Actility partners with Foxconn to bring IoT platform to China

IoT specialist Actility has partnered with Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn to bring its ThingPark IoT platform to the massive Chinese market.

Despite being a founder member of the LoRa alliance, Actility now refers to LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) technology in general in the context of IoT connectivity. This partnership will combine Actility’s LPWA ThingPark platform with Foxconn’s vertical technology solutions in a bid to address the full IoT chain from sensors to the cloud.

“China is an opportunity like no other IoT market,” said Actility CEO Mike Mulica. “It’s growing 30% a year, and a third of the world’s 15 billion connected things in 2020 will be in China. Foxconn is the perfect partner for Actility, because it is a company with world-class expertise to drive innovation at scale, as well as unrivaled market access to industrial and urban China. ThingPark China delivers on our goal to serve the vast LPWA nIoT markets across China.”

“We are delighted to be collaborating with Actility on this exciting initiative, which is another step in our ongoing efforts to create an Internet of Things ecosystem that supports our strategic focus on providing innovative products and solutions to realize smarter lives,” said Fang-Ming Lu, Executive Vice President of Foxconn.

“IoT has the potential to transform cities, industry and transport, and also the way we live and work. The synergies generated by bringing together Foxconn’s design, manufacturing and technology capabilities and Actility’s expertise in LPWA networking technology, will enable us to capitalize on the immense opportunities presented in the IoT era.”

Actility’s change of emphasis from LoRa to whatever LPWA technology is best suited for the job is sensible. There is growing momentum behind the licensed NB-IoT technology and restricting potential customers to just one technology runs the risk of scaring them away. Foxconn is one of the largest technology companies in the world so this looks like a good partnership for Actility.