The scramble for IoT positioning continues (and will continue for the foreseeable future).  Last week Google set out its stall with Brillo, its IoT operating system (see - And now the Internet of Things operating system…)

This week Telefonica and Samsung are snuggling up with a “collaborative partnership to further research into new technologies and the development of use cases for the Internet of Things (IoT).”

Which companies - or partnerships - will end up playing ring-master to IoT?

It seems most likely that because IoT/M2M is eventually going to be huge and affect every type of business and IT subsector, that there will be competing and differentiated ecosystems, all serving different sets of verticals.

Say what you like about Google but it’s undeniably good at ecosystem building as it’s proved in the last decade, first with Android and then with Chrome OS. In both cases the Cookie Monster eschewed the ‘market till you drop’ approach in favour of the slow burn. Hard to remember now but for at least two years Android hung in the balance as only HTC appeared to be doing anything with it… patience won in the end.

Chrome OS, too, is only now building a head of steam having been launched way back in 2009, but Google shows no sign of flagging having just brought out the Pixel 2 Chromebook.

It’s a track record on persistence that makes it more likely that Google will get buy-in from partners for the next big ‘thing’ which IoT undoubtedly is.

Samsung and Telefónica are working on integrating Thinking Things, Telefónica I+D's initiative to further the development of the Internet of Things. There are two prototypes a in development - the first  integrates Telefonica’s Thinking Things Modular solution with the capabilities of Samsung’s devices. Telefonica says the second prototype involves the development of a physical button that will be used to simplify the application of IoT capabilities to different environments.

Both companies are working on new ways to bolster sensor-enabled interaction for the IoT field as home appliances and home automation, such as presence control and temperature and humidity regulation, which will be customizable and incorporated into Samsung’s devices.