A look behind the scenes at the IoT department at Orange

Applications of the Internet of Things

IoT covers various domains according to Fabio Corna Pellegrini, Product & Operations Manager M2M/IoT (on the left in the picture). "Some applications contribute to traffic safety. Others are for mobile payments, monitoring health or providing images from video security," he explains.

Clients who come to Orange for IoT are also diverse: 60% are companies, 30% are residential and 10% come from the government. The offer available to these target groups is spread across several different levels.

What does the Orange IoT range look like?

On one hand, there’s the connectivity itself. ‘Today, a lot of SIM cards are designed to be built directly into a machine,’ says Gert Pauwels.

A different approach is the adjusted platform. "This gives our clients the possibility of following up and managing on the level of an individual card or device," explains Fabio Corna Pellegrini. "We designed the portal for this in collaboration with our partner, Ericsson. It is one of the most high-performance, future-oriented and highly recommended portals in the market. Furthermore, it’s highly suited for handling large volumes of machines and SIM cards."

Besides this, Orange is very strong in the areas of analytics and service management. "The reporting in these areas is completely customised, but also benefits from our proactive approach. If cards create more volume than normal, we notify the client." says Fabio Corna Pellegrini.

Companies that have grown thanks to IoT

For a lot of clients, the IoT range and the related support are crucial elements in their own business management procedures. Gert Pauwels points to Transics as an example. They have adapted their entire business model and could grow as a company specifically as a result of IoT and the support they receive from Orange.

There are also the many mobile payment terminals, crucial for the business of traders and merchants from a variety of industries. Gert Pauwels: "There are possibilities everywhere. Think about the rivers the Flemish government can monitor wirelessly with help from our technology. An important service for citizens, if only because it can signal possible flooding danger," says Pauwels.

"For the cultural capital Mons, we worked together with the local government to register the number of spectators." he adds. Or how IoT has created a lot of new services and opportunities.