US operator AT&T has engaged Swedish vendor Ericsson to provide testing and verification for the full range of connected devices it sells. Ericsson will test the performance for each manufacturer’s device to ensure they are compatible with regulatory and international carrier requirements and networks.

The vendor said that device verification and carrier certifications are crucial to device performance across the mobile broadband infrastructure that Ericsson delivers globally.

“Ericsson’s global market leadership makes it a true one-stop-shop for device and application verification,” said Glenn Lurie, president of emerging devices, resale and partnership at AT&T. “The result is an additional enhancement for our customers, wherever in the world they may travel.”

According to Sheridan Nye, senior analyst in the enterprise verticals practice of Informa Telecoms & Media, AT&T has worked hard to help M2M innovators get their devices online as quickly and easy as possible. With Ericsson it now has a global partner that can expand this effort internationally.

“M2M customers expect services to be up and running as soon as their internal business processes are ready. An operator that can speed up network certification and SIM activation will be a valuable partner,” she said. “For their part, operators need value from M2M services. This means high volume and low cost of activation to offset the relatively low ARPU.”

She warned that operators also need to ensure that M2M traffic does not swamp the network and compromise their services to mobile consumers. For its part, Ericsson claimed to be able to ensure that devices and applications do not generate signalling storms that could impact on wider network performance.

Nye added that the announcement showed operators’ continuing willingness to outsource functions that drive wider market growth and operational efficiency without contributing directly to revenues. It also highlighted Ericsson’s determination to establish itself in technology-centric services beyond the network equipment market, she said.