VimpelCom turned to Cisco to beef up the machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) services it offers to businesses.
The Netherlands-headquartered operator agreed a deal with Cisco Jasper to deploy an M2M and IoT platform as its smart connectivity management platform in all of its global markets. In an announcement, Cisco said the platform enables VimpelCom to offer its business customers the ability to implement, manage, and monetise M2M and IoT services including fleet management and smart metering.
Cisco explained that its Jasper control centre platform offers real-time visibility and management of M2M connections. That capability boosts the ability of those connections to underpin broader IoT services, offering remote management, control over SIM activity, reductions in data costs, and automated business processes.
The U.S. vendor said VimpelCom will use the platform to improve its business-to-business offering. “Our collaboration with VimpelCom will enable enterprises to pioneer industry transformation, introduce new business models, and create never-before-seen, high-value experiences for their customers,” said Kalle Ward, MD for EMEAR, IoT Cloud at Cisco Jasper.
VimpelCom operates in 14 markets globally, including Russia, Italy, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. Cisco said the operator’s business division offers digital, cloud, and connectivity products and services for businesses and governments in several of those markets.
Eugène Viskovic, group chief business officer at VimpelCom, said the partnership with Cisco forms part of a broader strategy to invest in “new and innovative technologies that will enable our customers to fully embrace the digital economy, now and in the future.”
The operator will leverage the partnership to provide its business customers “with new technologies such as M2M and IoT,” Viskovic added.
Cisco stated that VimpelCom’s mobile customers will benefit from its global scale when deploying M2M and IoT services based on its Jasper platform. That will enable VimpelCom’s business customers to quickly expand their new services to match growing demand in new markets, the company added.
Cisco announced in February that it was acquiring IoT specialist Jasper Technologies for $1.4 billion (€1.2 billion).
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