Indian operator Vodafone Idea is offering a laboratory-as-a-service with the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) for IoT device interoperability testing and certification.

The IoT facility has completed testing for over 50 IoT devices and certifications as per OneM2M and 3GPP standards for interoperability. There is also a centre of innovation that provides start-ups with technology and business platforms.

India is at the forefront of the Industry 4.0 revolution driven by increased IoT adoption. Organisations across industries are increasingly adopting IoT practices. India’s IoT market is projected to reach $15bn by 2025.

However, the industry faces operational problems such as device network compatibility and remote device configuration, as well as challenges such as a fragmented ecosystem, making it harder for businesses to scale.

Addressing these concerns, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has mandated OneM2M as the national IoT standard for interoperability of IoT devices.

Vodafone Idea in partnership with C-DoT is offering a first-of-its-kind IoT lab with the common vision of promoting standardisation and interoperability in the IoT ecosystem. Since its formation last year, it has tested more than 50 devices across industries such as automotive, utilities, financial and logistics.

To promote proliferation of OneM2M standards, the lab tests and certifies compatibility. It not only validates network performance as per device, but it also helps certify interoperability.

This lab-as-a-service initiative from Vi Business, the enterprise arm of Vodafone Idea, is equipped to test more than 175 scenarios that include network and functional testing, field testing, application testing, compatibility testing, and OneM2M standard testing. It can also test more than 30 diverse use cases across industries such as metering, connected cars and retail. The lab has the capability to test a wide spectrum of ecosystem components including devices, modules, SIMs, applications and firmware.

This lab acts as an IoT ecosystem orchestrator and brings stakeholders together to ensure a seamless IoT experience. The lab runs exhaustive test plans on all devices and ensures no bug goes unresolved by collaborating with component designers. So far, five devices have been certified as network ready by the lab, which is also testing 5G and NB-IoT devices.

“Vodafone Idea as the leader in the IoT segment is committed to its adoption across industries,” said Arvind Nevatia, chief enterprise business officer at Vodafone Idea. “The IoT lab in partnership with C-DoT has enabled its partners with the right IoT deployment especially bringing standardisation and interoperability. We are delighted to further strengthen this partnership by establishing a centre of innovation, which will bring synergies between start-ups and the M2M and IoT industry. This collaboration is a reflection of our ongoing efforts to improve the domestic IoT ecosystem while contributing to the growth of the Indian economy.”

This certification is enabling IoT service providers by complying with global standards, thereby ensuring faster time-to-market and, in turn, quicker revenue realisation. It is also increasing the credibility of the IoT service provider and their devices by ensuring interoperability and standardisation as per OneM2M standards.

Additionally, the Vodafone-C-DoT partnership is nurturing the IoT ecosystem in India and empowering start-ups in IoT and M2M by expanding the lab as a centre of innovation. This will act as an incubator, providing start-ups with technology and a business platform for broader and quicker market readiness. This centre will also provide a platform to make products compliant with OneM2M standards.

“The lab is a giant leap towards establishing a testing and certification framework for standards-compliant IoT devices and applications,” said Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DoT (www.cdot.in). “I am confident that this collaborative initiative of C-DoT and Vodafone along with the centre of innovation for IoT and M2M will be extremely beneficial for the Indian industry, especially start-ups in their endeavour to manufacture and deploy indigenous standards-compliant devices and applications.”

Vodafone Idea (www.MyVi.in) is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is India’s leading telecom service provider. The company provides pan India voice and data services across 2G, 3G and 4G, and has a 5G-ready platform.