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Send SMS to Your Generator
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How would you like your tube well to start pumping water in
your farm (located anywhere) as you send a SMS from your
mobile phone? Better still, how would you like your mobile to
send SMS on its own to your tube well at 6 am while you are
still asleep? Machine to Machine communication will save
mankind lots of hassle, the need to remember critical daily
chores, or hire individuals to do jobs that can be performed
automatically, cheaply and without human intervention. This is
no longer science fiction. The technology and infrastructure is
already in place even in a developing country like Pakistan
As you approach your home, your programmed cell phone sends a SMS and
the coffee maker on the dining table comes to life. You are greeted by the
refreshing aroma as you enter the living room. Coffee is waiting. An earlier
SMS had started the pump to ensure that the overhead water tank is full. The
air conditioner had already been turned on by your thoughtful cell phone while
you were 15 minutes away from home. Despite there being no one else in the
house, it is so homely and cozy. Suddenly, the seemingly dumb device, your
cell phone, has turned into a thoughtful, caring and efficient assistant that
never forgets and seems to have a mind of its own.
A certain degree of machine intelligence has already been creeping into our
lives for quite sometime. If you have been to the Comstech, Islamabad, you
would be mildly surprised walking through the corridors. Lights quietly turn on
as you approach an area and turn off when you have moved away. Water
turns on as you place your hands under the tap and turns off when you are
finished washing hands. Same with the electric hand dryer (or dry towel, if you
please). And of course you have long forgotten when was the first time a door
automatically opened for you. Smart power meters of Pakistan origin have
already been in use for several years now. Lahore-based Microtech Industries
was probably the pioneer in this field. These functionalities are, however,
extremely trivial compared to what technology can do for you; remotely,
unobtrusively and wirelessly over cellular networks.
And telecommunication has the potential to benefit more than just people.
Machine to Machine (M2M) communication is an area that is expected to grow
rapidly in the coming years, adding significantly to today's more than 5.3 billion
mobile subscriptions as enterprises realize the benefit of M2M communication
over mobile networks. Mobile Healthcare is a notable facility whereby sensors
attached to the arm of a patient automatically monitor heartbeat, pulse rate,
blood pressure, perspiration, etc and transmit this information to the computer
networks of the hospital automatically, without having the patient, or
paramedics, doing anything. Recently, etislat signed a MoU with Ericsson to
deploy Mobile Healthcare services in UAE. Ericsson is providing its dedicated
Ericsson Mobile Health solution, a cross breed of latest mobile information and
communication technologies and healthcare. India is also collaborating with
Ericsson to deploy Mobile Healthcare technology.
To support M2M communication, Ericsson launched its Device Connection
Platform at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year. The service will
be offered to telecom operators around the world, who in turn will set up M2M
services tailored towards their enterprise customers. The platform is brought
to market in a SaaS {Software as a Service} business model, offering
operators benefits such as a low initial investment in technology and a fast
time to market. In the words of Magnus Furustam, Vice President, head of
Core & IMS at Ericsson,
"We envision a world with 50 billion connected devices in 2020, where
everything that benefits from a connection will be connected. To get there,
Ericsson is working with telecom operators, selected industry verticals and
other players across the M2M value chain to create world-leading, innovative
technology and sustainable business solutions."
“You cannot predict future”, said a wise man, “but you can manufacture one”.
The hi-tech companies are doing just that. Manufacturing a tomorrow, today.
Providing mobile phone operators the right tools to facilitate M2M
communication over cellular networks is a complex task. Several companies
are working to create tailored connectivity and price plans for M2M services.
Ericsson is one such. Its Device Connection Platform primarily makes it
possible through provideing a complete service that the operator can adjust to
serve its enterprise customers' needs, including a self-service interface,
flexible billing, charging and connectivity plans for all devices connected to the
network. Since M2M applications can communicate using any existing IP
protocol they can be accessed and share data via Internet. In addition, the
operator's customer will be able to manage their subscriptions and devices in
real time.
Some toll plazas in Pakistan are also equipped with M2M gear. A chip planted
on a vehicle automatically communicates with its counterpart at the toll plaza
without human intervention. This communication between the two machines
facilitates transaction of toll fee and, if the need be, may also run the security
check. Vehicles fitted with such tiny devices (RFID) can go through the toll
plaza without stopping for payment or security check. An exciting era of
enabling technologies is unfolding quietly.
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