Telefonica predicted an acceleration in deployment of IoT and big data telemetry solutions after expanding a partnership with Spanish specialist Erictel.

The pair plan to focus on developing and launching new services covering asset tracking and field management. In a statement, Telefonica explained the agreement builds on M2M-focused partnerships with Erictel spanning a number of years and expands the geographic reach to cover all of the operator’s markets.

Elena Gil, product and business operations director for IoT and Big Data at the operator’s Telefonica Tech division, said the agreement enhanced its capabilities “at a time when collaboration with our partners is more important than ever in order to support our B2B customers in their path towards digitisation, automation and data-driven decisions”.

Telefonica noted Covid-19 (coronavirus) had highlighted the importance of automation and digitalisation, showing “how data-based decision-making can help businesses stay competitive”.

The operator recently bolstered IoT security by deepening ties with cybersecurity specialists Nozomi Networks and Fortinet.