| Integration of Arm and China Unicom IoT Platforms
| Arm Pelion, Supports IoT Device Lifecycle
China Unicom IoT Platform Connects 100 Million Devices

Arm and China Unicom announced on February 27 that they have signed a long-term partnership agreement to provide IoT scalability, security, and simplicity to Chinese companies and global companies seeking to establish a presence in China.
Through this collaboration, the two companies plan to provide flexible, secure, and high-performance solutions by leveraging Arm Pelion Device Management, Arm Mbed OS, China Unicom's new IoT platform, and a rich ecosystem of devices and applications.

Chen Xiaotian, Head of IoT at China Unicom, stated, “We are pleased to partner with Arm to jointly provide enhanced and secure IoT solutions to the rapidly expanding market,” adding, “China Unicom IoT has been striving to become a driving force of the IoT era.”

"He added, 'As the number of devices gradually increases, cooperation with Arm will enable China Unicom's customers to grow their businesses efficiently and provide better service experiences.'""..." he said, adding that he would support the realization of higher returns on investment. He further added, "We will build an integrated IoT ecosystem together through IoT service innovation."

The China Unicom IoT Platform provides an edge-to-cloud ecosystem and securely connects 100 million devices across China. Based on Arm Pelion Device Management Services, which can manage all types of devices, the solution is tightly integrated with Mbed OS to provide device-to-data security and device management.

Through the partnership between Arm and China Unicom, Chinese companies and foreign companies in China will be able to easily deploy and manage various IoT applications on a large scale in industries such as smart utilities, smart cities, and smart logistics.

“IoT offers significant opportunities for enterprises, but requires solutions that are easy to implement, secure, and capable of managing devices throughout their entire lifecycle,” said Dipesh Patel, Head of Arm’s IoT Services Group. “By licensing Pelion Device Management and working with China Unicom, which uses Mbed OS, Arm will enable enterprises to create value through IoT services by making it easy and secure to develop and manage large-scale IoT devices.”

Companies can use Pelion Device Management to securely and efficiently deploy, manage, and update various types of IoT devices throughout the device lifecycle. In addition, Pelion Device Management provides the flexibility for enterprises to connect IoT devices in both public private cloud and on-premises hybrid environments.

Mbed OS integrates all essential components and key standards required for IoT and provides various types of connectivity capabilities. Mbed OS, set to be released this coming March, is the first IoT OS platform to feature PSA Certified Level 1 and PSA Functional API Certification. It supports several semiconductor companies, including Cypress, NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Nuvoton.

Mbed OS provides security throughout the entire lifecycle, from the edge and protocols to the entire process. Furthermore, Mbed OS supports developers in improving development efficiency, reducing development time, and focusing on innovation and differentiating their own IoT products.

Sam Lucero, a senior principal analyst at IHS Markit, said, “The Chinese IoT market continues its rapid growth,” adding, “Cellular IoT connections are expected to increase from 560 million in 2018 to 1.5 billion by 2022.”

He continued by emphasizing, “This growth presents tremendous opportunities for partnerships with companies like ArmChain and Unicom,” adding, “Through partnerships, many companies will be able to introduce new solutions to the market that address the demand for simple and secure IoT device deployment and management.”