A new report by AT&T identifies five industries already benefitting from the Internet of Things (IoT) as an estimated 50 billion “things” will share data over the internet by 2020.

The report, The Right Information Can Change the World, explains the opportunity for businesses as millions of connected devices and processes join the IoT.

Jack Laskowitz, AT&T Partner Exchange’s director of product development, tells Channel Partners that IoT momentum is continuing to build and “as such, there are immense opportunities that solution providers can harness as they help businesses reap the benefits that IoT solutions afford, such as greater efficiency, increased revenue, lower operating costs, enhanced customer satisfaction and more.”

“While the report does not highlight specific opportunities for the channel, it does provide solution providers with the insights needed to help their business customers turn IoT into a strategic advantage,” he said. “… AT&T has helped companies big and small deploy more than 25 million connected devices to our network as of [the third quarter of] 2015. On top of that, collaboration is central to our AT&T Partner Exchange reseller program, so we will be here to help solution providers innovate and navigate IoT opportunities to best meet their customers’ needs.”

The five industries in which IoT is making a difference are: connected car; fleet management and telematics; smart cities; utilities; and supply chain.{ad}

Machina Research predicts that global connections in the automotive sector will increase from 125 million in 2014 to 1.2 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23 percent. The AT&T Drive Studio works with automakers and developers to enhance in-car experiences and safety. AT&T expects more than 10 million connected cars to be connected on its network by the end of 2017.

The IoT helps fleet managers monitor assets around the clock, reducing maintenance, idle time, paperwork, regulatory violations and insurance expense, according to AT&T. Working with the carrier, B&P Enterprises saved $86,000 annually on insurance and slashed Department of Transportation violations by 80 percent, the report said.

Regarding smart cities, IoT gives cities new tools to save money and operate more efficiently and sustainably. For example, AT&T is working with Mueller Water Products and IBM to provide services that can help detect leaks in water mains using IoT technology.

As for utilities, AT&T is working with companies to develop the next generation of IoT smart energy offerings to help …

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… the industry become more efficient.

And with supply chain, AT&T is teaming with global shipper Maersk to track and monitor the condition of more than 280,000 connected refrigerated shipping containers with perishable goods. Additionally, through AT&T Cargo View with FlightSafe, customers can help monitor freight for temperature, humidity, pressure, shock and vibration from takeoff to landing.

“This year, IoT will become an increasingly indispensable part of our daily lives as consumers, governments and businesses fully embrace all it has to offer,” Laskowitz said. “Connected health, for example, will address real health concerns – and in near real time. Customer service will become more innovative and seamless. And more devices and machines will talk with each other, creating greater efficiencies. IoT is continually transforming the way companies innovate for and engage with customers.”

AT&T has launched a new website that offers an interactive experience showing how everyday objects – from lampposts, tractors and medical devices to specialized industrial equipment – are evolving to help create an interconnected world.

The company also is announcing a new set of IoT tools that will enable developers to create flexible offerings for companies. AT&T Flow Designer, now available to business customers, is a cloud-based service that helps developers create and deploy IoT apps.

“We continue to expand our IoT ecosystem and help developers think differently,” said Mike Troiano, vice president of product management for AT&T IoT Solutions. “More than 10,000 IoT developers are using our open standards platform to connect things in the agriculture, automotive, aviation, energy, health care and transportation industries. Together, we’re building solutions that can help companies of all sizes stand out from their competitors.”

In addition, AT&T is introducing a new family of LTE modules to simplify and lower the cost of IoT device designs globally, and improve device performance.