Telefónica and Erictel, a Spanish IoT developer, are expanding their collaboration to develop and commercialise IoT and big data mobility, including the management of field forces and asset tracking in all markets where Telefónica operates.
 
The aim is to help companies better plan and execute their operations, ensuring sustainability, efficiency and security, and enabling new business models. Covid-19 has highlighted the importance of digitation and process automation and has shown how data-based decision making can help businesses stay competitive.
 
Telefónica’s IoT products, developed with partners such as Erictel, can ease the path of businesses in their adaptation to current developments. Thus, processes such as sanitation of products, equipment and facilities can be more efficient with indoor asset tracking. This enables location and remote monitoring of assets status to plan the activity and availability of resources.
 
Additionally, with the increasing trend of remote working and concern about employee security in the workplace, workforce management facilitates the task of planning and securing the activity of mobile workers and field forces. It provides the appropriate tools to set up a work hours registration system, activity planning and real-time incident and digital reporting.
 
“This agreement enhances our capabilities in IoT and big data at a time when collaboration with our partners is more important than ever in order to support our B2B customers in their path towards digitisation, automation and data-driven decisions,” said Elena Gil, operations director at Telefónica.
 
Telefónica and Erictel have been partnering for the last few years offering M2M in Latin America and Spain. The new agreement increases the geographic reach of their collaboration and reinforces the product portfolio. 
 
“Telefónica is our main client and we are really excited about widening our scope of collaboration and contribute to promote IoT and big data products, particularly mobility, in Telefónica’s main markets,” said Mikel Carcedo, CEO of Erictel.
 
IoT and big data services are offered by Telefónica, with the cloud and cyber security services, through Telefónica Tech, a new unit that brings together these businesses. At the close of 2019, Telefónica managed 23.8 million IoT connections worldwide.
 
Erictel has connected places, people and now things. It has its own manufacturing and R&D in the Bizkaia Technology Park. It is present in Spain, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico. With this agreement, the company is opening offices in London and Sao Paulo.
 
• Telefónica has invested in Nozomi Networks, an OT and IoT security provider that operates in 16 countries and enables real-time visualisation of cyber risks, as well as managing and improving the resilience of industrial operations. This investment aims to increase Telefónica’s cooperation in cyber security, specialising in protecting OT and IoT infrastructures in sectors such as energy, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, logistics and automotive.