BARCELONA -- On the Mobile World Congress 2017 (MWC 2017), Huawei launched the Edge-Computing-IoT (EC-IoT) Solution. The solution innovatively applies edge computing and cloud managed platforms to the IoT field. With the SDN-based Agile Controller and edge computing IoT gateways (AR500 series), the solution allows edge nodes to provide intelligent services nearby and implements network management in the cloud. The solution achieves full-process industry services and business model innovations, leading industry digital transformation and unleashing the great potential of industry innovations.

Global industry digital transformation is in the making, starting a wave of a new round of industry revolution. This wave features internet of things (IoT) and promotes innovations of industry services and business models, exerting great influences on the value chain, supply chain, and industrial ecosystem. However, the IoT is a large and complex system covering different industries and various application scenarios. According to a third-party assessment organization's statistics, more than 50 billion terminals and devices will be connected by 2020, and over 50% data will be analyzed, processed, and stored at the network edge in the future. Connections and management of many terminals and real-time analysis and processing of a large amount of data become tough problems in industry digital transformation.

Huawei launched EC-IoT Solution to solve these problems. The EC-IoT solution includes the terminal communication module, edge computing IoT gateway (AR500 series router), and Agile Controller. Terminal communication modules support intelligent connections of sensor network terminals; edge computing gateways provide intelligent services nearby; the Agile Controller provides open APIs and eSDKs to connect to industry application systems of different partners. Based on the cloud managed architecture, the Agile Controller achieves intelligent connections and highly efficient management of considerable terminals of different industries. The EC-IoT Solution applies to various industries. It provides full-process industry services and business model innovations and provides the support for innovative operation and services such as improved efficiency in R&D and production, predictive maintenance, and VAS operation. It greatly improves the product quality and reliability, and reduces maintenance and service costs, promoting industry digital transformation.

Innovative Application of the Edge Computing Architecture, Realizing Real-Time Service Analysis and Intelligent Decision-Making

The EC-IoT Solution innovatively applies the edge computing architecture to the IoT field. At the network edge close to a device or data source, the solution deploys the edge computing gateway that integrates network, computing, storage, and application capabilities, providing platform support of device, network, data, and application domains for edge computing. The edge computing gateway is associated with smart devices and sensors to provide intelligent connections and data processing services along the shortest path so that different types of applications and data are processed at the network edge. The EC-IoT Solution implements key intelligence services including service real-timeliness, service intelligence, data aggregation and interoperability, and security and privacy protection, improving the efficiency in making decisions intelligently.

Managing Tens of Millions of Terminals in the Cloud, Reducing O&M Costs by 50%

The Agile controller can manage IoT gateways and a large number of IoT terminals in the cloud. With cloud management, the Agile Controller provides full lifecycle management covering IoT planning, deployment, and O&M. Through the GIS-based management component, it monitors the status of the entire network in real time. It provides plug-and-play of considerable devices and automatic service deployment, greatly shortening the service provisioning time and reducing the OPEX by more than 50%. Through the open platform with cloud management, the Agile Controller provides industry customers with a new business model based on cloud services. It offers services including remote predictive maintenance and VAS operation, extending the industry value chain and accelerating industry intelligence and service-oriented transformation.

Open Ecosystem, Accelerating Industry Application Innovation

Through technical innovations, the EC-IoT Solution provides various open APIs and eSDKs and common protocols to connect to industry application systems of different partners. It is applicable to many industry scenarios and allows IoT applications to be customized. To promote a healthy and sustainable development of edge computing and extensive collaboration of the OT and ICT industries, Huawei, as one of six founding members, proactively promotes edge computing industry ecosystem construction. Huawei joins hands with more than 60 industry partners to initiate the Edge Computing Consortium. The Edge Computing Consortium aims to build the edge computing industry cooperation platform and incubate industry application best practices to promote innovations and layout of industry IoT applications and provide good support for industry digital transformation.

Until now, the EC-IoT Solution has been applied to the elevator network, power IoT, city and lighting IoT, smart energy, smart manufacturing, engineering machinery, and the Internet of Vehicle (IOV). The EC-IoT Solution will become the gripping knob to enable industry digital transformation.

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.