blished 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Making Telecoms Work 18.2 Corporate M2M There is a wide choice of technology for machine-to-machine communication; indeed the breadth of choice has proved more of a hindrance than an asset. If faced with too many options people may choose not to choose. For example, an M2M application connecting vending machines to a central hub can be realised using VHF or UHF two-way radio or a GPRS modem. More localised connectivity can be provided using WiFi and/or Bluetooth and/or ZigBee. White-space devices are also being propositioned for M2M applications. Machines have some advantages over people. They do not complain, though their owners might. Many corporate M2M applications are static, vending machines being one example. They are also often installed in basements where radio coverage is poor. Thus, the choice of radio technology may be dictated by propagation. Many of the applications are low-bandwidth exchanges of a few kilobytes or less and may or may not be time critical. If power drain is not an issue, devices can be continuously connected. More often it makes more sense for devices to be polled or to send data at preassigned intervals or on an as-required basis - a 'running out of chocolate' message for example. One application that is apparently successful is a rodent trap that sends an SMS message when a visitor arrives. SMS can also be used to send control messages to remote devices. A number of organisations provide bespoke solutions for corporate end-to-end customers. Examples include Vianet, 2 Arkessa³ are an example in the UK as are Arkessa and Aeris. 4 Operators such as Orange have also been proactive in developing this market. 18.3 Specialist M2M Specialist M2M applications are different from corporate M2M in that the application spend would typically be justified on the basis of public safety or security. The most pervasive example presently would be CCTV surveillance and/or speed cameras or traffic-monitoring devices. The bandwidth exchange for a PIR (passive infr