Vodafone UK launched an IoT platform providing customisable services for enterprises, a move the operator’s business director Anne Sheehan (pictured) argued will boost companies’ adaptability in the growing segment.

Sheehan told Mobile World Live (MWL) the new offering is suitable for any size of business, delivering customised services “specific for these customers, but in a way that’s affordable”.

Among the key features of the offering are consolidation of multiple processes into a single data management platform, and an ability for old and new devices to be integrated in one system alongside IoT sensors and devices.

Sheehan claimed Vodafone was a pioneer in terms of bringing such a service to the UK market, arguing it “will democratise IoT” in the country.

“We’re making it easy for any business to adopt IoT. We’re taking away complexity and making it simple to deploy, simple to manage and simple to see the return on investment”.

The platform was developed in collaboration with South Africa-based company IoT.nxt, which Vodafone subsidiary Vodacom acquired a majority stake in during 2019.

From a group perspective, Sheehan pointed to Vodafone’s strategy of moving towards end-to-end IoT services to meet enterprise needs in each of its markets.

Security
Addressing IoT device infection concerns recently raised separately by Nokia and analytics company Canalys, Sheehan noted the new offering is located in the company’s secure division, designed to protect the core of the platform.

“You could have a customer with millions of sensors and devices, so if one sensor gets contaminated, then you can basically marginalise it to that one sensor and it doesn’t get back to the core”, she explained.