Sigfox, which is building a slow-speed wireless network for IoT applications across the United States, has confirmed that its U.S. chief is no longer with the company. Sigfox also confirmed it did not reach its network coverage goals for 2017.

Confirmed: Sigfox U.S. chief out, IoT company misses 2017 network buildout target
https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/confirmed-sigfox-u-s-chief-out-iot-company-misses-2017-buildout-target

Sigfox, which is building a slow-speed wireless network for IoT applications across the United States, confirmed that its U.S. chief is no longer with the company. Sigfox also confirmed it did not reach its network coverage goals for 2017.

Light Reading first reported that Allen Proithis, who had led Sigfox’s North American operations since 2015, left the company in the last week, following the departure of Spectrum Manager Thomas Schmidt.

Sigfox also said it did not reach the network coverage buildout goals it laid out at the beginning of 2017. “While we did not reach our anticipated 40% population coverage in 2017, we did reach other milestones which we will announce later this month, including network densification in key regions. As with any fast-growth startup, we pivoted to react to customer demands, growing out our network in regions that were less populous, but key to our customers and partners, such as the Permian Basin,” Mason wrote.

Sigfox and Ingenu Ingenu are just two of a handful of companies building wireless networks focused on the IoT. Others in the United States include Comcast and Senet, which are building LoRa-powered wireless networks, while Sigfox continues to build out its own slow-speed wireless network in the United States and elsewhere. Meanwhile, AT&T and Verizon are looking to counter the rise of these IoT networks by tweaking their own LTE networks to offer LTE-M services.

But as carriers work to customize their networks and technologies designed for the IoT, companies that provide only LPWAN solutions may be finding the market much more competitive.

Google sold over 6 million smart speakers in 2017
https://venturebeat.com/2018/01/05/google-sold-over-6-million-smart-speakers-in-2017/

Google Assistant is now available on 400 million devices, including more than 6 million Home smart speakers sold since the Home Mini first became available last October.

“All told, Google Home usage increased 9X this holiday season over last year’s, as you controlled more smart devices, asked more questions, listened to more music, and tried out all the new things you can do with your Assistant on Google Home,” said a blog published today.

Tens of millions “of all Google devices for the home” were sold in 2017, the blog said, and at least one Google Home device has been sold every second since the Home Mini began to ship a few months ago, the company said. That’s roughly 6.3 million Home smart speakers sold in 2017, and about 6.7 million to date.

How Google Home and the Google Assistant helped you get more done in 2017
https://blog.google/products/assistant/how-google-home-and-google-assistant-helped-you-get-more-done-in-2017/

Alexa is coming to wearable devices, including headphones, smartwatches and fitness trackers
https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/05/alexa-is-coming-to-wearable-devices-including-headphones-smartwatches-and-fitness-trackers/

Amazon wants to bring Alexa to more devices than smart speakers, Fire TV and various other consumer electronics for the home, like alarm clocks. The company yesterday announced developer tools that would allow Alexa to be used in microwave ovens, for example – so you could just tell the oven what to do. Today, Amazon is rolling out a new set of developer tools, including one called the “Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit,” that would allow Alexa to work Bluetooth products in the wearable space, like headphones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, other audio devices, and more.

This kit is already being used by several companies, including device makers and solution providers Bose, Jabra, iHome, Linkplay, Sugr, Librewireless, Beyerdynamic, Bowers and Wilkins.

Amazon Alexa Mobile Accessories: A New Alexa-Enabled Product Category with Dev Tools Coming Soon
https://developer.amazon.com/blogs/alexa/post/564685cf-0b1b-4fe4-824e-2ce1e88e3e78/amazon-alexa-mobile-accessories-a-new-alexa-enabled-product-category-with-dev-tools-coming-soon

Success in the IIoT requires that information- and operational-technology networks work in tandem—time-sensitive networking can make it happen.

https://www.navigantresearch.com/research/navigant-research-leaderboard-iot-platform-vendors
Utilities and similarly large enterprises seeking to adopt Internet of Things (IoT) technologies rely on an ecosystem of vendors to help them harness the complex nature of these projects. Assistance is needed to manage an increasing number of connected devices and processes, handle the large data volumes they kick off, and then unlock valuable business insights through analytics tools.

Top 10 Vendors:

1. Microsoft

2. Amazon Web Services

3. IBM

4. PTC

5. GE

6. SAP

7. Cisco Jasper

8. Oracle

9. OSIsoft

10. Ayla Networks

https://www.navigantresearch.com/research/navigant-research-leaderboard-iot-platform-vendors
Utilities and similarly large enterprises seeking to adopt Internet of Things (IoT) technologies rely on an ecosystem of vendors to help them harness the complex nature of these projects. Assistance is needed to manage an increasing number of connected devices and processes, handle the large data volumes they kick off, and then unlock valuable business insights through analytics tools.

Securing tomorrow means rethinking how we design intelligent devices by embracing concepts from outside the digital realm and taking advantage of advanced new technologies.