Chinese hardware vendors becoming service providers through IoT, says Jasper

IoT platform maker Jasper reports that 500 enterprises have activated trial accounts of its China Unicom Control Center IoT platform in three months.

Patterns of adoption, it says, don’t just prove the demand for IoT exists, but show its power to transform industry. According to Jasper, old fashioned hardware makers are using the Internet of Things to re-invent themselves as service providers.

The adoption of the platform – for use in connected car applications, retail, theft prevention and wearables – is proof of the demand for IoT throughout China and globally, it says.

Jasper has 27 partnerships with mobile operator groups worldwide but China Unicom is the only Chinese operator using 3G and 4G technologies (WCDMA and FDD-LTE). Two of the top 10 Chinese car makers have started using Control Center for connected car applications. One uses the installed connectivity to add value to its cheaper car models.

Retailers are using the IoT platform for more ordinary applications, such as creating wireless point of sale devices and mobile payment services. Some however, are being more creative with the platform, building IoT apps for theft prevention by maintaining a connection with goods after they have left shops and enabling stolen items to be tracked.

Another growth market is in portable WiFi Hotspots, according to Jasper. One large provider of consumer hotspots now uses the China Unicom Control Centre to manage its mobile services, by provisioning cells and making timely diagnostics from a central console that can control the entire network.

Manufacturers of wearables, telematics and personal health device systems have also been using the platform to create services to run over their hardware, says Jasper.

The more interesting revelation is that hardware manufacturers can transform themselves into service businesses if they have the right IoT platform, according to Cindy Patterson, Chief Customer Officer at Jasper.

“We see significant appetite across China to capitalize on the Internet of Things. These innovators are seizing the opportunity to transform their businesses with IoT services in ways that add value for their customers while growing their revenues,” said Patterson.