New white paper details the range of considerations and implementation options for Mobile Network Operators looking to improve M2M profitability

Santa Clara, Calif. – February 12, 2014 – Operational efficiency is critical when deploying profitable machine-to-machine services. According to a white paper released today by Informa Telecoms & Media, called “Mobile Network Operator Approaches to M2M & Strategies for Ensuring Profitable Services’,” most operators can achieve optimal returns on M2M investments by leveraging third-party partnerships.

The research, commissioned by Aeris Communications, a leading M2M technology and services provider, and conducted and written by Informa, the leading provider of business intelligence and strategic services to the global telecoms and media markets, offers new insights into how network operators can maximize the margin between their M2M revenues and operating costs.

Highlights of the white paper include:

• Details on the importance of platform flexibility, to effectively enable as many application-specific use cases as possible.
• Third-party Platform-as-a-Service solutions, rather than building an entire M2M platform, help operators get to market quickly without a large capital investment, enabling more informed decisions on long term M2M strategies.
• Turning to a vendor to host a virtualized M2M core network, as a logical and cost-effective alternative to building a secondary M2M core, thereby enabling effective traffic separation and allowing operators to scale M2M service costs.
• Leveraging specialized support and effective use of the cloud as an important way to minimize M2M operational costs, while offering mobile network operators the flexibility they require.

“Whether to ’build, buy or defer’ depends on a range of factors that will differ by operator. Confidence and knowledge of M2M service delivery are two notable factors,” said Jamie Moss, Senior Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. “By licensing an M2M platform, an operator will benefit from the financial and intellectual investment already made by the vendor of said platform. But to focus too heavily on outsourcing and suggest that an operator should not consider any internal development, would risk marginalizing the operator’s role in M2M.”

“With this research, Informa has drawn attention to important issues that many mobile operators will face when servicing M2M customers: the imperative to focus on margins and efficiency, driving out costs while incorporating the flexibility to adapt to the changing requirements,” said Dan McBride, Head of Operator Marketing for Aeris Communications. “This is consistent with our own experience and validates our focus on driving out costs, driving up revenue per connection, and ensuring maximum rate plan flexibility in Aeris GSP, Aeris’ recently announced M2M platform for mobile operators. Informa’s research has underscored the value of external partnerships to develop and launch profitable M2M services. We look forward to helping enable operators to launch cost effective, reliable M2M solutions in the future.”

The white paper is available for download at: http://info.aeris.com/mno-approaches-to-m2m-strategies-pr

For more information about Aeris Communications’ solutions and products, go to www.aeris.com or write to us at info@aeris.net.