Compare 
As part of its ongoing ambition to deliver the best, most future-proofed 4G services around EE has launched EE Connect. But EE Connect is a little different, as it’s a Machine to Machine (M2M) service focused on supporting the rapidly growing internet of things. Read on for all the details.
What is EE Connect?
EE Connect is the UK’s first 4G-capable dedicated Machine to Machine service. That’s a bit of a mouthful but it’s essentially designed to allow businesses and public sector organisations to more easily manage and monitor connected devices, providing the foundations for them to better develop connected products and services.
What’s so good about it?
As the first and only 4G-capable dedicated M2M service in the UK, EE Connect is the only one equipped to allow M2M networks to communicate on 4G, so they can take advantage of the vastly superior speeds offered.
Given that many connected devices are increasingly out in the field rather than relegated to homes and offices Wi-Fi connections aren’t always an option and 2G and 3G connections are far too slow to rely on.
EE Connect is also designed to be simple yet comprehensive, providing real time monitoring of devices, the ability to set and edit business rules remotely and granular reporting so customers can make more informed decisions.
It’s flexible, scalable and can largely be automated, but when help is needed EE also has a dedicated M2M service team to provide assistance.
It’s worth noting that EE itself is the perfect company to launch a 4G M2M service, as it’s the largest 4G mobile network in the UK.
What is EE Control Centre?
EE Control Centre is at the heart of EE Connect as it’s this which customers will use to manage and monitor their devices.
Lifecycle management, diagnostics and controlling devices in the field can all be automated or managed remotely, wherever and whenever, so you can respond instantly to any issues and streamline operational processes to save time and money.
What are EE M2M Sims?
EE’s M2M SIMs are the other half of EE Connect. Because while EE Control Centre manages your connected devices these SIM cards are what keep them connected, to each other and to a 4G network.
They allow roaming in 148 countries worldwide, so whether your business is national or international they’ll have you covered. Given that you can order as many or as few M2M SIM cards as you need EE Connect is also very scalable. You can start small and grow over time or connect thousands of devices from day one.
EE’s M2M Sims are designed for use in the field too, as they’re corrosion and vibration resistant and can withstand extreme temperatures.
Why is EE Connect needed?
There are already more than 2 million devices communicating with each other over the EE 2G and 3G network and EE predicts that there will be over 4 million connected devices on its network by 2017, while globally it’s expected that there’ll be over 30 billion connected devices by 2020, so an easy method of management is vital.
This is all part of the growing internet of things, which will see ever more devices connected and it’s worth getting on board with, as it will streamline, simplify and speed up any number of things, as well as opening up entirely new possibilities like driverless cars and fully connected smart cities.
What sort of things could EE Connect be used for?
EE Connect can be used to power M2M solutions across any number of fields. In vehicles for example it could be used to monitor driver behaviour for car insurance, on-board diagnostic solutions for engine management, driver profiling for fleet operators or minute-to-minute monitoring of car rentals.
In retail it could assist in smart vending, support NFC or enable remote stock control. It could help with security by connecting CCTV for remote monitoring and with utilities by connecting remote metering systems.
It could aid in logistics by informing advanced vehicle tracking systems or optimising routes and in healthcare it could be used to monitor diabetes or Alzheimer’s patients.
Those are just a few examples and they only include the ways it could easily be implemented today. Looking further ahead it could be used in the management of burgeoning technologies like driverless cars.
How do I get it?
EE Connect is available now to businesses and public sector organisations. Simply call or email to get set up with the products and services that best suit your needs.
