Vodafone Idea, India’s third-largest telecommunications company, has teamed up with the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a state-backed entity, to launch an IoT (Internet of Things) lab. The primary objective of this lab is to advance standardization and interoperability within the IoT ecosystem. As the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has adopted oneM2M and 3GPP standards as the national standards for IoT solution design, this collaborative effort is poised to have a significant impact.
The IoT lab, established by Vi Business, the enterprise division of Vodafone Idea, is well-equipped to conduct device testing and certification following the prescribed standards. It offers an extensive range of testing scenarios, including network and functional testing, field testing, application testing, compatibility testing, and oneM2M standard testing, among others. Furthermore, it is capable of testing over 30 use cases spanning various industries, such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Connected Car, Point of Sale (POS), Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), and more.
One notable feature of the IoT lab is its ability to assess a wide array of components, encompassing devices, modules, Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), applications, firmware, and more. To date, Vi has successfully tested more than 50 devices across industries such as automotive, utilities, banking, financial services, logistics, and others.
This IoT lab serves as an orchestrator within the IoT ecosystem, bringing together all stakeholders to ensure a seamless experience. Vi proudly declares that five devices have already been certified as ‘network-ready,’ showcasing its commitment to ensuring the highest standards in the IoT segment.
Arvind Nevatia, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at Vi, expressed the company’s dedication to IoT adoption across industries. He highlighted the significance of this partnership with C-DOT in establishing a ‘centre of innovation,’ fostering collaboration between startups and the M2M/IoT industry. Certification from this lab is expected to help IoT service providers adhere to global standards, leading to faster time-to-market and revenue generation. It will also bolster the credibility of service providers and their devices by ensuring interoperability and standardization according to oneM2M standards.
According to a report by Nasscom, India’s IoT market is poised to reach $15 billion by 2025. Despite this promising outlook, the industry faces challenges such as device network compatibility, remote device configuration, and a fragmented ecosystem.
Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DOT, described the Vodafone Idea C-DOT IoT lab as a significant step toward establishing a testing and certification framework for standards-compliant IoT devices and applications. He emphasized the substantial benefits of this collaborative initiative, especially for Indian industries and startups looking to manufacture and deploy indigenous devices and applications adhering to standards.
Vi plans to showcase the Vi IoT Lab service in collaboration with C-DOT at the upcoming India Mobile Congress 2023, scheduled to be held from October 27 to October 29. This demonstration will provide industry players and stakeholders with insights into the lab’s capabilities and contributions to the IoT landscape.
