Huawei has bought UK-based M2M specialist Neul, a deal it said would give it scope to expand further into the Internet of Things sector.
Neul builds end-to-end solutions for the IoT, such as chipsets, platforms, base-stations and cloud management systems.
In May, for example, Neul joined a consortium of companies including BT to build an IoT network in Milton Keynes, England. The network of base stations will be used to test a variety of real-life applications.
The project will use white space spectrum, building upon Neul’s solution that is based on the Weightless standard. It takes unused spectrum and connects devices such as sensors and smart meters.
A Huawei spokesperson commented: “Huawei is delighted to have acquired Neul and its ground-breaking innovations in the IoT. The acquisition gives Huawei improved access to the growing and exciting market in the IoT, which enables advanced connectivity of machines, devices, systems, and services under a variety of applications.”
The China-based vendor did not comment on the specifics of the deal such as how much was paid or whether the Cambridge-based staff would have to relocate.
The spokesperson added: ” Huawei has no doubt that the IoT market offers huge scope to expand and to deliver important new services and solutions to our customers.”
The GSMA said last night that there could be double the expected M2M connections by 2020, if the market collaborates on interoperability and brings together the fragmented market. It said there could be two billion connections by 2020, driven by developments such as smart cities, the falling cost of sensors and development of standardised APIs.
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