Verizon Encourages IoT Innovation with ThingSpace Platform

Verizon (VRZN) fired a major shot across the Internet of Things (IoT) space when the company announced the immediate availability of several new solutions focused on driving innovation and growth in the connected device space.

At the core of Verizon’s new IoT portfolio is the ThingSpace platform, a web-based solution designed to help developers test, manage and market their IoT-based solutions. The platform has been in development at Verizon for the past two years and seeks to help developers work within several major vertical markets, including energy, health care and connected cities, among others.

“We believe ThingSpace brings all of the elements necessary to execute in the IOT space,” said Mike Lanman, senior vice president of Enterprise and IoT Products at Verizon, during a press event.

ThingSpace currently includes several of the most demanded APIs, with “thousands” of additional APIs to be added in the coming months, according to Lanman.

ThingSpace comes with a portal that includes immediate access to APIs as well as partner development kits. The portal also offers a single environment for developers to build and test their solutions, according to Verizon.

In addition to the ThingSpace platform, Lanman unveiled two solutions designed to simplify IoT deployment developed against wide area network (WAN) environments. The first solution is a new chipset to offset the cost of WAN modules. Lanman said Verizon’s chipset, which is available immediately, will cut the 4G/LTE connection cost in half, with additional solutions coming in 2016 expected to lower the module cost even further.

Verizon will launch a new IoT Core in Q1 2016 to help developers and consumers connect Internet-enabled devices to the web at a reduced cost. Lanman said the network currently supports 92 countries at launch, with additional countries to be added later in the year. This core is able to scale to “billions” of connections, so users can begin utilizing connected devices without having to worry about breaking the bank.

Finally, Lanman announced the immediate availability of a Verizon analytics engine capable of measuring more than a trillion data points per month. The engine, which was previously only available internally, is now being commercialized through the ThingSpace platform to allow developers and customers to measure data coming in from their IoT-based solutions.

Stay tuned to The VAR Guy and follow Michael Cusanelli on Twitter @MCusanelliSB for more info as this story develops.