Singapore’s mobile network operator Singtel has announced plans to launch an AI-powered internet of Things (IoT) network cloud services in partnership with Microsoft.
By integrating Singtel’s network functions into Microsoft’s cloud capabilities, Singtel envisions IoT applications to be able to migrate from devices to networks and clouds seamlessly.
Singtel said in a news release that the platform will also tap into Azure’s expanding cloud services, including IoT Hub, IoT Edge, and other machine learning and cognitive services to extend cloud intelligence and analytics to devices.
“This collaboration overcomes traditional constraints, empowering enterprises to lower costs, improve performance, and accelerate digital transformation,” Singtel said in a news release.
Singtel said platform will tap into Azure’s expanding cloud services, including IoT Hub, IoT Edge, and other machine learning and cognitive services to extend cloud intelligence and analytics to devices.
Diomedes Kastanis, Head of IoT at Singtel, said they expect to create unique solutions that would set new standards for IoT applications.
“AI-powered intelligent connectivity over Microsoft Azure will be the fastest connected path for IoT innovators to scale globally, and the smartest path to cross-device synergy in an instrumented, connected world,” he said.
Alberto Granados, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Operations at Microsoft Asia Pacific, said the collaboration provides a unique opportunity to bring together the best of devices and the edge, the network, and a hyper-scale cloud in Azure.
“This will provide a spectrum of offerings to developers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and visionaries to quickly develop and deploy IoT applications,” he added.
Singtel said an example of the application of intelligent connectivity would be a logistics company using the platform to maintain uninterrupted cold-chain operation.
“The platform enables the company to monitor the routes and conditions of mobile, refrigerated products using a combination of IoT sensors and on-demand IoT networks. It autonomously adjusts levels of service and cost to ensure adequate temperature, humidity, and location monitoring to ensure successful and timely deliveries,” Singtel explained.
“Without human intervention, the platform optimizes the collection of relevant information,” it added.
Enterprises can program the platform’s IoT capabilities to implement network policy control functions, including network on-demand, Virtual Private Network on-demand; rate limiting or setting the cap on the use of an IoT device; locking an IoT device’s SIM card; blacklisting or preventing an IoT device from activating and predicting bandwidth demand.
"The Internet of Things is all around us. We see some examples of this every day – from smartwatches and fitness trackers to voice-activated devices and autonomous cars – and this is giving rise to a new wave of tech innovation called edge computing,” Granados said.
