Vodafone Enters The Multibillion-Dollar IoT Market

Vodafone announced news on Tuesday (Nov. 7) of its entrance into the Internet of Things (IoT) consumer market through the launch of “V by Vodafone.”

“V by Vodafone” enables consumers to connect millions of home and leisure electronics products to the company’s dedicated global IoT network, which the telecoms company said in a press release is the largest network of its kind in the world.

“The Internet of Things is already beginning to transform how businesses operate. Over the next decade, the expansion of IoT into consumer markets will bring about an equally dramatic shift in how people manage their daily lives, at home and in their leisure time,” said Vodafone Group Chief Executive Vittorio Colao in the press release. “‘V by Vodafone’ makes it simple to connect a wide range of IoT-enabled devices, helping customers keep everyone and everything that matters to them safe and secure. We look forward to applying our world-leading expertise in IoT to help consumers make the most of the next phase of the global digital revolution.”

Citing market research, Vodafone said that estimates suggest that by 2020 there will be more than 370 million consumer electronics and smart home devices capable of connecting to mobile IoT networks in the countries in which Vodafone operates, up from around 50 million today.

“V by Vodafone” is a system for consumers to connect and manage IoT devices and a product range that includes a connected car dongle, a 4G security camera, a pet location and activity tracker and a bag location tracker. To enable connected devices, Vodafone is rolling out “V-Sim by Vodafone,” which is a Sim card that will be shipped with IoT-enabled consumer electronics products sold by Vodafone. “V-Sim by Vodafone” will be also offered by third-party retailers next year.

There’s also the “V by Vodafone” smartphone app, which provides customers with a single and intuitive overview of all IoT-enabled products registered to their account. Next year, Vodafone said it will also launch a new online product marketplace open to IoT developers that will greatly extend product choice for customers.