The GSMA APAC IoT Partnership Programme Updates – IoT Tour in Hong Kong and Shenzhen

In October 2018, GSMA announced a partnership with fourteen mobile operators across the Asia Pacific region, including Celcom, Dialog, DTAC, M1, Maxis, Ncell, Optus, Robi, Smart, Smartfren, Singtel, True, XL and Xpand. The GSMA APAC IoT Partnership Programme is the largest Internet of Things (IoT) community in the region, with over 500 partners including mobile operators, consultants, developers, manufacturers, system integrators and vertical solution providers.

The partnership programme is aimed at creating a platform for media awareness of IoT innovation and leadership by operators; raising the profile of operator products and services delivered over MNO licensed spectrum; providing local window to global program as an on-ramp to more engagement; and offering capacity building for local regulators / stakeholders, ecosystem development collaboration, and best practices support.

Since the launch of this partnership in October 2018, APAC IoT partnership programme members have held a series of activities including meeting at GSMA Hong Kong office and IoT/5G Tour at Hong Kong Science Park and Shenzhen, China. The meetings were aimed at discussing the NB-IoT network, AI companies, sensors/device companies on different vertical; exploring and establishing common interest for APAC MNOs and engaging mobile ecosystem to explore opportunities in China, the biggest NB-IoT market by connections.

At present, more MNOs (mobile network operators) such as Telenor with 5 APAC MNOs in Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar; and Starhub in Singapore have joined the APAC IoT partnership programme. Thereby increasing the total MNOs from 14 to 19 and coverage from 9 APAC countries to 11 APAC countries.

In addition, more MNO IoT labs have also opened in APAC.  Such MNO IoT labs include M1 IoT lab in Singapore, XL Axiata IoT lab and Indosat IoT lab in Indonesia, and Maxis IoT lab in Malaysia which is an advanced lab with access to a Narrowband-IoT network.

Additionally, more MNOs rolled out new Mobile IoT network in APAC.  For instance, Indonesia’s Telkomsel deployed NB-IoT for innovators who want to develop solutions using this reliable IoT technology; New Zealand’s Spark also deployed LTE-M for national coverage.

Others include NB-IoT and LTE-M which was deployed by New Zealand’s Vodafone to enable Kiwis in connecting into the world’s leading IoT platform for a new, innovative range of IoT applications and Singapore’s Starhub which deployed NB-IoT to drive IoT transformation.