Globe says Sierra Wireless bets heavily on M2M
Globe says Sierra Wireless bets heavily on M2M
2013-04-25 08:02 ET - In the News
The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition Sierra Wireless is staking its future on the rise of the machines. The Globe's Rita Trichur writes Richmond, B.C., company has quietly become one of the world's largest makers of devices that enable "machine-to-machine" wireless connections. It is a burgeoning trend that promises to connect everything from cars to coffee machines to the Internet. Telcos have dubbed it the "Internet of Things," a concept that envisions machines communicating with other machines in order to automate daily life. The technology is hardly new. Even cows have been fitted with wireless sensors to monitor their health. With smart phone adoption poised to mature over the coming years, mobile carriers are increasingly looking to support M2M connections to fuel the next wave of wireless growth. M2M will represent 17 per cent of the world's mobile connections in 2017, up from 5 per cent last year, making it one of the fastest growing areas of wireless communications. As a result, Sierra is on the hunt for acquisitions this year to ramp up its presence in that emerging market. Although M2M is still considered a fledgling market, Sierra is betting heavily on its long-term growth.