The Spanish units of Telefonica and Samsung are developing two prototypes for the Internet of Things (IoT) that promise to integrate the vendor’s mobile devices with the operator’s Thinking Things platform.

One prototype combines a Telefonica module with Samsung’s devices and sensors. The idea is to identify new products and services.

The second development involves a physical button that “will be used to simplify the application of IoT capabilities in different environments”.

No further information is available about the physical button, which sounds reminiscent of Amazon’s announcement earlier this year of a Dash button that users attach to household devices and press to top up everyday items, such as washing powder.

The partnership between Telefonica and Samsung is interesting because both companies have separately stated the importance of IoT to their future businesses.

The link up is between the Spanish R&D unit of Samsung and Telefonica I + D, the operator’s R&D unit headquartered in Madrid, and will look at new technologies and use cases for IoT.

“Telefonica’s Product innovation area is looking beyond the current commercial offer of Telefonica. We want to extend our connectivity to all kinds of new devices, making the development of applications using these devices really simple,” said Francisco Jariego, Telefónica I+D’s IoT industrial director.

“Working together with Samsung is essential to speed up the go to market of our innovation efforts in IoT, a technology which is here to stay,” he added.