Universal Identification Scheme in Machine-to- Machine Systems

Number of connected devices in Machine-to- Machine (M2M) systems is rapidly growing: according to famous predictions made by Ericsson, by the end of 2020 there will be 50 billion devices in M2M systems around the world. The idea to connect a plethora of devices, whether they are fixed, movable or fully mobile, that communicate through different technologies (e.g. wireline, 2G/3G/4G, WiFi, ZigBee, Bluetooth) and thus create a heterogeneous environment provides remarkable opportunities. Such device and communication technology diversity offers new business concepts in numerous market verticals, creating a truly connected environment with seamless and automated flow of data and services. In this paper we explain current efforts in the area of M2M identification and addressing, and propose a new identification scheme that allows M2M Devices to establish communication with M2M Server or other M2M Devices in all available scenarios (i.e. with or without intermediary devices).