Operators and suppliers alike predict that M2M applications will fuel a new wave of growth that will dramatically change the industry.

Mobitex has unique strengths in the M2M arena as a data-only and totally reliable network that is designed for short and frequent data exchanges with very low latency. By levering these strengths, many Mobitex suppliers and operators believe that significant business opportunities can be created over the coming years in specific application segments.

Adding to Mobitex’s strengths in the emerging M2M market is an open standard that has
stimulated the development of a wide range of hardware and software components. Competition amongst hardware manufacturers in combination with new advances in chip design are also driving down prices for modems to the point where wireless connectivity is a
viable option in an increasing number of M2M
applications. The number of software components is even greater. These range from
relatively simple connectivity products to complete, off-the-shelf applications for parking, for example. For custom applications, there are also many systems integrators with extensive experience of wireless data and M2M applications that are able to deliver complete solutions.

The energy sector is one of the application areas in which growth is expected to be substantial. In Sweden, Vattenfall and
Graninge have been using Mobitex for many years to monitor and control critical aspects of their power networks. In China, where Mobitex is regarded as a new technology, Electric Power Technology is implementing two pilot projects, each of which could grow to hundreds of
base stations with thousands of measurement points and serve as a model for local energy companies throughout China.