Highlights:

Sateliot is a Spanish startup building a network of over 100 small satellites with global reach that will connect devices in remote, previously unserved areas.
This is the EIB’s first venture debt operation with a Spanish space company and in the segment of satellite communications.
The financing is part of the support the EIB is providing to European startups to help them develop cutting-edge space technologies and solutions.
The operation is backed by the InvestEU programme to mobilise public and private sector funds in support of EU policy goals.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €30 million loan with Spanish company Sateliot to co-finance the rollout of its constellation of over 100 LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites, which will provide Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity worldwide.

The Barcelona-based startup is a pioneer in satellite communications and in the European “New Space” industry, where the private sector drives space exploration and commercialisation. The company is rolling out a network of satellites that act like mobile telecom towers in low Earth orbit, providing 5G narrowband internet of things (5G-NB-IoT) connectivity to over 8 million devices in rural, oceanic, and other remote areas. Traditional mobile operators will be able to use this service to expand the coverage of their ground-based IoT networks to previously unserved areas.

The EIB-financed project will bolster the European Union’s space connectivity and offer low-cost, IoT-based asset monitoring services for use in sectors such as agriculture, livestock management, fisheries and other maritime activities, the management of protected areas, fire control and monitoring, and environmental applications among others.

“This loan shows the EIB’s commitment to innovation and development in the European space sector, thereby supporting the digital transition and contributing to the European Union’s strategic autonomy in areas of space and global connectivity in the context of the EIB Strategic European Security Initiative,” said EIB Vice-President, Robert de Groot.

This operation will help strengthen the European New Space ecosystem, speeding up the digital transition by connecting millions of previously disconnected devices in remote areas where ground-based IoT connections do not reach. It will also provide connectivity for security applications such as reconnaissance and surveillance, border protection and control, and security infrastructure monitoring. The EIB loan is guaranteed by InvestEU, the flagship EU programme to mobilise over €372 billion of additional public and private sector investment to support EU policy goals from 2021 to 2027.

“This EIB backing—together with the support that Sateliot has already received from major investor groups and other banks and institutions—gives a huge boost to our development. This capital will be used to move forward with the next stage of our constellation and comes in addition to the income we will begin to receive in 2025 when the four satellites we already have in orbit enter commercial service,” added Sateliot CEO and Co-founder Jaume Sanpera.

The EIB Group and financing the European space industry

The European Union already has historic flagship space programmes like Copernicus and Galileo that provide Europe with autonomous space capabilities. It is also supporting the European New Space industry via various financing vehicles. The European Investment Fund (EIF) has launched several initiatives such as the InnovFin Space Equity Pilot and CASSINI to back venture capital funds investing in early-stage European space companies. Furthermore, the EIB is currently ramping up its venture debt and scale-up financing support to highly innovative space companies. With support from the European Commission, the EIB also offers venture debt loans to advanced-stage space companies. Since 2020, the Bank has thus become a key global financier of new space technologies in the European Union, including the recent financing totalling €90 million for European New Space leaders like Spire Global, D-Orbit, EnduroSat, Kayrros, Gomspace, and LeafSpace.

The Sateliot financing, benefitting from European Commission thematic support under the InvestEU, is the latest addition to the EIB’s diversified New Space portfolio as the first New Space company financed with venture debt in Spain and the first in the communication segment ever. Beyond financing, the EIB Group also works with the European Commission to provide advisory services (EIB Advisory) to New Space companies. EIB Advisory put together a market assessment on the European space sector and launched the Space Finance Lab forum to connect space companies with investors. In 2022, the EIB contributed to the first report on investments in global navigation satellite systems, jointly published with the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). Lastly, in 2024, the EIB, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the European Commission signed an agreement to strengthen their cooperation in the sector.

The operation contributes also to the EIB Strategic European Security Initiative (SESI). More info about SESI is available here.

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According to a new report from the leading IoT market research provider Berg Insight, the number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in North America was 17.4 million in Q4-2023.

Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.9 percent, this number is expected to reach 30.5 million by 2028.

In Latin America, the number of active fleet management systems is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.9 percent from 6.5 million in Q4-2023 to reach 13.0 million in 2028. There are well over 30 players with installed bases of more than 100,000 active fleet management units in the Americas. At the end of 2023, the top-30 vendors together had over 16 million vehicles under management in the region and the top-10 alone represented 50 percent of the total installed base in the Americas.

“A handful of solution providers have emerged as frontrunners on the fleet management market in the Americas and the top-5 players have now all reached the million mark in terms of installed base”, said Rickard Andersson, Principal Analyst, Berg Insight. Geotab, Verizon Connect and Samsara are the leading fleet telematics providers in the region.

“Canada-based Geotab is clearly in the lead, having more than 3 million active fleet management subscribers in North America alone as well as hundreds of thousands of units in Latin America”, continued Mr. Andersson.

He adds that US-based Verizon Connect and the relative newcomer Samsara are the runners-up in the Americas, followed by CalAmp and Solera Fleet Solutions. Additional solution providers with installed bases of more than half a million units in the Americas include Lytx, Motive, Trimble and Gurtam. Trimble Transportation has similarly to Solera Fleet Solutions been active in the industry for decades.

“Trimble’s global transportation telematics business units are now notably acquired by Platform Science in a transaction expected to close in the first half of 2025”, said Mr. Andersson.

The remaining top-15 players include Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, MICHELIN Connected Fleet, Fleet Complete (Powerfleet), Zonar Systems (Continental), GPS Insight and Powerfleet. Bridgestone, Michelin and Continental are all examples of major tire manufacturers that have established strong positions in the fleet management space through acquisitions.

“Powerfleet has expanded its presence considerably in the last year through the acquisitions of both MiX Telematics and most recently Fleet Complete”, said Mr. Andersson.

Many of the frontrunners are indeed driven by growth strategies combining strategic M&A activity and high-pace organic growth.

Mr. Andersson concluded:

“Berg Insight anticipates a future scenario where the global fleet management market is dominated by a handful of providers with installed bases measured in the millions.”

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The IoT has been evolving for more than two decades and we’ve been talking about security for just as long. Security now focusses on the wireless connections and new legislation is forcing OEMs to rethink IoT development. With more protocols now in use, where does security fit in?

Personal and local area wireless networking is dominated by the IEEE 802.15 and 802.11 families of protocols. This normally presents a choice to be made, mainly because no single standard can meet all our requirements for range, power, and bit rate. Now, security must take priority in that list of requirements.

A common frequency, 2.4 GHz, makes it possible to support more than one protocol with one physical interface: the radio. This commonality at the hardware level creates opportunities for integration. The availability of multiprotocol wireless microcontrollers (MCUs) is growing. A single device that has an IEEE 802.15.4 compliant radio can, in theory, support Bluetooth, Thread, and Zigbee, as well as proprietary protocols.

The security features of most standardized wireless protocols have improved over the years in response to demand. Many of those security features are optional at implementation, so OEMs need to understand what security features their application needs, what their chosen protocol offers, and how to implement them. New legislation for IoT security will emphasise the importance of these features.

Bluetooth is arguably the most versatile and actively evolving standard in the wireless personal area network (W-PAN) portfolio. It fits alongside protocols such as Thread and Zigbee, each having its own unique advantages. Its security features have improved with every release of the core specification.

More recently, Matter has emerged as a common layer to provide greater interoperability between devices designed for different ecosystems. Matter targets the smart appliance industry, making it simpler and more secure to onboard new devices to an existing network. Matter runs over Thread and Wi-Fi, but Matter devices use Bluetooth during the device commissioning phase to discover and join a network.

The introduction of Matter, in response to a real need, is a perfect example of why modern connected devices need multiprotocol MCUs. Wireless networks need to become more tolerant of different protocols. This goes beyond coexisting in the same part of the radio frequency spectrum. It means creating networks able to use different protocols when communicating.

With limited power budgets, space, weight, and cost, it is important to choose a multiprotocol device that can deliver as much as possible in a single, highly integrated, low-power solution. And in today’s connected environment, the need for security at the chip level has never been more important.

Adding security to wireless connectivity

Unlike some protocols, Bluetooth was conceived as a replacement to cable connections, so it has always offered flexibility in its application. It quickly became the standard for audio peripherals when mobile handsets became ubiquitous and this, in some ways, has defined its development. But at its core, Bluetooth is a low power wireless communications solution that can be applied in many ways.

Version 5.4 of the core specification brought four major enhancements, making Bluetooth even more useful in W-PAN applications. These were:

Periodic Advertising with Responses (PAwR)
Encrypted Advertising Data
LE GATT Security Level Characteristic
Advertising Coding Selection

At a high level, each of these enhancements adds greater flexibility and convenience with improved security.
For multiprotocol MCUs, like the STM32WBA5 Series form STMicroelectronics, Bluetooth is only one of the wireless protocols supported. Bringing the same level of security to all wireless transmissions requires dedicated hardware.

An integrated hardware element provides the foundation for security, on which all other features can build. This foundation is called a root of trust (RoT). A RoT is responsible for verifying other components, including hardware and software, in a system. The integrity of those devices and their authenticity is checked by the RoT, which is normally itself a hardware element that has been designed to be tamper-proof and protected against cyberattack.

The European Union’s Radio Equipment Directive (RED) and forthcoming Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) stipulate the measures manufacturers must go to, to have their products placed onto market in the EU. In addition, all RF equipment must also comply with specific articles in the Cyber Resilience Law as of August 2025.

Compliance will be mandatory, but it is not yet clear how to achieve that. What is clear is that hardware elements certified to industry standards for security will be essential. The Security Evaluation Standard for IoT Platforms (SESIP) is seen as an interpretation of the Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation, for IoT devices. SESIP is a European standard (EN 17927) and recognized across the European market.

The hardware elements in the STM32WBA54 and STM32WBA55 wireless MCUs lines have been designed to enable OEMs to certify their IoT devices to SESIP Level 3. This will align with the requirements of the US Cyber Trust Mark and the EU RED/CRA.
Certification to SESIP Level 3 involves independent assessment and a vulnerability analysis. The assessing body looks for ways into the device, known as attack paths. The independent lab will have access to the source code of the RoT firmware and full documentation of the underlying hardware.

The STM32WBA series from STMicroelectronics are the first wireless MCUs in the market to be assessed and awarded with SESIP Level 3 certification. Developing products using a SESIP Level 3 certified wireless MCU means the end product will more easily achieve RED and CRA requirements as they become mandatory. As the MCU is the primary vulnerability in connected devices, it means the OEM can confidently apply for the same level of certification for the end product.

Hardware Root of Trust

The STM32WBA5 series is a based on the Arm Cortex-M33 core with TrustZone. The Armv8- M extension supports secure and non-secure states. The core has four boot modes, including RSS (root security services). These services are embedded into the device’s flash memory during ST production. Each device also has a unique 96-bit identification and certificate.

Two AES (advanced encryption standard) hardware accelerators are integrated: secure advanced encryption standard (SAES) and AES. Both can be used to encrypt and decrypt data using the AES algorithm. The AES supports a 256-bit software key held in the key registers, while the SAES also supports derived hardware unique key (DHUK), boot hardware key (BHK) and exclusive-OR of DHUK and BHK.

Other secure hardware features include a public key accelerator, HASH hardware accelerator, and a true random number generator. They also include a cyclic redundancy check calculation unit. The devices are also protected against differential power analysis and related side-channel attacks.

Conclusion

The cost of poor security in the IoT continues to make headlines. New legislation around the world aims to correct the direction of travel, putting pressure on OEMs to implement resilient security measures.

In conjunction, there is a trend toward using more wireless protocols, which could possibly increase the attack paths. Adding security measures that protect all physical interfaces is now critical.

OEMs should look for certified solutions that offer greater flexibility in the wireless protocols used while simultaneously increasing the security of the underlying platforms. The STM32WBA5 series from ST is the first wireless MCU to meet the SESPIP Level 3 certification requirements and offers multiprotocol capability.

The post How multiprotocol devices with increased security are changing the IoT appeared first on IoT Business News.

Leading intelligent and luxury mobility provider uses AWS to power its intelligent driving platform, innovate new connected vehicle services, and expand globally.

At AWS re:Invent, Amazon Web Services (AWS), today announced that Lotus Technology (“Lotus”), a leading global intelligent and luxury mobility provider, has chosen AWS as its preferred cloud provider to help support its development of intelligent, luxury car experiences.

The automaker will use AWS to implement its Vision80 Strategy, a plan to transform the company into a global luxury technology brand by 2028.

With more than 70 years of racing heritage and automotive leadership, Lotus offers market-leading standards in performance, design and engineering. Lotus is dedicated to delivering luxury electric vehicles, with a focus on developing next-generation electric and digital technologies. Lotus will apply AWS technologies, including Internet of Things (IoT), analytics, machine learning, and generative artificial intelligence (AI), to develop and deliver connected features, such as autonomous driving solutions, immersive infotainment, and hyper-fast vehicle charging.

Advancing autonomous and connected capabilities for vehicles

Lotus runs its ROBO Soul self-driving software stack on AWS, enabling cars and trucks, including Lotus next-generation electric vehicles, to automatically perform tasks such as parking and highway driving. Using AWS, Lotus also developed ROBO Galaxy, a platform of intelligent driving tools, to help fleet managers increase the efficiency and accessibility of autonomous vehicles in international markets. Lotus leverages Amazon Redshift and Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka (Amazon MSK) to create their intelligent driving tools and uses Amazon Glue for data integration. AWS enables Lotus to analyze crucial information—such as real-time maps, traffic conditions, and driver behavior—to help enhance their intelligent driving system’s capabilities and help support a safer driving experience. For example, Lotus’ driving system uses technologies, including AWS, to automatically brake if an object is too close to the front of the vehicle.

Lotus Connect, Lotus’s connected-vehicle platform, runs on AWS and provides Lotus customers with remote vehicle control, real-time status monitoring, geofencing, and stolen-vehicle tracking to enable smarter, safer, and more convenient driving experiences. For example, the system provides ongoing monitoring that proactively sends driver notifications, automatically detects maintenance issues, and summons roadside assistance for on-demand help. Lotus Connect uses Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS) to quickly deploy, manage, and scale containerized application. The connected vehicle platform’s autonomous driving module processes sensory input to understand the driving environment and help drivers make decisions, reducing deployment time from six months to two weeks. Additionally, using Amazon Aurora, a high-performance relational database service with more than 99.99% availability, Lotus achieves application latency of less than 2.2 seconds for its Lotus Digital Key, a next-generation car key that can be accessed from drivers’ Apple Wallets. Drivers can share their digital key with family and friends, as well as lock, unlock, and start their vehicle from their iPhone or Apple Watch without an internet connection or physical key.

Personalizing driver experiences and vehicles

Lotus uses AWS analytics to gain business insights, analyze car buying, and make tailored purchasing recommendations. Using Amazon CloudFront, AWS’s content delivery network, Lotus offers real-time 3D vehicle rendering for personalized customization and an immersive car-buying experience. This enables Lotus to suggest and preview new model configurations in 3D, giving customers an idea of how their cars would look with distinctive accessories, colors, and trim packages, including a curated selection of limited-edition designs sourced from collaborations with partners, artists, and luxury brands.

“AWS’s technologies help us accelerate our global growth by allowing Lotus to build solutions for intelligent driving, connected cars, and personalized experiences,” said Bo Li, vice president of Lotus Technology. “We are excited to work with AWS to apply new technologies like generative AI, which will help us improve Lotus’ automated driving capabilities, develop more responsive customer service, and improve driver satisfaction. We look forward to deepening our partnership to create an enhanced and more responsive in-vehicle experience.”

“The automotive industry is experiencing a seismic shift to digitization and electrification, and the cloud is helping drive this rapid development,” said Ozgur Tohumcu, general manager, Automotive & Manufacturing, AWS. “Working collaboratively, AWS will help Lotus as they continuously innovate on more personalized, connected, and intelligent in-vehicle experiences.”

“We look forward to continuing our collaboration, applying generative AI to help drive efficiencies and bring new connected car capabilities, enhanced vehicle features leveraging self-driving capabilities, and elevated driving experiences.”

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PetPace®, a leading provider of the most advanced pet wearable technology in the world, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, is pleased to announce an innovative partnership with TelmyVet, a leader in providing veterinary practices with telemedicine solutions.

This collaboration introduces cutting-edge advanced health monitoring and analytics to Canadian pet parents and veterinary professionals, allowing for near real-time insights into their pets’ well-being and transforming how pet parents can access care with their veterinary team.

“Telemedicine for pets has surged in recent years as pet owners seek convenient, efficient, and high-quality care for their pets. Our partnership with TelmyVet aligns perfectly with our vision and delivers a comprehensive, data-driven solution that is a game changer for the telehealth experience,” said Lior Abraham, President of PetPace.

Abraham added:

“The PetPace collar monitors the widest range of vital signs and biometrics than any other wearable technology for pets and allows vets and pet owners to share a pet’s health data remotely with each other.”

The Future of Pet Health is Here

Canadian pet parents and veterinary professionals now have access to the most advanced veterinary grade health monitor for dogs (a cat smart collar is expected to be released in early 2025) with the PetPace smart collar. The PetPace smart collar, scientifically validated in clinical trials and endorsed by leading research institutions, measures and monitors the widest range of data points, including the pet’s vital signs, mobility, behavior and location. PetPace’s proprietary technology uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to turn the data into actionable insights on the pet’s health. Pet Parents receive alerts and notifications based on near real time monitoring data so they can make timely informed decisions in their pet’s health. Proprietary information on the pet’s health such as Heart Rate, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Wellness score, Activity Score, Pain Indicator Score and Sleep Score allow both the pet parent and veterinarian to be proactive in detecting early signs of medical issues thereby improving the management of their pet’s health.

“By integrating PetPace’s cutting-edge data and analytics into our telemedicine platform, we are empowering veterinary professionals with a revolutionary and invaluable real-time tool to accurately gain insight into their patients’ health status. This capability not only enhances early detection of diseases but is vital in the continued monitoring of their patients. TelmyVet along with AI presents an excellent opportunity for pet parents to gain easy access for optimal care for their pets with their veterinary professionals,” said Dr. Chris Armstrong, an Advisor at TelmyVet.

Reimagining How Parents Connect with their Veterinarian to Care for their Pet

Turning this life changing data into actionable steps is where TelmyVet plays a vital role. TelmyVet is a telemedicine platform designed specifically for veterinary practices to increase access to their expertise for their clients/patients. Pet parents now have convenient access to their veterinary team to discuss their pet’s immediate and future health. The partnership between PetPace and TelmyVet revolutionizes telemedicine care as the PetPace health data can be downloaded by the pet parent for their veterinary team to view prior and during the telemedicine appointment. For pet parents, it means they have the peace of mind to discuss their pet’s health through provision of non-biased data with their veterinary team. For veterinary professionals it’s a game-changer, as they now have access to real time trackable data and analytics to make informed decisions about their patients.

A new perspective on how telemedicine can be delivered

TelmyVet is leading the telemedicine market with the launch of their Consult + series. These consultations represent an advancement in how virtual care can be delivered. The consultations have been created by experts to provide the veterinary team with the tools and resources to deliver exceptional care to their patients and provide support to the pet parent. The ability to monitor the pet’s health information from the PetPace collar is a vital component for these consultations, focused on senior care, quality of life, pain management, reproduction, epilepsy, osteoarthritis, behavior and wellness exams, to name a few examples.

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Digita and Netmore to Jointly Develop Large-Scale Projects in Utility, Building, Construction, and Logistics Verticals.

Netmore Group, a leading global LoRaWAN network operator, today announced that Digita, a Finnish technology company specializing in broadcast networks and telecom services, has selected Netmore’s Operator Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) to expand, optimize, and scale its LoRaWAN network capabilities for the delivery of Internet of Things (IoT) applications in Finland.

The leading domestic network operator, Digita offers a complete infrastructure for IoT services including a nationwide public LoRaWAN network and private network build outs based on customer needs.

With an extensive and growing base of digital transformation deployments across the utility, district heating, smart building, and logistics verticals, Digita selected Netmore’s PaaS offering to reduce the number of systems needed to deliver IoT connectivity to its customers. In addition to streamlining its operations, Digita benefits from economies of scale derived from the shared efficiencies of Netmore’s platform which is used to manage core network and connected device services for the largest carrier-grade LoRaWAN networks in the world.

Digita supports its domestic customers with cost-effective future-proof IoT connectivity and through international roaming cooperation can now easily expand into new markets outside of Finland where Netmore and its partners operate LoRaWAN networks. Further, Netmore customers have immediate access to the Digita network to support business opportunities in Finland, providing Digita with new customer revenue streams.

“Designed for massive IoT and for provisioning and managing millions of devices, Netmore PaaS provides the advanced features and future-proof connectivity we need to scale our IoT business,” said VP, IoT Tuomas Kolkka at Digita. “Our companies have a shared vision of what is needed to support digital transformation across industries and an alignment on customer-centric business practices that will drive adoption faster.”

This collaboration significantly expands the IoT capabilities available to businesses in Finland, facilitating seamless integration of digital solutions that promote both economic growth and environmental sustainability.

“The growing demand for reliable and scalable IoT solutions in support of resource conservation and sustainability initiatives is driving the adoption of Netmore PaaS across the globe,” said Andreas Stenhager, Chief Commercial Officer at Netmore Group.

“Digita’s strong market presence in Finland will enable new innovations in the delivery of digital services and we are excited to have them join our growing Operator PaaS ecosystem. Together, we are setting a new standard for IoT deployments and digital transformation, not just in Finland, but across the broader European and global markets.”

A trusted expert in network and device migrations, Netmore ensures an interruption-free migration process, keeping IoT operations running smoothly with no downtime.

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Companies with diverse teams consistently outperform their homogeneous counterparts in innovation metrics. When people from varied backgrounds collaborate, they bring distinct approaches to problem-solving, leading to more creative solutions. Different cultural perspectives and experiences generate unique ideas that drive product development and service improvements. Incorporating IoT technologies, such as smart data collection and interconnected devices, allows diverse teams to analyze real-time insights, enhancing their ability to innovate and adapt solutions to emerging trends.

Enhanced Decision-Making and Risk Management

Diverse teams make better decisions compared to individual decision-makers or homogeneous groups. Different perspectives help identify potential risks and opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed. Teams with varied backgrounds are more likely to question assumptions, leading to more thorough analysis and reduced groupthink. For instance, IoT sensors can identify subtle patterns in market trends or operational inefficiencies, which diverse teams are uniquely positioned to interpret and act upon effectively.

Market Understanding and Customer Connection

Organizations that reflect their customer base better understand and serve their markets. Companies with diverse workforces gain authentic insights into different cultural nuances, preferences, and needs. This deep market understanding translates into more effective product development, marketing strategies, and customer service approaches. Using IoT-enabled tools, such as wearable technology or smart home devices, companies can gather behavioral data that provides actionable insights into customer preferences, further enabling diverse teams to tailor solutions for maximum impact.

Talent Acquisition and Retention

Progressive DEI practices significantly impact an organization’s ability to attract and retain top talent. Younger generations particularly value workplace diversity when evaluating potential employers. Companies implementing inclusive hiring tips and practices often see a broader, more qualified candidate pool and improved employee retention rates. IoT and AI-driven platforms can streamline hiring processes by eliminating unconscious bias in resume screening and optimizing job matching based on skills and experience.

Financial Performance and Competitive Advantage

Organizations that prioritize diversity consistently demonstrate stronger financial performance. Investing in DEI initiatives helps improve market share, increase innovation revenue, and generate better overall business outcomes compared to their competitors who don’t prioritize these values. Data analytics can highlight emerging market segments, enabling diverse teams to craft innovative strategies that deliver financial gains.

Employee Engagement and Productivity

Inclusive workplaces foster higher employee engagement levels. When people feel valued and respected for their unique contributions, they demonstrate greater commitment and productivity. Organizations with strong DEI initiatives report lower turnover rates and higher employee satisfaction. Connected workplace tools, such as smart scheduling and real-time feedback platforms, enhance employee experiences by aligning tasks with individual strengths and preferences.

Global Market Expansion

Organizations with diverse teams navigate international markets more effectively. Multilingual employees and cultural awareness facilitate smoother business expansions, negotiations, and partnerships across borders. This global competency becomes increasingly crucial as markets become more interconnected. Connected applications, like supply chain monitoring and language translation devices, further empower diverse teams to manage international operations with precision and efficiency.

Innovation in Product Development

Diverse teams develop products and services that better serve a wider range of customers. Different perspectives lead to more inclusive design thinking, resulting in products that address previously overlooked market needs and opportunities. IoT-enabled prototyping tools and customer feedback loops allow diverse teams to refine products rapidly, ensuring they meet a broad spectrum of user needs.

Building Strong Community Relations

Companies committed to DEI build stronger relationships with their communities. These organizations better understand local needs, create meaningful partnerships, and develop authentic connections with diverse stakeholder groups. This community engagement often leads to increased brand loyalty and trust. IoT solutions, such as environmental monitoring systems, enable companies to align with community sustainability goals, fostering deeper connections with local stakeholders.

Long-term Sustainability

Organizations embracing DEI principles position themselves for long-term success. As demographics continue to shift and markets become more global, companies with strong diversity practices adapt more effectively to change. These organizations create sustainable business models that remain relevant and competitive in an evolving business landscape.

Leadership Development and Succession Planning

Diverse organizations create stronger leadership pipelines. By acquiring talent from various backgrounds, companies ensure their future leaders bring different perspectives and experiences to strategic decision-making. This diversity in leadership strengthens organizational resilience and adaptability. Smart platforms that track and analyze workforce development metrics can help identify emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds, ensuring robust succession planning.

Creating an Inclusive Company Culture

When organizations prioritize DEI, they foster workplace cultures where all employees can thrive. This inclusive environment encourages open communication, collaboration, and innovation. Employees feel more comfortable sharing ideas, taking calculated risks, and contributing their unique perspectives to organizational success. Connected collaboration tools, such as virtual reality meeting spaces, ensure every voice is heard, regardless of physical location or cultural differences.

The post Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Are Key to Business Success—and How Connected Technologies Can Help appeared first on IoT Business News.

The number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Europe was 16.3 million 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 11.1 percent, this number is expected to reach 27.6 million by 2028.

The top-39 vendors have today more than 100,000 active units in Europe. Berg Insight ranks Targa Telematics as the largest player in terms of active installed base with around 801,000 units at year-end 2023. Webfleet’s subscriber base has grown both organically and by acquisitions during the past years and the company holds the position as the second largest provider of fleet management solutions on the European market and reached an installed base of about 735,000 units. Verizon Connect is in third place and had achieved an installed base of an estimated 500,000 units at the year-end. Radius Telematics and CalAmp follow and have reached 459,000 units and 420,000 units respectively. Scania, ABAX, Geotab, Gurtam and Microlise are also ranked among the ten largest providers with 280,000–420,000 units each. Some notable players just outside of the top ten list are AddSecure Smart Transport, Bornemann, Volvo Group, MICHELIN Connected Fleet, Eurowag Telematics, SCALAR by ZF, Quartix, Linqo, MAN, RAM Tracking, Optimum Automotive, Daimler Truck, Mapon, Cartrack, Océan (Orange), GSFleet, Trimble, Fleet Complete, Macnil, AROBS Transilvania Software, Actia Telematics Services, Infobric Fleet, DAF and Shiftmove.

The HCV manufacturers are now growing their subscriber bases in Europe considerably thanks to standard line fitment of fleet management solutions. FleetBoard by Daimler Truck, MAN DigitalServices, Volvo Connect and Scania Fleet Management are the most successful with active subscriber bases of 170,000 units, 205,000 units, 260,000 units and 418,000 units in Europe respectively at the end of 2023.

The consolidation trend on this market continued in 2024.

Johan Fagerberg, Principal Analyst, Berg Insight, said:

“Fourteen mergers and acquisitions have taken place so far this year among the vendors of fleet management systems in Europe.”

In June, AddSecure acquired Astrata Europe. In the same month, FleetGO Group acquired Dutch-based software provider Data2Track with the support of Main Capital Partners. Mapon acquired Trackon Fleet Management based in Lithuania. EcoMobility Group acquired WinFleet based in France and Schmitz Cargobull acquired a majority stake in Atlantis Global System in June. In July, Cubo based in Northern Ireland was acquired by Fuel Card Services, one of the largest fuel card providers in the UK. Fagor Electronica acquired Sateliun in September. In the same month, Alerce Group acquired Wemob, and GSMvalve acquired Latvia-based SkyFMS. In September, Inseego announced the sale of its fleet management and telematics business for US$ 52 million. The buyer is a portfolio holding company of Convergence Partners, an investment management firm focused on the technology sector. In September, Powerfleet announced the acquisition of Fleet Complete. The deal valued at US$ 200 million creates a combined entity with over 2.6 million subscribers and 2,500 employees. Trimble announced in September that Platform Science will acquire its global transportation telematics business units. As part of this agreement, Trimble will become a shareholder in Platform Science’s expanded business (32.5 percent). In October, Shiftmove acquired Optimum Automotive that operates in France, Portugal, Spain and Africa. Finally, Great Hill Partners announced in October a partial sale of BigChange to Simpro Group, a global provider of field service management solutions. Mr. Fagerberg anticipates that the market consolidation of the still overcrowded industry will continue in 2025.

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According to a new research report from the IoT analyst firm Berg Insight, the total number of aftermarket car telematics shipments worldwide reached 26.7 million in 2023 and is forecasted to reach 38.7 million units in 2028.

The installed base of active aftermarket car telematics units will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.0 percent from 87.7 million at the end of 2023 to 135.1 million worldwide at the end of 2028.

Berg Insight’s definition of an aftermarket car telematics solution in this report comprises both cellular/GNSS and RF-based solutions. Aftermarket car telematics solutions are useful in a number of application areas including stolen vehicle tracking and recovery (SVT/SVR), vehicle diagnostics, Wi-Fi hotspot, convenience applications and usage-based insurance. Remote vehicle diagnostics allow service providers such as dealers and workshops to improve service offerings to car owners.

“Even though an increasing number of new cars are sold with embedded connectivity, a varying degree of market success for current OEM telematics services enables aftermarket services to have a promising future even in mature OEM telematics markets”, said Martin Cederqvist, Senior Analyst at Berg Insight.

Aftermarket services targeting a specific customer group can furthermore gain an advantage in specialisation compared to OEM telematics services that are mainly developed for a wide range of use cases. Dealers is an example of a customer group that aftermarket service providers serve successfully as the telematics offering can be adjusted to fit their business needs.

Regional market conditions such as a high level of vehicle crime influence the demand for stolen vehicle tracking and have made SVT solutions popular in countries such as Brazil, Israel, Russia and South Africa.

Mr. Cederqvist, said:

“The number of active aftermarket SVT units in use is forecasted to reach 91.2 million in 2028, up from 58.2 million at year-end 2023.”

Today, there are many different form factors applicable for aftermarket car telematics ranging from professionally installed hardwired blackboxes to self-installed OBD dongles and battery-powered devices. Solutions leveraging cellular technologies are most common across the industry, but RF-based solutions can be found in many geographical markets and are particularly used for SVT/SVR services.

Aftermarket car telematics services are offered by a wide range of players. Examples of leading telematics companies selling services via third parties or directly to consumers include Octo Telematics, Procon Analytics, StarLine, Spireon, Targa Telematics, Ituran, PassTime GPS, Vodafone Automotive, Tracker Connect, Maxtrack, Carsystem, Verizon, Ikon Technologies, Mojio, Tail Light (Bouncie) and Agnik (Vyncs).

Mr. Cederqvist concluded:

“Distributing services and products through third parties is the most common go-to-market strategy for aftermarket car telematics solution vendors. Important sales channels include insurance companies, dealers and importers as well as direct-to-consumer channels such as mobile operators and online retailers.”

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The evolution from manual HTML coding in the early 1990s to today presents a stark contrast, not only in design and aesthetics but also in the rapid pace of development. While modern tools make websites more feature-rich, much of the process is now pre-built or quick to assemble.

The first wave of website creation began with basic HTML editors such as GeoCities in 1994 and Microsoft FrontPage in 1995. Today, web development is a multi-billion-dollar industry involving a wide range of specialists. Paradoxically, it has become both more complex and more accessible. For those creating a website, the process can be as simple or as intricate as desired.

AI Integration: Game Changer or Gimmick?

As we approach 2025, AI-powered website builders are gaining popularity. These tools extend the drag-and-drop approach by using language models to predict and position elements based on user prompts.

AI can certainly generate personalized designs, but it often performs best within the constraints of website builder frameworks. While AI has the capability to write code from scratch, low-code users might face challenges when venturing beyond pre-built frameworks. However, experienced web developers are benefiting from these AI-powered coding tools.

AI website builders can generate layouts, create content, and provide suggestions for optimal design and industry standards.

AI’s integration into website builders is only natural, even if it’s only for idea inspiration or a launch pad. Ultimately, users will need to make the nitty gritty changes themselves if they truly want it to be personal, but that is always going to be the case. Accessibility and customization typically have a trade-off, though, AI has moved the needle to generate more customization while maintaining the same level of accessibility. Where can we even go from here beyond the inevitable iterative improvements on the AI models?

The Democratization of E-commerce Features

The modern e-commerce landscape has become remarkably accessible, offering advanced features that were once exclusive to enterprise platforms. Today’s website builders provide a wide range of commercial tools, such as advanced booking systems and efficient payment processing solutions.

This shift extends beyond the digital realm, democratizing capitalism by enabling almost anyone to ‘own the means of production‘ through a small online store.

Accepting payments through various methods, including digital wallets, combined with plug-and-play inventory systems, has significantly expanded the size of online marketplaces

Breaking Down the Technical Barriers

The no-code movement has fundamentally transformed website development, though it’s unclear whether the demand drove its accessibility or if accessibility created the demand.

We might be witnessing a bell curve where drag-and-drop accessibility initially led to a homogenized internet with similar-looking websites. However, this trend may be shifting as AI capabilities enable no-code website owners to create highly customized designs. Additionally, AI tools are encouraging more people to code, as the rewards are now much greater—an hour of CSS work by an amateur can achieve significantly more with the assistance of LLM-powered chatbots. These AI tools also help improve SEO by optimizing site content and structure to rank higher on search engines with minimal manual effort.

What lies ahead for website development, and how will it shape the future of the internet? Each time we think the industry has reached its zenith, innovation surprises us with what’s next.

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