Vodafone Group has launched the ‘V by Vodafone” platform and four connecting products, the operator’s foray into the potentially lucrative consumer IoT market.
Both will be available in the UK Germany, Italy and Spain. Further devices are planned for launches in 2018, when the range will also be available to the reseller channel.
The products are the V-auto, a dongle that plugs into the on-board diagnostics (OBD) port on most cars and provides an emergency call function. There is the V-camera, a mobile security camera that offers a continuous recording wherever there is a 3G or 4G network.
Two location trackers have also been released in the V-Pet, an activity tracker for cats and dogs and V-Bag, a tracker that is designed to reduce theft or loss by notifying consumers if it goes outside the designated area such as a restaurant or play area.
Each V by Vodafone product requires a dedicated V-Sim, SIM card from Vodafone to connect to the network. Users will need to install an app that can provide an overview of all products connected to their system.
Pricing for each product is added to a single monthly bill and Vodafone has said it will offer a range of new products in 2018. The current range can be purchased from Vodafone stores, or online.
V-Auto: (£80 upfront) £4 per month, V-Pet: (£50 upfront) £4 per month, V-Camera (£339 upfront) £4 per month and V-Bag: (£59 upfront) £3 per month.
Analyst estimates that by 2020 there will be more than 370 million consumer electronics and smart home devices capable of connecting to mobile IoT networks in the countries in which Vodafone operates.
Vodafone Group chief executive Vittorio Colao said: “V by Vodafone’ makes it simple to connect a wide range of IoT-enabled devices, helping customers keep everyone and everything that matters to them safe and secure.
“We look forward to applying our expertise in IoT to help consumers make the most of the next phase of the global digital revolution.”
