For mobile communications and messaging platforms, the landscape is fragmented. When industry leader WhatsApp announced the addition of voice services in August, many saw it as evidence that companies focused solely on mobile messaging could struggle to compete.
Sweden-based Bosbec takes a different approach. The company offers a business messaging solution while also staking a claim in the Internet of Things (IoT).
According to Bosbec’s technical chief, Jakob Sjoberg, WhatsApp’s move makes sense, but his company has distinct strengths that keep it competitive.
“We are more of a platform where you can communicate with anything — solutions that can interact with your refrigerator, for example,” Sjoberg explains. “Messaging solutions are growing very fast and have a rapid future.”
Machine-to-machine (M2M) communications are indeed evolving into what we now call the Internet of Things. Industry analysts have emphasized IoT’s strategic importance; for example, Frost & Sullivan recently described IoT as a pivotal catalyst for IT buyers and sellers.
Sjoberg acknowledges that while M2M shows strong potential, it has not yet reached widespread importance.
“Right now [M2M] is not very important, but we think it will be very important in a couple of years,” he says. “We’ll see demand for it increase.”
One common misconception about M2M in media coverage is an overemphasis on device counts. The raw number of connected devices is eye-catching, but it’s not necessarily the most meaningful measure of impact.
As James Monighan has argued, “devices will connect across all technologies, so we need to move on from that.” The key is to look beyond simple device tallies and consider how connectivity creates value.
Sjoberg concurs that M2M is often framed in the wrong light, and he offers a different viewpoint.
“From what we can see, it’s the same technology for us whether it’s an M2M solution or person-to-person-to-technology,” Sjoberg explains. “It’s the same solution; there is no difference.”
At present, it’s instructive to observe how two technologies with different potentials and timescales are progressing: traditional mobile messaging, now augmented with voice and richer features, and the expanding realm of M2M/IoT, where device ecosystems and platform integrations will increasingly matter.
Business messaging providers that can support a broad range of endpoints — from individual users to machines and appliances — are well positioned to capitalize as demand shifts. The future will likely favor flexible, interoperable platforms that enable seamless communication across people and devices.
Where do you see the future of M2M and mobile messaging heading? Will messaging platforms evolve to become universal communication hubs for both humans and machines, or will specialist solutions continue to carve out dedicated niches?