Tata Communications is working with Hong Kong based start-up Doki Technologies to support the company's expansion in the US and Canada, Europe, and Southeast Asia. The recently unveiled dokiWatch S will come with a Tata Communications MOVE SIM built in. So, when a parent or child switches on the dokiWatch S for the first time, the smartwatch is instantly connected to the Internet, anywhere in the world.
The dokiWatch S is a wearable phone and smart locator that combines video calling, voice calling, messaging and location-tracking capabilities in one simple device. All these data-enabled features of the smartwatch are powered by global 3G and 4G connectivity provided by the Tata Communications MOVE platform.
Tata Communications MOVE harnesses the company's relationships with more than 600 mobile network operators (MNO) around the world, eliminating the need for Doki Technologies to negotiate separate data connectivity agreements with different local MNOs in each country. This helps accelerate the company's international expansion, as it looks to sell 200,000 smartwatches worldwide in 2018 – up by 40% from 2017.
“We have set ourselves an ambitious target for global expansion because we're no longer being held back by complex country-specific deals for data connectivity,” said Casper Chien, Founder and CEO at Doki Technologies. “Equipping all dokiWatch S devices with Tata Communications MOVE not only ensures a seamless, secure user experience for children and parents; it also drives our expansion to new geographies and helps us hit our ambitious growth target.”
Technavio has identified Doki Technologies as one of the key players in the global children's smartwatch market, which the analyst firm expects to expand steadily at a CAGR of almost 16% between 2017 and 2021.
“Fast-growing businesses that look to capitalise on the huge potential of the Internet of Things must be able to capture, move and manage information seamlessly, reliably and securely worldwide,” said Anthony Bartolo, Chief Product Officer, Tata Communications. “Cellular networks are a good foundation for many IoT applications, but the challenge is that every time a company wants to launch a new IoT device in a new country, it has to negotiate a new connectivity deal with a new local mobile network operator. That's very time-consuming. Through the Tata Communications MOVE platform, we want to reinvent mobile networking for the IoT age. It's a single, global mobile network that gives companies like Doki Technologies the speed and agility to grow across borders.”
The API-enabled, fully-automated Tata Communications MOVE platform is integrated with Doki Technologies' business processes. This enables Doki Technologies to spot trends in the data consumption of dokiWatch S devices globally, adjust tariffs easily, and enhance billing accuracy. The software-defined platform also allows the company to customise the features of dokiWatch S with children's needs in mind.
The Tata Communications MOVE platform is part of the company's aim of creating truly global, borderless mobile experiences for people and things. It is underpinned by Tata Communications' global network, which today connects 4 out of 5 mobile subscribers and carries over 25% of the world's Internet routes.
