The CDMA Development Group, or “CDG,” announced the formation of a special interest group, or “SIG,” focused on M2M communications, services and devices, at a recent industry event.

The CDG Smart Wireless Modules and Services SIG will help to enable its member companies and their customers to leverage the data capabilities of CDMA2000 and its evolutionary technologies. The SIG also aims to build upon the CDG device team's requirements for embedded CDMA2000 devices to make the testing and certification process more open and streamlined across various operators' networks. 

CDG’s Smart Wireless Modules and Services SIG is for CDG members to discuss successful implementations and lessons learned, share experiences across vertical markets, network with potential suppliers and customers, build on CDMA’s device team efforts: GHRC Document 176 for M2M modules, address ecosystem issues related to numbering, roaming and certification, and develop input to regulatory proceedings globally to support M2M.

Perry LaForge (News - Alert), executive director of the CDG, said that embedded wireless services are about to experience explosive growth, not only in vertical industries such as utilities, healthcare and fleet tracking, but also with consumer devices like e-readers. 

“The CDG is intent on making the rapid growth of machine-to-machine connections over CDMA2000 networks as efficient as possible, especially for companies outside of the telecommunications industry,” LaForge said.

CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO are considered ideal radio technologies to enable M2M communications due to their wide coverage, bit rates and reliability. 

“The embedded cellular M2M module market has fared reasonably well through the economic turbulence of the last 12 to 18 months,” Sam Lucero, director of ABI Research's (News - Alert) M2M Connectivity Practice, said. 

Additionally, overall unit shipments in 2008 still showed positive growth at four percent and should be on track to grow by approximately 16 percent in 2009. “Over the coming years, we expect the market to grow from about 25.7 million units shipped in 2008 to roughly 88.1 million units shipped in 2014,” Lucero said.