Cycle30 Inc. , an automated billing/rating firm spun out of General Communication Inc. (GCI) (Nasdaq: GNCMA), has landed its first major machine-to-machine (M2M) customer in Arrow Electronics. (See SaskTel Picks AlcaLu).

The Seattle-based BSS/OSS firm has been leveraging its telecom roots to peddle an "order to cash" approach that handles order management, activation and provisioning, billing and rating, and customer service as well to Tier 2 and smaller telcos and cable companies.

Along the way, the notion of service in the M2M space, particularly utilities and the smart grid market, evolved as a natural match for Cycle30's ability to handle massive amounts of data.

"All the things that have applied in the telecom world, apply here," says Jim Dunlap, CEO of Cycle30. Many of the companies that are looking at the M2M market have not had to deal with large quantities of real-time data, which is inherent in Cycle30's systems.

For Cycle30, landing a Fortune 200 company such as Arrow, which provides components and computing technologies to enterprises, is an instant credibility boost in a key market.

Why this matters
M2M is a key market for the entire telecom sector, and the ability to manage the volume of transactions it is expected to generate and to accurately bill for them will be gating factors to its success. If companies such as Cycle30 are able to automate those processes, the rollout of M2M services for the smart grid, but also for much more, will be greatly enhanced.

For more
Here's a look at previous Cycle30 coverage:

— Carol Wilson, Chief Editor, Events, Light Reading