Avnet, AT&T seek to lower barriers to IoT solutions development

At the recent Mobile World Congress (Feb. 27-Mar. 2) in Barcelona, Avnet (NYSE: AVT), a global technology distributor, and AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) announced an agreement to offer AT&T’s Internet of Things (IoT) managed services as a part of Avnet’s growing IoT solutions stack. According to a press release, the agreement, which empowers Avnet to seamlessly integrate AT&T’s cloud application development tools -- supported by the carrier's flagship platforms AT&T M2X and AT&T Flow Designer -- "paves the way for the two companies to more effectively harness their respective expertise to support designers in the development and production of next-generation IoT devices with global cellular connection."

Building on the success of the companies' previous collaborations, including their Cellular IoT Starter Kit and LTE IoT Add-On Kit, Avnet and AT&T have now announced plans to introduce the Avnet Global LTE IoT Starter Kit, powered by AT&T. This latest IoT starter kit, scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2017, offers a complete development environment for sensor-to-cloud applications and services. “The combination of AT&T’s IoT managed services and Avnet’s new Global LTE IoT Starter Kit offers developers a unique set of tools and services that will simplify and accelerate the creation of connected IoT devices,” said Tim Barber, senior vice president, global design chain business development, Avnet. “With the production-ready LTE kit and AT&T IoT services, Avnet provides the complete package for cellular connected sensor-to-cloud solutions.”

According to a press release, the Avnet Global LTE IoT Starter Kit will include the following:

* AT&T IoT Platform Access – The starter kit is fully integrated with the AT&T IoT Platform (M2X and Flow) - a cloud-based, fully managed time-series data storage service for network and connected machine-to-machine (M2M) devices and the Industrial Internet of Things. M2X will enable the kit to connect to the AT&T IoT Platform, allowing developers and customers to manage, organize and register individual devices - both real and virtual applications. Additionally, developers and customers will be able to deploy and run custom-built application logic from Flow Designer in scalable docker environments.

* Development Board – The starter kit will be outfitted with a global SIM to enable operation in over 25 countries, and will feature a small (79.5 mm x 30 mm) development board build around Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC) M18QWG global LTE Cat-4 modem module. To accelerate IoT deployment efforts and reduce compliance risk, the fully certified development board will include all the required network and government certifications and can be purchased in volume quantities. The board will also include an ambient light sensor, temperature sensor and 3-axis accelerometer for out-of-box demonstration examples.

* System Peripherals – A rich set of system peripherals, controllable through the user’s application code, are easily accessible through a 60-pin expansion connector or a 2x6 peripheral module. This will facilitate customization with application-specific sensors and I/O interfaces through the addition of user-created or off-the-shelf plug-in boards.

"Demand for connected devices continues to climb,” said Mike Troiano, vice president, AT&T Internet of Things. “We’re excited to integrate our IoT developer platforms, M2X and Flow Designer, into the Avnet Global LTE IoT Starter Kit. Together we’re helping bring IoT innovations to life faster and more efficiently than ever before.” The Avnet Global LTE IoT Starter Kit will be available for order in select countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas in Q2 2017, priced at $139.