Interoperability will power IoT

Interoperability is also the ticket for entre into new verticals beyond straight, traditional communications. In order for the IoT, or internet of things, to be fully realized, every imaginable segment of life, from municipalities and utilities to healthcare and banking, need to run securely and flawlessly across communications networks of all kinds. The opportunity for operators is that truly the world's data will traverse your networks. But before that happens, those networks have to be accessible and able to integrate with many other systems and industries. Interoperability is the way to make that possible.

Products ranging from healthcare monitoring to surveillance and supply chain management are increasingly going to be open to operators and CSPs, but the networks and CSPs that will win the big business are those that can provide open, unencumbered access to their networks.

The Open Interconnect Consortium, made up of industry leaders including Atmel, Broadcom, Dell, Intel, Samsung and Wind River, is a group that formed to advance interoperability for the Internet of Things. They are all working to provide seamless device-to-device connectivity across geographies, industries and technologies.

“Open source is about collaboration and about choice. The Open Interconnect Consortium is yet another proof point how open source helps to fuel innovation,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation. “We look forward to the OIC’s contribution in fostering an open environment to support the billions of connected devices coming online.”

SP interoperability and open APIs

Most significantly is the recent realization by operators that opening up their networks through open API's is the quickest and most efficient way to injecting innovation into their own offering.

“Service providers are interested in creating innovative services for their end users, their consumers,” Sanjay Bhatia, senior director of Product Marketing for Genband says. “When they open things up with APIs to an ecosystem of developers, you can create innovative applications quickly.”

But while service providers are increasingly opening up their networks to innovate more quickly, Bhatia adds there will always be a place for proprietary software.

“We see in Europe, for instance, they are more open, others want to keep things closed so they can differentiate,” he says. “But no matter where the service provider is, the business aspects will drive them one way or the other. If they're not making money with one approach, the will be forced to change course.”

Apple is one company that is doing quite well in spite of its closed nature, he adds.

Open APIs are also a means for service providers, who often find themselves getting their proverbial lunch eaten by over-the-top OTT players, are also a means to compete, or partner with them. Limber OTT players, which are based on already wide open internet standards, are much better at creating innovative new services, which largely still run over the operator's networks.

AT&T announced early in 2014 that it was opening up its Android platform with an API to enable developers to build new applications for its U-verse service. AT&T launched its first U-verse APIs for other mobile platforms in late 2011. Since then there have been 15 U-verse Enabled apps created, allowing customers to use the apps on their smartphones and tablets to further engage with their TV. There are currently more than 5 million sessions of U-verse Enabled apps each month, according to AT&T.

“When U-verse customers use our interactive apps, they’re more engaged and more satisfied with their experience,” said G.W. Shaw, Vice President of Video and U-verse Services, AT&T Home Solutions.