IoT: AT&T looks beyond cellular

AT&T has a longer history than any of the other U.S. telecom provider, and cellular is just one chapter in that history. The company’s leaders know cellular will not be the primary network for the billions of devices that will connect to the “Internet of Things.”
“A majority of them are not going to utilize the cellular connectivity,” said AT&T’s Mobeen Khan, associate VP for IoT solutions. “So knowing that, what we are looking at from an AT&T perspective is how can we add value even if the connectivity is happening beyond the cellular connectivity.”
Khan said in the months ahead AT&T will have a series of IoT-related announcements that integrate non-cellular connections, like satellites and Wi-Fi networks. AT&T owns satellite-TV provider DirecTV and it also claims more Wi-Fi hot spots than any other U.S. carrier.
In addition, the carrier is looking beyond the connectivity layer to platforms and solutions/applications. Over time, carriers expect platforms and solutions to be the most valuable parts of the “Internet of Things.”