ZigBee Alliance Members Connect with Telecom Market

(Top News, 26 Apr 2007)

The ZigBee Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies creating wireless solutions for use in energy, residential, commercial and industrial applications, has announced its expansion into the telecom market with a new initiative extending mobile telephone networks while providing new capabilities for mobile phone users. The new ZigBee Telecom Profile will feature secure mobile payment, information delivery, health care monitoring, peer-to-peer small data sharing and other location based services and features.

The Alliance's growth into the telecom market is driven by industry experts from leading network operators and technology providers including Motorola, Huawei Technologies, Samsung Electronics, ETRI, KDDI R&D Laboratories Inc., OKI Electric Industry, Orange FT, Telecom Italia and TSC Systems. These members are examining ways to leverage the inherent strengths of ZigBee: low power, reliable mesh networking, AES128 security, low data rate and global network acceptance. Because ZigBee is the global wireless language connecting dramatically different devices, companies can develop new mobile applications while gaining access to ZigBee-based home and commercial building automation devices.

"ZigBee offers cost-effective, standards-based wireless networking solutions emphasizing mobility, reliability and ease of use—a perfect fit for today's increasingly mobile phone oriented world," said Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. "By formalizing what was already happening in the market, our members are giving telecom companies new ways to expand revenue, while simplifying the lives of mobile phone users everywhere. Any company developing proprietary telecom solutions should get involved with ZigBee and participate in the Alliance's thriving ecosystem now."

The New ZigBee Mobile Device
ZigBee mobile devices include mobile telephones and personal digital assistants with embedded ZigBee technology or using a ZigBee SIM card. These devices act as a mobile terminal and/or as a sensor control device anywhere there is a ZigBee network or ZigBee access point. Potential applications currently in development include:

- Secure Mobile Payments: Mobile users pay for goods and services by waving handset in front of scanner and entering a pin number
- Information Delivery: Users receive news, downloads (messages, ring tones, images, etc.), advertisements from network operators or localized information such as weather, traffic updates and movie show times based on their current location or neighborhood
- Health Care Monitoring: Continuously monitored health data is recorded on a handset and transmitted to the patient's doctor. In an emergency situation, such as the absence of patient response or alarming vital signs, the mobile device can be programmed to immediately alert emergency services
- Peer-to-Peer Small Data Sharing: Small files such as ring tones, images, address book contacts and other information provided by telecom operators is shared easily between two ZigBee-enabled mobile devices
- Location Based Services: Discounted rates for calls from a ZigBee mobile phone users in a certain zone offers savings to users

The ZigBee Alliance is currently more than 220 Alliance Members strong and has a presence in 24 countries spanning six continents. OEMs and end-product manufacturers now represent 30 percent of the global membership. ZigBee is the only standards-based technology designed to address the unique needs of low-cost, low-power, wireless sensor networks for remote monitoring, home control, and building automation and embedded network applications in the industrial and consumer markets. Companies wanting to participate in the development of the ZigBee Specification, or planning on creating ZigBee products, can join the Alliance by visiting www.zigbee.org/join. The latest ZigBee Specification is available for free download from the ZigBee Web site.

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