GlobalPlatform’s SESIP methodology (EN 17927) offers a streamlined, cost-effective security framework for connected devices and components to conform to the EU’s new Cyber Resilience Act.

GlobalPlatform is calling for manufacturers of connected devices and components to adopt its “Security Evaluation Standard for IoT Platforms” (SESIP) methodology to demonstrate conformance with the European Union’s new Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), which comes into force this month.

The CRA aims to strengthen and harmonize cybersecurity across the EU by creating a new legal framework for all products that connect to the internet.

The enactment of the CRA puts into place mandatory cybersecurity rules that span the entire lifecycle of a digital product sold in the EU. The CRA was published in the Official Journal of the European Union last month and becomes law on December 11, 2024. Product manufacturers will have 36 months to fully comply with the legislation. The Act will eventually require all relevant products to comply with the rules in order to obtain the CE marking, a mandatory market requirement for issuing products in Europe.

As an internationally recognized standard for IoT security evaluation, SESIP is key to meeting the requirements mandated by the CRA. It provides manufacturers with a proven methodology for conducting security evaluations of software and hardware components across their products and supply chains. SESIP is recognized as a standard by CENELEC, the European Standardization Organization, as EN 17927. It also aligns with many other legislation and vertical certification schemes around the world, including the Cyber Trust Mark in the US.

The methodology is being used to certify components, platforms, and modules from a range of companies and is supported by a growing ecosystem of security providers, certification bodies (CBs), security laboratories, and other stakeholders. GlobalPlatform continues to support the growth and governance of the SESIP ecosystem. SGS Brightsight has recently been accredited as a SESIP CB following approval from the Spanish national accreditation body (ENAC), becoming the second SESIP CB after TrustCB.

Gil Bernabeu, CTO of GlobalPlatform, said:

“Industry support for SESIP is building at this critical juncture for IoT manufacturers operating in Europe.”

“The Cyber Resilience Act is vital to protecting consumers and businesses by embedding security features into the heart of the connected devices we use every day, providing a cybersecurity framework that spans the design, development, and maintenance of digital products.”

“However, this landmark legislation presents a range of compliance challenges for manufacturers of connected devices and the components used in these products,” continued Bernabeu. “SESIP simplifies conformity with the new regulations by providing a unified framework for comprehensive security evaluation, reducing cost, risk, and time to market. We look forward to expanding the SESIP ecosystem to help multiple industry sectors meet the requirements of the new European regulations. It will also enable international manufacturers to reuse their security evaluation investments to demonstrate conformance to non-European regulations.”

The SESIP methodology is already mapped to other standards and regulations such as ETSI, (EN 303645 / TS 103732), ISO/IEC (62443-4-2), RED (EN 18031), UNECE WP.29 (ISO/SAE 21434) and NIST (NIST 8259 / NIST 8425). It is also being used by schemes such as PSA Certified, and standardization bodies including the Car Connectivity Consortium and the Wireless Power Consortium. In addition to Europe, SESIP is being adopted around the world in key markets such as China, where an agreement was recently reached between GlobalPlatform and China’s National Financial Technology Certification Center (NFTC).

GlobalPlatform has a number of initiatives in place to help accelerate SESIP adoption. A training program has been launched and available for any interested party. It has also launched the SESIP Adopters community to give non-members the ability to keep up to date with relevant technical documents and showcase certified SESIP products.

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Berg Insight, the world’s leading IoT market research provider, today released new findings about the vehicle telematics hardware market.

More than 47.3 million aftermarket telematics devices were shipped globally during 2023, a market valued at approximately € 2.2 billion. The growing appetite for fleet management and other vehicle telematics services is currently driving the market.

Until 2028, annual shipments of aftermarket hardware are forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.0 percent to reach 69.3 million. Berg Insight estimates at the same time that global shipments of OEM telematics hardware for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles reached close to 68.4 million units in 2023 corresponding to a market value of € 8.6 billion.

A combination of commercial and regulatory drivers now encourages a broader set of carmakers to expand the availability of connected car services across geographies and market segments. There are also numerous OEM telematics offerings from commercial vehicle manufacturers. The attach rate of embedded telematics units among passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles is forecasted to increase from about 74 percent in 2023 to 93 percent in 2028.

“Berg Insight ranks Teltonika as the market leader in the aftermarket telematics hardware segment reaching annual telematics hardware sales of € 153.0 million in 2023”, said Martin Cederqvist, Senior Analyst at Berg Insight.

Other vendors that hold significant market shares include Xirgo Technologies, Jimi IoT, Queclink and CalAmp. These five vendors generated together approximately € 478 million in annual revenues from the sales of aftermarket telematics hardware in 2023. Jimi IoT and Queclink are leading suppliers from China while Xirgo Technologies and CalAmp are US-based.

“Other significant aftermarket telematics hardware vendors include ERM Advanced Telematics from Israel, Positioning Universal and Danlaw from North America; Suntech International, Gosuncn RichLink, Neoway Technology, Sinocastel, Coban Electronics, Gosafe, Kingwo and ATrack from Asia-Pacific; Meta System, Ruptela and Munic from Europe and Maxtrack from Brazil”, continued Mr. Cederqvist.

The design and development of OEM telematics systems is complex as these have to integrate with vehicle systems, fulfil strict quality standards and ensure performance during the long lifecycle of a vehicle model. Another challenge is handling and navigating through the increasingly complex geographical landscape. The suppliers of OEM telematics equipment are generally established automotive suppliers that develop their solutions in cooperation with car manufacturers.

Mr. Cederqvist, said:

“Technology trends include the rise of new network technologies such as 5G and satellite connectivity as well as the adoption of integrated antenna solutions in telematics control units.”

Shipments of OEM telematics hardware for passenger cars and light trucks amounted to about 59.3 million in 2023, representing almost 87 percent of the total OEM telematics hardware shipments.

The leading OEM telematics hardware vendors in terms of unit shipments are therefore found in the passenger car and light truck OEM telematics segment. Examples of leading automotive suppliers of OEM telematics hardware include LG Electronics, Continental, Harman, Valeo, Marelli, Denso, Actia, Lear, Bosch, Gosuncn WeLink, Huawei, Neusoft Corporation, Lianyou Technology, Hyundai Mobis, Visteon and Aptiv.

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The Internet of Things (IoT) has changed the way we live and work, connecting devices across industries and homes.

However, with this expanding connectivity comes an equally expanding risk of cyber threats and data vulnerabilities. For embedded electronics engineers, it is imperative to prioritise security to safeguard both individual privacy and critical infrastructure.

This article explores nine IoT security trends shaping the future of connected devices.

From identifying vulnerabilities to the new technologies being used for security in IoT, these insights will better equip engineers to design and maintain secure, resilient IoT solutions.

1. Identifying device vulnerabilities

The biggest threat facing IoT devices is when they are used by malicious actors to gain access to personal home networks. Even with regulations such as UK PSTI, many IoT devices are still being shipped with sub-par security. When users put these IoT devices directly onto their home network, there is a danger that private data and systems can be accessed.

Some common attack vectors include:

The use of generic admin passwords
Not properly verifying update packages
Using HTTP instead of HTTPS for web connections

2. New advanced encryption technologies

High end IoT products, for instance smart home audio systems, like Sonos, CCTV cameras (Axis, Bosch), and Smart Vehicles such as the Tesla Model S are also starting to take security more seriously. For example, we’re seeing certificate-based authentication on more devices as standard, ensuring that only software and updates from the official manufacturer are allowed to run on the device.

For smart home security systems, Google’s Nest Secure alarm system uses advanced encryption to protect your home network and connected devices. It employs end-to-end encryption for all communications between the Nest Guard (the main hub), Nest Detect sensors, and the Nest app. While the Ring Alarm Pro by Amazon integrates a built-in eero Wi-Fi 6 router with advanced encryption. It uses WPA3 encryption, the latest standard in Wi-Fi security, to protect your home network and connected IoT devices.

Devices that are becoming more commonplace are using HTTPS rather than HTTP to encrypt data in transit. They are also making use of least-privileged access principles to prevent devices from accessing more data than they need to, particularly in cloud-based environments.

3. Biometric integration in IoT

Biometrics, such as fingerprints or retinal scanners, are a tricky area when it comes to IoT security. Manufacturers must be extremely careful with how they store any biometric data taken by their products due to its personal nature and high levels of regulation.

The addition of biometrics to IoT products is often seen in access control devices such as smart door locks. While this does, in theory, offer improved security over the traditional key lock, in reality they are usually fitted with a key lock for redundancy anyway. This in itself calls into question the security benefit of adding biometrics at all.

4. Zero Trust architecture

Traditional security systems work at the perimeter, such as when a user signs into their company laptop and they are authenticated to access the entire company network. Zero Trust goes beyond that and applies explicit authentication to every file, service or email individually.

IoT devices themselves might implement Zero Trust by enforcing end-to-end encryption of all data transmitted. Zero Trust architecture will do this by requiring authentication at the point where it is sending data and by not being allowed to talk to other IoT devices on the network unless explicitly required.

A simple example of this might be a temperature sensor that talks to the cloud, traditionally this might not have any security, sending readings over HTTP to a cloud API. In Zero Trust, the sensor would send data over HTTPS, be required to authenticate to the specific API it is calling and, through provisioning, be unable to impersonate any other temperature sensor.

5. AI-powered protection

AI comes in many shapes and sizes within the IoT world, from cameras that can remember your face to smart watches that are able to accurately detect if the wearer has fallen. While AI is often talked about with respect to robotics, the term has become somewhat of a catchall for what we really used to call algorithmic systems, where our devices appear to think and react to data.

In the security world, we have already seen significant practical benefits of applying AI concepts, most notably in pattern recognition. Security cameras in particular have documented this well, from the early days of simple video to progressing to very basic motion detection. Now, our cameras can not only determine whether it’s a vehicle, animal or person that’s visible but oftentimes who it is.

6. Blockchain for data integrity

The blockchain represents a specialised datastore that cannot be altered once it is written to. Depending on the sensitivity of the data, the blockchain may be accessible only to specific users or publicly verifiable.

When implementing blockchain technologies, the primary benefit is where multiple parties need access to historic data records. Use of a blockchain ensures no single party can tamper with the data after it is recorded, a large benefit over traditional systems where one party would typically own the datastore.

Within IoT, the blockchain is starting to see more use, especially in freight and safety critical applications where transport information or operational logs must be recorded for compliance. Companies such as Renault and Home Depot have already begun integrating IBM’s Blockchain for IoT technology in their supply chain process.

7. Regulatory Landscape for IoT Security

The UK’s Public Safety and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 (PSTI) introduces measures to enhance the security of connected devices. The legislation applies to “relevant connectable products,” a term defined in Chapter 1, Section 5 of the Act, which broadly encompasses any device that connects to the internet, either directly or through a gateway, as well as devices that link to two or more other devices simultaneously.

By addressing the vulnerabilities inherent in connected technologies, the PSTI seeks to establish robust standards that mitigate cybersecurity risks and safeguard user data. This focus on connected devices reflects the growing reliance on the Internet of Things (IoT) and aims to ensure that manufacturers prioritise security features to protect consumers and critical digital infrastructure.

For manufacturers in the EU the EU Cyber Resilience Act is set to come into force before 2025, with product compliance mandated by 2027. The Act imposes stringent cybersecurity requirements on manufacturers, distributors, and importers of hardware and software products, to protect consumers and businesses from ever-growing cyber threats.

The CRA mandates a “secure-by-design” approach, requiring manufacturers to embed cybersecurity measures into every stage of the product lifecycle. This includes conducting thorough risk assessments, implementing robust security updates, and providing clear documentation to users. Manufacturers must also address vulnerabilities promptly and ensure that products meet strict cybersecurity standards before entering the market.

The CRA also places a strong emphasis on ongoing security support. Manufacturers are obligated to provide security updates and patches throughout a defined product lifecycle, ensuring that devices remain protected against emerging threats. This proactive approach aims to minimise the risk of cyberattacks and data breaches.

Based on the CRA, some advice for how to ensure security in IoT devices:

Passwords must be unique per product or be capable of being defined by the user of the product.
Manufacturers must provide without prior request, free of charge and in English, information on how to report security issues with their products and acknowledge these reports with a suitable response.
Security updates must have a clearly defined minimum update period as well as a documented end of life.

8. Future-proofing & emerging security trends

The cloud has quickly shaped the design and functionality of IoT devices by enabling manufacturers to integrate enhanced security features more efficiently.

Cloud-based provisioning mechanisms are increasingly being adopted, reducing the risk of rogue devices infiltrating networks by ensuring that only authenticated devices are granted access. Additionally, the cloud streamlines the update process, allowing for timely and reliable deployment of security patches and firmware updates to counteract potential vulnerabilities and malicious code.

This has also aided in the rollout of AI backed systems. Most notably, in risk-prioritised prevention, cloud systems can identify a normally acceptable security risk in a critical system as an unacceptable risk. Pooling knowledge from previous attacks across the entire network can also help AI systems identify threats earlier, before they can cause significant harm.

In the next five years, I suspect we’ll struggle to find any IoT products that don’t claim to be AI backed in one way or another. With increasing regulation, the days of simple IoT products are likely behind us. With every smart light or plug requiring much stricter security by law, IoT products will need a plethora of technologies to stay compliant
Ultimately this means we shouldn’t have to see news articles about smart fridges being compromised to mine crypto currency anymore, and feel more confident that our smart devices are secure.

9. Best practices for IoT Security

When designing and manufacturing connected IoT products, it is essential to make security a critical pillar of the product. Incorporating security features early in the product development lifecycle is often more efficient and cost-effective than attempting to retrofit compliance measures at the end of the production pipeline.

For those looking to learn more about general cyber security as well as IoT specifics, some of the best resources can be found in courses offered by the large cloud providers: Microsoft, Amazon and Google. Many of these are free of charge and available to anybody, not just those working professionally in the sector.

When collaborating with a design partner, don’t hesitate to inquire about IoT security expertise and ensure they are prepared to incorporate robust security measures into the design process. At ByteSnap Design, we have worked on both existing and emergent IoT security technology and know how important open communication about security expectations are when creating a secure and reliable product.

Conclusion

By staying informed about the latest trends and best practices, embedded engineers have a unique opportunity and responsibility to protect connected devices. From implementing advanced encryption to zero-trust architecture, these tools will help mitigate cyber risks, and safeguard critical and sensitive data.

As the IoT technology landscape evolves, engineers must integrate security considerations from the outset of the design process. By collaborating with security experts and staying updated on emerging threats, engineers can build IoT systems and devices that are not only cutting-edge but also resilient to cyberattacks.

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4G/5G drone-in-a-box solution, powered by AI-enabled soware, to help first responder agencies and industries keep communities and workers safer
Customers will benefit from enhanced situational awareness, remote operations, and faster decision-making

Nokia and Motorola Solutions announced a drone technology integration to launch an AI-enhanced turnkey, automated drone-in-a-box solution that sets a new standard for first responders and mission-critical industries, offering enhanced situational awareness, streamlined remote operations, and faster decision-making.

The solution integrates Nokia Drone Networks with Motorola Solutions’ CAPE drone software to help transform public safety and industrial operations, enhancing operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

Dispatching drones ahead of first responders enables early assessment of a situation’s severity, helping to support efficient resource allocation. The new solution enables public safety and mission-critical industries to remotely dispatch drones from one or multiple operation centers at a moment’s notice to assess emergencies and hazards while also receiving AI-powered intelligence that can inform and accelerate decisions to help keep workers, property, and premises safer.

CAPE software’s flight-safe features adjust the drone’s path to avoid obstacles, stay within a geofenced area, and adapt to changing terrain altitude, with assistive AI helping operators analyze real-time data. Nokia’s drone-in-a-box technology connects via 4G/LTE or 5G networks for broader reach and seamless remote operation beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).

Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs have demonstrated an increase in first responder safety by providing tactical intelligence, enabling better coordination, oversight and transparency in operations. For critical infrastructure industries like oil and gas, ports, utilities, mining, energy and manufacturing, the technology’s BVLOS and remote operation capabilities help to enhance industrial worker safety and lower the costs of operating hard-to-reach sites like offshore wind farms. Multiple drone-in-a-box systems can serve as a sustainable alternative to helicopters, significantly reducing carbon emissions.

Roxana Kennedy, Chief of Police at Chula Vista Police Department in California, stated: “In 2018, we created and developed the world’s first public safety Drone as First Responder program in partnership with Motorola Solutions, utilizing their CAPE drone software. Since then, we’ve successfully flown over 21,000 missions. Our DFR program has been instrumental in critical life-and-death situations by providing aerial awareness or helping officers de-escalate incidents by delivering real-time, vital information.”

Jehan Wickramasuriya, corporate vice president of AI and Intelligence Platforms at Motorola Solutions said: “We’re innovating where our customers need us most to bring them better intelligence for faster decisions. This drone-in-a-box solution furthers our commitment to drone innovation that seamlessly fits within our customers’ current workflows to give those charged with our safety actionable live-stream insights while simplifying evidence collection.”

Stephan Litjens, Vice President of CNS Enterprise Campus Edge Solutions at Nokia, said: “We are proud to collaborate with an innovator like Motorola Solutions in this significant step toward a more mature and sustainable drone industry for the benefit of our customers, workers, and community. Together, we are setting technology best practices in drone connectivity and AI. With an open API architecture that facilitates easy integration with third-party applications, and other solutions like Nokia’s MX Grid, Nokia Drones-in-a-Box and Motorola Solutions’ CAPE software, we are transforming drones into daily helpers for public safety and mission-critical operations.”

Nokia Drone Networks are compliant with international industry standards and offer long-lasting technology with upgradable components that reduce electronic waste.

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Berg Insight, the leading IoT market research provider, has in a new market research project found that the global installed base of active construction equipment (CE) OEM telematics systems reached 6.8 million units in 2023.

Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.0 percent, the active installed base is forecasted to reach 12.1 million units worldwide in 2028. This includes all CE telematics systems marketed by construction equipment OEMs, either developed in-house or provided by the CE manufacturers in partnership with third-party telematics players.

The European market accounted for around 0.9 million active construction equipment OEM telematics systems at the end of 2023.
The North American market is estimated to be somewhat larger than the European.
The Rest of World moreover represents more than half of the global installed base of CE telematics systems provided by construction equipment OEMs.

Most major construction equipment OEMs have introduced telematics offerings for their customers either independently or in collaboration with telematics partners.

Rickard Andersson, Principal Analyst, Berg Insight, said:

“OEM telematics systems are today commonly factory-installed as standard at least for heavier machines and increasingly also for compact equipment.”

Berg Insight ranks Caterpillar as the leading construction equipment OEM in terms of the number of CE telematics systems deployed worldwide.

“Caterpillar, which is also by far the leading construction equipment manufacturer by market share, has well over 1 million connected assets in the construction equipment segment specifically”, continued Mr. Andersson. Based in the US, Caterpillar’s largest markets for its telematics offerings are North America and Europe.

“The runners-up are SANY and Komatsu based in China and Japan respectively, both major players on the respective domestic markets”, said Mr. Andersson.

He adds that Komatsu also has relatively large shares of its telematics units in North America, China and Europe. Other major players with several hundred thousand active CE telematics units include Sweden-based Volvo Construction Equipment, XCMG and Zoomlion in China, Japan-based Hitachi Construction Machinery and JCB headquartered in the UK. Deere & Company, HD Hyundai and Doosan Bobcat are also estimated to have reached the milestone of 100,000 units.

“Additional players having estimated installed bases of construction equipment telematics units in the tens of thousands include Liebherr, Terex, JLG Industries, CNH Industrial and Tadano”, concluded Mr. Andersson.

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Fraikin Group accelerates its journey towards digitalisation and decarbonisation with Samsara’s Connected Operations® platform.

Fraikin Group, Europe’s largest Full Service Operation Lease company, is extending its long-standing collaboration with Samsara, the pioneer of the Connected Operations® Cloud, as part of its increased investment in digitalising and decarbonising its fleet.

Following the deployment of Samsara AI Dash Cams, Asset Gateways, Door Monitors, Environmental Monitors, and Vehicle Gateways in 5,000+ vehicles in the UK, Fraikin is integrating Samsara’s cutting-edge AI technologies across 60,000 vehicles throughout its European operations.

For example, Fraikin is integrating advanced data and AI technologies into NeXa®, its flagship fleet management platform, to deliver a top-of-class solution for its customers. By leveraging Samsara’s real-time data and telematics, Fraikin is able to optimise its fleet maintenance across Europe, allowing for more precise tracking of vehicle health, maintenance, and improved operational efficiency. This integration will enhance Fraikin’s current services, providing fleet managers with actionable insights to reduce downtime, improve fuel efficiency, and streamline overall fleet operations.

Samsara’s integration positions Fraikin as a leader in fleet decarbonisation. With Samsara’s Connected Operations Platform, Fraikin can support its customers on their journey to zero-emission transport, providing the tools and data necessary to transition to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and other alternative fuel solutions.

This technology will also serve as an essential component for Fraikin’s upcoming eMSP (e-Mobility Service Provider) services, offering a seamless customer experience as it migrates to sustainable transport options. By combining NeXa® with Samsara’s capabilities, Fraikin is not only improving its current fleet management, but also setting the stage for future innovations, helping its customers achieve their sustainability goals while maintaining top-tier service standards.

Fraikin Group CEO, Yves Pétin, said: “Samsara plays a critical part in Fraikin’s mission to lead the future of sustainable fleet management. With over 80 years of experience, we are now deploying cutting-edge technology across 60,000+ vehicles, empowering our customers with real-time data to optimise fleet operations and reduce their environmental impact.”

“This collaboration is a key step in our expansion, ensuring we deliver premium, customer-focused solutions while supporting the transition to zero-emission fleets. At Fraikin, we’re building the future of fleet management together with our customers.”

Fraikin Group CDO, Edward Breedveld, added: “Digital transformation and decarbonisation are central to our strategy, and Samsara has played a crucial role in helping us build a standardised, future-proofed, and innovative platform. With this technology, we are greatly expanding our real-time data insights to optimise operations, minimise environmental impact, and ensure our vehicles meet the highest safety standards.”

Philip van der Wilt, SVP and GM EMEA at Samsara, stated:

“Fraikin’s commitment to innovation and sustainability aligns perfectly with Samsara’s mission to drive efficiency, safety and sustainability in physical operations. Together, we’re optimising the performance of fleet-based businesses and driving the future of smarter transportation.”

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The global installed base of active remote tank monitoring (RTM) solutions reached 9.3 million units at the end of 2023, according to a new research report from the IoT analyst firm Berg Insight.

Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.4 percent, the active installed base is estimated to reach 25.5 million units worldwide in 2028.

Berg Insight estimates that the European market accounted for close to 2.1 million active RTM systems at the end of 2023.

The North American market is estimated to be larger than the European at around 3.9 million active units.
The Asia-Pacific market is moreover estimated to represent an installed base of about 2.2 million RTM systems at the end of 2023.
South America and Middle East & Africa are smaller markets having installed bases of 465,000 units and 651,000 units respectively.

There are more than 100 RTM solution vendors active on the market worldwide and this report covers 67 companies. Berg Insight ranks Otodata once again as the leading RTM solution provider in terms of the active installed base worldwide with an installed base of about 2.0 million RTM units. Otodata is based in Canada and primarily focuses on the fuel reseller segment in North America. Otodata has so far acquired 3 companies to boost its growth plans: Wise Telemetry in April 2021, Wireless Applications Corporation (WACnGO) in December 2021 and AIUT’s LPG branch in June 2022. Anova and SkyBitz (Ametek) were in second and third place having achieved installed bases of about 1.1 million units and 245,000 units respectively. Anova has done a string of acquisitions including Independent Technologies, Wikon, ISA – Intelligent Sensing Anywhere, iTank (Sierra Wireless) and Silicon Controls to become the second largest RTM solution vendor with more than 2,000 customers in 80 countries. SkyBitz is based in the US and most of its tanks under management can be found in North America and a few in Mexico and other countries. German FoxInsights and Generac based in the US followed in fourth and fifth place and had installed bases of 150,000 and 130,000 tank monitoring systems respectively. Sensile Technologies, Dunraven Systems, Angus Energy, Kingspan and PowTechnology are also ranked among the largest providers with 70,000–110,000 units each.

Other RTM solution providers with installed bases of 24,000–50,000 RTM systems in active use at the end of 2023 include TankScan, Gasbot, Varec, Banner Engineering, FreeWave, Fourdata, GreenCityZen, Insite Platform Partners, Schmitt Industries and Tecson.

Merger and acquisition activity on this market is just about to commence at the same time as new innovative companies enter the market. Anova and Otodata have been the most ambitious consolidators on the market so far with five and three acquisitions respectively.

Johan Fagerberg, Principal Analyst, Berg Insight, said:

“Additional companies have recently started to look at in-organic grow opportunities more actively including for instance Measure Connect Display that acquired Top Fuel in Q4-2023 and Badger Meter that picked up Trimble’s water monitoring assets in Q1-2024.”

Mr. Fagerberg anticipates that the market consolidation of the remote tank monitoring industry will accelerate in the next five years.

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Wirepas interoperable RF mesh with Silicon Labs FG23 SoC delivers 99.9% reliability.

Silicon Labs, a global leader in secure, intelligent wireless technology, today announced that they have shipped four million FG23 SoCs for smart electricity meters as part of India’s Advanced Metering Initiative (AMI).

These FG23 SoCs use RF mesh technology from Wirepas, a leader in wireless connectivity solutions. The availability and performance of the chip has driven the adoption of highly reliable and efficient smart electricity metering solutions tailored to the specific needs of India’s dynamic and demanding power landscape.

Ross Sabolcik, Senior Vice President of the Industrial and Commercial Business Unit at Silicon Labs, said:

“We are proud to support India’s ambitious Advanced Metering Initiative with best-in-class performance for the modern smart metering demands of India’s energy sector,”

“The FG23 SoC with Wirepas RF mesh offers distinct advantages, particularly in large, dense environments.”

Silicon Labs and Wirepas help keep the lights on in India

The FG23 SoC, incorporating Wirepas Mesh Sub-GHz connectivity, has become an ideal solution for AMI deployments due to its infinite scalability, ultra-low power consumption, and ultra-resilience. For example, the Wirepas network continuously adjusts to environmental changes, seamlessly optimizing data paths. Even after power outages, the network quickly restructures within minutes, reliably meeting utilities’ strict requirements for data delivery. Its capability to meet the demanding communication and reliability requirements of India’s smart metering landscape has enabled solution providers to successfully meet and exceed customer needs with a 99.9% proven reliability.

Compared to traditional mesh protocols, the Silicon Labs FG23 SoC with Wirepas RF mesh offers:

Cost Efficiency: Streamlined operation with low overhead, reducing both capital and operational expenses throughout the deployment’s lifecycle.
Exceptional Reliability: Consistently achieves the 99.9% reliability required by utility providers, ensuring accurate meter data delivery to utility head-end systems every 15-minutes.
Urban Resilience: Maintains reliable data transmission in densely populated urban areas, effectively managing heavy radio traffic and interference from surrounding meters.
Rural Reach: Delivers robust performance across extensive distances, forming extended data chains that reliably span hundreds of kilometers in rural settings.

As part of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in India, smart metering projects must meet rigorous standards, requiring adherence to the specifications set out in the Standard Bidding Documents (SBD) and compliance to Indian Standard IS 15959. The FG23 SoC, leveraging Wirepas RF mesh, meets these specifications, enabling solution providers to streamline integration while adhering to all regulatory requirements.

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According to a new research report from the IoT analyst firm Berg Insight, there were a total of 4,700 private LTE/5G networks deployed across the world at the end of 2024, excluding proof-of-concept (PoC) projects.

The market value for private LTE/5G network solutions reached an estimated US$ 1.8 billion in 2024.

Berg Insight believes that the market value for private LTE/5G network solutions will grow at a steady pace over the next five years, largely driven by new network deployments. Revenue growth will also be driven by upgrades and expansions of existing networks, as enterprises add new applications and transition from LTE to 5G. Growing at a CAGR of 38 percent, the total market value for private LTE/5G network solutions is forecasted to reach US$ 8.9 billion in 2029.

Melvin Sörum, IoT analyst at Berg Insight, said:

“The increased availability of dedicated spectrum and emergence of new use cases open up a wide range of opportunities for the cellular ecosystem.”

“The shift is fuelling a new wave of investments by established network equipment vendors while also attracting new entrants into the space. The historically supply-driven market is today also increasingly driven by organic demand from end users”, continued Mr. Sörum.

The major RAN vendors (Ericsson, Nokia and Huawei) all play significant roles as end-to-end solution providers and are challenged by a number of smaller RAN equipment providers. The vendors increasingly pursue channel-led sales strategies, and have developed ecosystems of mobile operators, system integrators, VARs and consulting partners to bring solutions to market. Berg Insight ranks Nokia as the largest private LTE/5G network solution vendor with about 800 customers and over 1,500 private network deployments at the end of 2024.

A number of small cell and other RAN equipment providers offer competitive LTE/5G radio products and in some cases complete private network offerings, including Airspan Networks, Askey, Baicells, Benetel, Cablefree, Celona, Firecell, GXC, JMA Wireless, Mavenir, Samsung Networks, Sercomm, Star Solutions and ZTE. Important specialised core network software vendors include Cisco, Cumucore, Druid Software, Expeto, Highway 9, HPE and Microsoft. In total, RAN and EPC/5GC offerings for private networks are available from over 60 vendors.

According to Berg Insight, the introduction of as-a-service business models is currently one of the strongest trends, along with the increased virtualization of network functions, implementation of the O-RAN concept in radio products and launch of neutral host network solutions. Other key trends identified by the research firm that could significantly impact private LTE/5G network adoption include regulatory changes and emerging technologies such as Wi-Fi 7 and network slicing, which may serve as potential substitutes for private cellular networks.

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CRA and Netmore to Jointly Develop High-Growth Water and Gas Utility and Property Management Markets.

Netmore Group, a leading global LoRaWAN network operator, today announced that CRA, the largest Czech cloud service provider in the Czech Republic, has chosen Netmore’s Operator Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) to modernize and streamline the delivery of commercial Internet of Things (IoT) services to its customers.

Netmore PaaS enables CRA to not only deliver carrier-grade and future-proof LoRaWAN network connectivity, but also optimizes the company’s network monitoring and technical support for IoT deployments across multiple industries and use cases.

CRA’s IoT portfolio includes a nationwide LoRaWAN network which covers more than 80% of the nation’s population and IoT Cloud, a platform for standardizing the processing and integration of connected device data. CRA’s infrastructure supports a wide range of high-growth use cases that are complementary to Netmore’s focus within the smart metering, water management, environmental monitoring, and building automation segments.

Additionally, the partnership will focus on knowledge sharing to optimize network performance, conducting pre-rollout device testing, and establishing strategic joint partnerships within key industries.

“As LoRaWAN continues to grow as a preferred technology for connecting IoT applications, we need a platform capable of delivering operational value today and with the capacity to scale to support the digital transformation needs of Czech utilities and enterprise organizations far into the future,” said Petr Mozis, Chief Commercial Officer at CRA.

“In addition to robust network and device management features, Netmore’s Operator PaaS platform offers shared efficiencies, cost advantages, and scalability that will allow us to support domestic customers and expand into countries where Netmore and its partners operate LoRaWAN networks.”

Understanding that efficient resource utilization and adopting a shared platform are necessary to achieve a sustainable business model within IoT, customers across the globe are deploying and operating LoRaWAN networks with Netmore PaaS. This includes new customers as well as those transitioning from other platforms. As a trusted expert in network and device migrations, Netmore ensures an interruption-free migration process for operators transitioning to their PaaS platform, keeping IoT operations running smoothly with no downtime.

“CRA’s deep IoT expertise, technical capabilities, and established position in the Czech Republic make them an ideal partner for Netmore,” says Andreas Stenhager, Chief Commercial Officer at Netmore Group.

“We are pleased to have CRA join our Operator PaaS ecosystem, and we are committed to delivering scalable, reliable IoT connectivity to support innovation throughout the Czech Republic. We look forward to collaborating with CRA to help its domestic and cross-border customers gain new insights from their IoT data to drive automation and sustainability initiatives forward.”

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