Page 14 - Mobile World Daily - Day 3

NEWS
Nest Labs pushes ‘Thread’ to
drive the connected home
By Joseph Waring
In the emerging Internet of
Things (IoT) space telecoms
operators will likely continue to
provide connections into
consumers’ homes and power the
different screens. But to remain
relevant within the connected home
landscape, Chris Boross (pictured),
Nest Labs’ product marketing
manager, insists operators will need
to find new ways to interact with the
things people care most about in
their homes – things that help them
stay comfortable, help keep them
safe and help them save energy.
He said Thread – an IP-based
wireless networking protocol
developed by seven companies – is
AT&T in talks over global
Digital Life rollout
By Steve Costello
AT&T is in trials to license its
Digital Life home security
and automation platform
worldwide, Ralph de la Vega,
president and CEO of AT&T Mobile
and Business Solutions, told Mobile
World Daily.
“We announced last month that
we’d be adding technology from
third parties to the platform,
opening it up so a user can easily
add products from other
developers. This is just the
beginning,” he said.
AT&T is already working with
companies such as Lutron
Electronics (window shades and
lighting controls), Samsung
(Samsung Techwin’s Wi-Fi IP
camera, wearables), Qualcomm Life
(secure medical data) and LG
Electronics (smart TVs).
The operator has already
announced a “limited trial” of
Digital Life in Europe, working with
Telefonica.
Last month, AT&T said that
Digital Life is currently available in
82 markets across the US. And de la
Vega said the company is seeing
commercial momentum behind it.
PAGE 14 Wednesday 4th March
designed to create a better way to
connect products in the home.
Boross is the president of Thread.
He’ll be speaking on Thursday
about the challenges that have kept
developers from being able to
efficiently and securely connect
products within a home. The
session runs from 11:30-13:00 in
Auditorium 2.
Using proven standards and IPv6
technology with 6LoWPAN as its
foundation, he said Thread offers a
number of advantages over other
wireless standards, including secure
and reliable networks with no single
point of failure, simple connectivity consumers to be able to easily set
and low power.
“With Thread, product
developers and consumers can
“We’re seeing positive gains and
our subscriber additions rival the
more entrenched players in the
space. We built the Digital Life
platform to be industry leading and
it is,” he said.
Echoing a theme that was evident
at AT&T’s Developer Summit last
month, the executive also noted that
the increased focus on security
easily and securely connect more
than 250 devices into a low-power,
wireless mesh network that also
includes direct internet and cloud
access for every device,” he said.
A big challenge for Thread, he
noted, will be spreading the word so
developers can understand the
benefits of using it to connect
products in the home.
More than 100 companies have
joined the Thread Group since last
October, and it is working to release
technical specifications in June.
Boross said the goal is for
up, use and secure Thread products,
which require fewer wires and
battery changes. “In addition,
millions of existing 802.15.4
globally, following a number of
high-profile stories, is an area for
operators to focus on.
“It’s not just a differentiator, it’s an By Steve Costello
imperative for success. Nearly every
CIO I talk to has security as his or
her number one concern. What IoT
can do for businesses is so exciting,
but customers want to know their
data is secure,” he observed.
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS DAILY 2015 | www.mobileworldcongress.com
wireless devices already on the
market can run Thread with just a
software enhancement — no new
hardware is required. This means
the truly connected home can be
here a lot sooner than we think.”
4G networks to cover 76% of
LatAm population by 2020
By Anne Morris
4G-LTE networks will cover
more than three-quarters of
the population in Latin
America by 2020, according to new
research from GSMA Intelligence.
The new data predicts that 76 per
cent of the population will have
access to 4G networks by this point,
up from 35 per cent at the end of
2014. In terms of subscribers, 4G
currently accounts for fewer than
10 per cent of mobile connections.
However, GSMA Intelligence
predicts that 4G will account for
one in four connections by 2020.
Total mobile connections in Latin
Doro set for
social service
launch
Doro, a maker of devices
targeting older users, is
planning to launch a
service intended to “provide
peace-of-mind and assurance to
the families of seniors”.
Called Connect & Care, it is described family members.
as an “innovative mobile social
networking tool applied to real life”.
“With Thread, product
developers and consumers
can easily and securely
connect more than 250
devices into a low-power,
wireless mesh network”
America are forecast to grow from
709 million at the end of 2014 to
889 million by 2020, with 4G
accounting for 28 per cent (245
million connections) by this point.
Smartphones accounted for 32 per
cent of Latin America connections
in 2014 and are expected to account
for 68 per cent of the total by 2020.
Regarding network spend, mobile
operator CAPEX in Latin America
is forecast to reach a cumulative
$193 billion in the seven-year
period between 2014 and 2020.
Latin American operators invested
almost $8 billion in spectrum
licences in 2012-2015, primarily to
support 4G deployments.
It can be set up to monitor an
older user’s behaviour patterns, for
example movement and
communication, to raise an alert if
any problems are detected.
It will also connect seniors with
local people who are ready to help,
support and offer assistance.
The service is supported by select
Doro mobile phones for seniors,
with an iOS and Android app for
The launch follow’s Doro’s
acquisition of CareTech. Connect &
Care will “pave the way for telecare
services later in life if needed”.