MWC 2015 – Panasonic Launches An M2M-Focused MVNO

Panasonic has vowed to help open up the Internet of Things, unveiling a new connected M2M network.

In what it admits is a bit of a departure from its typical arena of televisions and white goods, the company has launched an MVNO for business M2M and new connected products and services.

Providing customers with one point of contact for connectivity, hardware, software and customer service, the new MVNO will eliminate the need for businesses to pay for costly network configuration to set up their products, which will now instead be able to operate on a secure, dedicated mobile network.

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Panasonic’s MVNO is able to run on 3G or 4G speeds, with customers able to choose whether they want to host the services or hand that duty over to Panasonic.

The company already has some trials set up, including one at Cardiff University, where the MVNO monitors all the Panasonic projectors in use there and sends alerts to maintenance if any faults are detected.

But where Panasonic really sees the benefit of the new MVNO is in connected home technology, particularly in heating and cooling services.

To facilitate this, Panasonic is allowing its heating and cooling solutions to be monitored and controlled remotely via the M2M network, allowing maximum uptime and significant savings in energy and carbon emissions. The company is also trialing the technology with a leading European supermarket chain, enabling them to ensure their cold storage areas are kept an an operational temperature, for example.

“As one of the world’s leading electronics manufacturers, our new M2M network is the start of a strategic transformation,” said Masaki Arizono, managing director of PSCEU. “It is the first step in making our vast portfolio of products M2M capable, helping our customers to make their infrastructure and business processes intelligent. The results for our customers are simple network infrastructure, less capital tied up in stock, and improved customer service.”

The MVNO will also be used by Panasonic’s Nubo, the world’s first mobile connected 4G monitoring camera (pictured right). Also launched at MWC, this portable camera is able to be deployed across  a variety of locations and use cases, without the need for a power or Wi-Fi connection, to provide security to areas not normally covered by networks, such as gardens or garages.

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