Ericsson has partnered with the Bridge Alliance to provide a uniform technical underpinning for the group’s Internet of Things ambitions in Asia, Middle East and Africa. The Bridge Alliance is a 36 mobile operator consortium operating across those territories and enabling roaming and associated services between members and corporate services, including IoT.

Ericsson will deploy its Device Connection Platform as a single platform to manage IoT across the Bridge Alliance's mobile operators.

According to Alessandro Adriani, CEO of Bridge Alliance, "The combination of Ericsson's technology leadership in IoT connectivity and Bridge Alliance's geographical coverage is an unmatched vehicle for any device original equipment manufacturer or enterprise looking to propel its business. Offering this unified experience requires more than just harmonizing interfaces across mobile operators. We have done more with Ericsson, including standardizing our footprint on a common core network."

The deployment will mean that any original equipment manufacturer (OEM), enterprise or service provider can deploy IoT solutions across multiple countries. With Ericsson DCP deployed on a global scale, operators and their customers will enjoy a unified experience, including  a single global SIM card, harmonized service levels and business processes.  

Matt Hatton at Machina Research is bullish about the prospects: "Mobile operator revenues in Asia-Pacific should soar from US$3 billion in 2015 to US$9. billion in 2020 and account for nearly 40 per cent of global revenue."