successfully completing inter-operability testing (IOT) with Japan’s NTT DOCOMO, INC for six variants of its HE910 module series. The products reached IOT completion upon passing the mobile network operator’s rigorous M2M module testing program. Completing IOT testing denotes a confidence level by the operator that is sufficiently high in the reliability and quality of the modules for activation and use on NTT DOCOMO’s mobile networks. Telit also understands that its modules are making significant progress in IOT processes with KDDI and Soft Bank.

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Eurotech today announced the creation of a new organizational entity, Eurotech Systems Business Unit, to offer Machine to Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and systems in Japan and South Korea under the Eurotech brand.

This new Business Unit is part of Advanet (Okayama, Japan), a leading supplier of embedded computer board products and a fully owned subsidiary of Eurotech S.p.A.

The M2M solutions and systems offered by Eurotech Systems Business Unit are proven in the European and North American markets with a variety of customers in several vertical applications, such as transportation, defense, healthcare and logistics. Local support for the M2M solutions and systems makes deployments effective and timely.
The general categories of M2M solutions and systems include ready to use devices and sensors for data capture, multi-service gateways to collect and transmit data, and a cloud-based M2M integration platform for data and device management, analysis and processing. The new business unit helps customers by providing the M2M building blocks so they can focus on their own areas of expertise to develop value-added services and products to create a competitive advantage.

“Eurotech brings global M2M and Internet of Things experience to the Japanese and South Korean markets,” said Robert Andres, Corporate Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for Eurotech.

“Combining the Advanet history in Japan with the new Eurotech Systems business unit, we offer a strong understanding of the requirements necessary to serve this market, such as solutions with Japanese certifications for wireless connectivity, to enable fast development of M2M services and applications.”

Advanet has a long and successful track record of providing both standard embedded computer boards and contract development of high-performance, high-reliability embedded computer boards. Adding M2M solutions and system products under the Eurotech name expands the spectrum of products and solutions for this region. For more product details and Eurotech Systems information, please go to www.eurotech.com/jp.

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Agreement represents an important step forward for wider ZigBee adoption in Japan.

The ZigBee® Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, commercial and consumer applications, and Telecommunications Technology Committee (TTC), a non-profit and private standards development organization on information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Japan, today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two standards development organizations to work together towards inclusion of ZigBee IP as a TTC standard.

The MoU was signed recently in Tokyo by Yoichi Maeda , CEO of TTC and Dr. Bob Heile , Chairman Emeritus and Chief Technologist of the ZigBee Alliance.

ZigBee is an association of companies working together to enable reliable, cost-effective, low-power, wirelessly networked, monitoring and control products based on an open global standard. TTC develops and publishes “TTC Standards” describing the technical specifications on various aspects of ICTs. Under this MoU, ZigBee and TTC agree to work together on the adoption of the ZigBee Internet Protocol Standard (ZigBee IP) as a standard in TTC.

The ZigBee IP specification is the first open standard for an IPv6 based full wireless mesh networking solution to control low power, low cost devices. ZigBee IP enriches the IEEE 802.15.4 standard by adding network and security layers and an application framework. ZigBee IP offers a scalable architecture with end-to-end IPv6 networking, laying the foundation for an Internet of Things without the need for intermediate gateways. It offers cost-effective and energy-efficient wireless mesh network based on standard Internet protocols, such as 6LoWPAN, IPv6, PANA, RPL, TCP, TLS and UDP. It also features proven, end-to-end security using TLS1.2 protocol, link layer frame security based on AES-128-CCM algorithm and support for public key infrastructure using standard X.509 v3 certificates and ECC-256 cipher suite.

As a result of the MoU, the first TTC standard based on this agreement – JJ-300.10, “Home Network Communication Interface for ECHONET Lite (IEEE802.15.4/4e/4g@920MHz-band Wireless)” was published.

“ZigBee is already the leading global open standard for M2M communications,” said Yoichi Maeda , CEO of TTC.

“ZigBee IP expands the realm of IP based monitoring and control that is essential for the emerging needs of energy management systems and corresponding services at home, office, and industry. Its inclusion as a TTC standard will accelerate the home network and public utilities market in Japan.”

“The global interoperability as a whole system is very important in this area, and TTC’s aim is de-jure standardization of such systems for future work, with the cooperation of ZigBee Alliance and other partners.”

ZigBee IP continues the ZigBee tradition of self-organizing and self-healing mesh networking standards to enable robust communications over the globally available 2.4 GHz frequency as well as other frequencies such as 920 MHz in Japan.

Tobin Richardson , Chairman and CEO of the ZigBee Alliance, said:
“As one of the largest and technologically most advanced economies of the world, Japan will play an important role in the realization of the vision of IoT. TTC is a key developer and promoter of communications standards in Japan and having ZigBee IP become a TTC standard will widen ZigBee adoption and propel the IoT space in Japan.”

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ThingWorx and NSW Partner to Deliver and Support Next Generation M2M Solutions in Energy Telematics and Building Management etc.

ThingWorx today announced that they have formalized a multi-faceted partnership agreement with Nippon Systemware (NSW), a leading supplier of information systems and product solutions, covering ThingWorx-based M2M solutions for Japan. Under this agreement NSW will deliver “Powered by ThingWorx” SaaS-based solutions initially targeted at the vehicle telematics, energy management, and smart building markets. In addition, NSW will supplement ThingWorx in Japan by providing local support and services for ThingWorx customers that build and deploy applications across the complete machine-to-machine (M2M) and connected world spectrum, including smart agriculture, smart cities, connected products, and connected industries.

This valued partnership will help expand ThingWorx-based M2M and Internet of Things solutions in Japan, allowing organizations to derive more value from the data, services, and events of smart connected sensors, devices, and machines. Industry leading companies estimate that the number of Internet-connected devices will reach 50 billion by 2020, creating an opportunity to realize a step change in efficiency across virtually all markets. The partnership between ThingWorx and NSW will rapidly increase the rate at which new, innovative M2M solutions can be deployed in Japan, helping transform companies into connected businesses.

According to Mr. Naoyuki Iigo, Executive Corporate Officer and Vice President, IT Solutions Group at NSW,
“After a detailed evaluation of the M2M platform market, we concluded that ThingWorx offers the only modern and complete platform that can enable NSW to rapidly deploy innovative M2M solutions for our customers. Additionally, because it is broadly horizontal and extensible, NSW can deliver optimized solutions across numerous industry verticals, including all of the target markets of NSW.”

“ThingWorx is pleased to partner with NSW, a well-respected and leading company providing IT and product solutions in Japan. NSW’s ability to deliver and support ThingWorx-based M2M solutions in Japan is a key step in our strategy to expand ThingWorx into a global company,” said John Richardson, COO and Co-Founder of ThingWorx.

“We expect this announcement with NSW to be the first step in a series of significant milestones in our global expansion.”

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