Verizon made an inorganic move this morning that will take it deeper into the world of IoT and find new leverage for the increasingly dense cell network it has in mind for the future. The operator has signed an agreement to buy privately held Sensity Systems.
Sensity's claim to fame is the ability to take an LED street light fixture and turn it into an IP-enabled sensory node that also happens to still be an LED light fixture. It uses WiFi for a local area network which is backhauled by cellular or fiber. Sensity's applications thus far have been for things like lighting optimization and parking for smart cities, and the company claims some 42 deployments around the world.
Given Verizon's general interest in 5G and small cells and light poles etc, one can envision a rather expanded opportunity ahead for the technology. The hard part in deploying Sensity's technology is surely the deployment of the network, and combining it with Verizon's wireless and fiber networks makes a whole lot of sense on paper.
That assumes, of course, that the Silicon Valley-based company, talent, and culture being acquired can be held onto and properly leveraged by the incumbent telecommunications giant. That will be the integration challenge ahead for Verizon once the deal closes.
This article was authored by Rob Powell and was originally posted on Telecomramblings.com
Rob Powell is founder & editor of Telecom Ramblings, which was set up in 2008. The website is dedicated to discussing trends and developments in the telecom industry.