CES 2023: Day 1

The big question going into the week was, “would CES in 2023 be back to what we remember it before the pandemic?” – and I think it is safe to say that CES is definitely coming back strong! The attendance felt like what I remember of years past, and the excitement could be seen in the sheer number of people waiting to get into the exhibit halls before they even opened.

As with any event, we focus our attention on the IoT sector and what new and exciting things are being showcased. It’s easy to get lost in the endless sea of consumer IoT products, but if you’re a regular reader of IoT For All you know that as much as we enjoy smart consumer products, nothing gets us more excited than innovations in the commercial/enterprise side of IoT. As I popped around to different booths and spoke to leaders of different companies, it was clear that companies were focused on not just new and improved IoT technologies such as Matter, 5G, etc. but there also seemed to be a renewed focus on showcasing what IoT technology could do in real life applications. For years, we have said that the tech is great, but what really shows us the power of IoT is the solutions being built by companies and their partners, and this was definitely something I noticed at CES 2023.

Lastly, one of my favorite things to do is talk to members of our community at events like this to see what they are creating. To help share what I saw, I’ve compiled a list of some of the exciting things I came across from our Partners and community members.

Blues Wireless

Stopping by the Blues booth was a great experience. The booth looked great (they had an on-staff barista), and I was given a guided tour by their VP, Brandon Satrom. What was really unique is that they brought in a number of their customers to showcase the exciting ways they are utilizing the Blues’ Notecard and Notehub offerings in the real world. The Notecard and Notehub work together to create a simple and secure way to send data between the product and the cloud. The Notecard combines prepaid cellular connectivity, a low-power design, and secure “off-the-internet” communication in one module, while the Notehub is a hosted service for securely routing Notecard data to your cloud application of choice. 

© IoT For All

Emnify

During our time together at CES, I had the opportunity to learn about the Emnify IoT SuperNetwork, a new approach to global IoT connectivity that provides highly secure, robust, and affordable connections. The Emnify SuperNetwork is carrier agnostic, meaning it is a cloud-based IoT platform that provides multi-network coverage. With Emnify, companies can deploy IoT devices anywhere in the world with reliable, secure, and seamless network management using a single SIM and platform. Emnify aims to revolutionize the way companies connect and manage their IoT devices with their innovative SuperNetwork. Side note: Emnify recently launched new branding along with a new site; I got to see it all firsthand at CES and it looks great! 

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Monogoto

I had a great chat with Monogoto’s Co-Founder and CEO Itamar Kunik at CES where we spoke about the power of providing ubiquitous connectivity for both private and public networks. Their available API for developers allows them to easily integrate this connectivity into their products and services. Itamar put it simply; imagine this as the "AWS for connectivity," helping companies to easily extend their networks and usability without having to choose between private and public options. What impressed me even more was learning how companies are using Monogoto's API in very creative ways, such as helping to reduce battery power and consumption, along with other ways to save costs for deployments in a variety of use cases.

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Hologram

Connecting with the Hologram is always a great time, and at CES 2023 I got to learn a bit more about their IoT connectivity platform which provides cellular connectivity for IoT devices and the software to manage them. The highlight of their platform is the Hologram eUICC-enabled SIM, Hyper, which automatically connects to the best available network in over 190 countries, making it easy to deploy IoT devices globally and enabling over-the-air updates. This is supported by the Hologram Dashboard which brings transparency and control to managing IoT devices, allowing customers to view and act on data, optimize connected devices, set alerts, and prevent fraud. In addition to their platform, Hologram highlighted interesting use cases of their technology, which is always something we enjoy hearing about!

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Pod Group

I had the pleasure of speaking with Pod Group’s Head of Enterprise Sales Tom Mason who talked me through their focus on becoming more of a full end-to-end IoT suite and moving beyond their role as a SIM/eSIM provider to offer complete solutions for IoT. They are introducing innovative products like smart shipping labels and focusing on key verticals to bring value to their customers with the help of key partners. Pod Group is working closely with these partners to become a "one-stop shop" for IoT solutions, making it easier for businesses to adopt and integrate these technologies into their operations. We are big believers in the value of partners in IoT, so it’s great to see the success they are having working closely with other companies in the industry. 

Pod Group

KORE Wireless

KORE has been a long-time member and Partner of the IoT For All community so it was great to sync up with their team at CES. Their focus is helping organizations simplify the complexity of IoT. 5G is a big topic for them as well, and they want to help show organizations how 5G and IoT can be utilized with KORE to simplify IoT operations, lower costs, and provide a seamless experience in bringing IoT solutions to life. I like how they explained it to me (which is also highlighted on their site): “Get the connectivity you need, the devices you want, and the expert help you deserve.” Being 100% focused on IoT enables KORE to help companies get to market faster and see success at every stage of their IoT journey.

KORE Wireless

Overall, I would say day 1 was a success! It was great to see the crowds back at CES in 2023 and the growth in floor space taken up by IoT companies. There are lots of exciting happenings in the industry for sure! Stay tuned for a day 2 report coming tomorrow.