The Mobile IoT Innovators spotlight series highlights ambitious companies working on innovative products and solutions using LTE-M or NB-IoT connectivity. To find out more about the Mobile IoT Innovators community, please click here.
MSD Innovation
Rohaizat Ali
COO
MSD Innovation
Please describe how your company came into being
MSD Innovation was born from the desire of its founders to ensure that our technological solutions would enhance quality of life and leave a meaningful impact to the society at large. It is this ethos that drives each member of MSD Innovation to constantly innovate and push the boundaries in order to deliver the best and most practical solutions to clients, big or small.
Embarking into IoT solutioning was a natural progression for us. The MSD group of companies have always been active in the area of communications and multimedia, from CME and network provisioning right up to platform and applications development.
Besides that, we are also continuing with our capacity development initiatives and at the same time introducing new phases to our projects with communities as a way to contribute back to society through our environmental IoT initiatives.
Please describe how you developed your product
MSD Innovation is the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) technology partner for Digital Lifestyle Malaysia (DLM) Initiative, currently working on two projects which are Smart Poultry Farming (SPF) and Security and Integrated Flood Operation Network (SAIFON). We were given the opportunity by MCMC to collaborate and start off these projects in order to enhance the management system and ease the monitoring solution by implementing IoT technologies. IoT has helped both parties decrease the mortality rate for the poultry house, whereas SAIFON gives early detection for flood monitoring purpose. This also provides benefits to the community in Kota Belud, especially Kota Belud Civil Defence, allowing them to get real time data on the water level and environment for more efficient flood management.
Our internal R&D department is given the opportunity to create and ultimately test out solutions through the many full-scale Proof of Concepts (POCs) on the ground that MSD Innovation has invested in, through collaborations with governmental bodies and also private parties.
Our flexibility in working with clients through POCs prior to finalising the commercial aspects of service provisioning means that we allow for an ample period for customisation and tweaking to happen before the solution goes live.
How does your product use LTE-M/NB-IoT?
In a nutshell, we adopt a 2-module micro controller which supports wireless & mobile network. Our controller directly connects to the cloud / data centre through the wireless or mobile network. Currently, we are using LTE-M technology, but we also provide NB-IoT, based on clients’ needs and requirements. We use different connectivity solutions based on location.
What are the benefits of using LTE-M/NB-IoT, rather than another wireless technology?
Practically, in terms of mobile connectivity it provides better scalability and minimum downtime. Furthermore, we find that it is more economical and lowers the cost for implementation as it also promotes efficient use of bandwidth.
How are you currently working with the mobile operators?
MSD Innovation has entered into discussions with mobile operators in relation to collaborative projects which involves IoT solutions through mobile and wireless networks in the area environmental and agricultural IoT solutions. This involves end to end solutioning, whereby MSD Innovation will be involved in the deployment of sensors, network and cloud services right up to user dashboards / applications.
What is your business model?
One of our key strength is the synergy between MSD Innovation’s in house expertise (IOT solutioning) and the service offerings of affiliated companies under the MSD Group (including CME work, network services, applications and platform Development, dashboard development etc.). This enables us to plan, develop and implement our solutions in-house and from end-to-end – ensuring that quality is not compromised and costs reasonable. This also allows us to offer flexibility in terms of collaboration and business models, depending on the needs and suitability on a project by project basis.
What are your business goals for 2019 and 2020?
We are currently strengthening our collaborations and intensifying engagements with key stakeholders throughout the country and the response has been very encouraging. We are heartened by the interest and drive of many key stakeholders in adopting digital transformation, particularly in embracing IoT solutions throughout the nation, resulting in heightened activity at our end.
Besides that, we are also continuing with our capacity development initiatives and at the same time introducing new phases to our projects with communities as a way to contribute back to society through our environmental IoT initiatives.
2020 will witness the completion of MSD Innovation’s Experience Centre (SONIC) in Cyberjaya and we will also see the deployment of our IoT solutions through the projects that are currently in the pipeline.
Do you plan to roll out further products and solutions that employ NB-IoT/LTE-M?
MSD Innovation has included that in our plans. Since our first implementation of IoT projects, we have been using LTE-M technology and wireless networks, and will continue to use it in the future. We will also use NB-IoT if it is needed for a project by request. In particular, the industries that we focus on are agriculture, environment, health and cyber security, and this technology facilitates solutions more effectively and efficiently. For instance, for water level monitoring solutions, the LTE-M network is needed to send data at a specified time interval to the cloud to enable real-time monitoring for the client.
For more information please visit www.msd.net.my