AT&T, Ericsson launch cloud-based IoT marketplace

After a strong 2024 for the industry, this year has seen further rises in the value and size of an internet of things (IoT) arena that has witnessed new technical standards, devices and evolving market complexities. Aiming to cash in on this demand, AT&T has teamed with Ericsson to unveil the AT&T IoT Marketplace digital eCommerce platform.

The platform is designed to facilitate service innovation and monetisation of IoT services at scale. It aims to address what the leading operator and comms tech provider believe are key challenges faced by customers and partners in the IoT sector, such as complex integrations, fragmented product catalogues, inconsistent order management systems, and the variety of devices and technologies, which are compounded by a lack of user-friendly interfaces.

Looking to simplify these processes, the platform streamlines customer and partner onboarding and the processes of selling, contracting, provisioning and billing within the IoT sector. It features a digital catalogue, order management system and TMF API-based integration and exposure to support secure, intelligent interactions across multiple digital touchpoints, enabling catalogue-driven engagement.

In terms of where their new platform will likely be deployed, the partners added that they see the platform as capable of providing “an efficient and seamless solution” specifically designed for industries such as transportation, manufacturing, and healthcare, supporting what is said to be a growing area of AT&T’s business offering.

With customer and partner management capabilities and simplified product configuration and exposure, the partners claim that the Marketplace redefines efficiency and accelerates innovation in the IoT ecosystem. They add that, for users, its functionality offers scalable operations and accelerates the order-to-cash cycle, enabling faster revenue realisation and improved operational efficiency.

From a technology basis, the AT&T IoT Marketplace, powered by Ericsson’s Digital Experience Platform, Catalog Manager, and Order Care, is a turnkey platform built on a cloud-native microservices architecture and hosted on Microsoft Azure Cloud infrastructure.

Commenting on the new platform and its aims, Cameron Coursey, vice-president of connected solutions at AT&T, says: “The AT&T IoT Marketplace differentiates our offerings and meets a wide range of customer and partner requirements. We are eager to collaborate with IoT ecosystem partners who share our vision of making IoT more accessible and [able to drive] growth, particularly among small and medium businesses.

“With Ericsson’s solution, we now possess the agility and scalability necessary to simplify IoT for our customers. The platform has enabled us to reduce the time to order fleet management services from hours to minutes.”

Anand Akundi, head of cloud software and services, AT&T customer unit at Ericsson, added: “Ericsson and AT&T have created a seamless and personalised experience for users and partners across all channels. This is key to unlocking the full potential of every interaction and driving business growth.

“We are thrilled to support AT&T's ambition to excel in the IoT segment in this country. The launch of the AT&T IoT Marketplace marks a significant step forward in transforming the IoT landscape, providing businesses with the tools and capabilities needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world.”