Tata Communications IoT powers Doki smartwatch

Tata Communications is powering the global expansion of Hong Kong based start-up Doki Technologies, a producer of smartwatch devices.
Doki Technologies smartwatch dokiWatch S, a smartwatch from Doki Technologies, features a MOVE SIM from Tata Communications. The dokiWatch S instantly connects to the Internet, anywhere in the world, when a user switches on the smartwatch for the first time.

The dokiWatch S is the world’s first wearable phone and smart locator that combines video calling, voice calling, messaging and location-tracking capabilities in one device. Data-enabled features of the smartwatch are powered by 3G and 4G connectivity provided by the Tata Communications MOVE platform.

Tata Communications MOVE uses the company’s relationships with more than 600 mobile network operators (MNO) around the world, eliminating the need for Doki Technologies to negotiate separate data connectivity agreements with different local MNOs. This helps accelerate the company’s international expansion, as it looks to sell 200,000 smartwatches worldwide in 2018 – up by 40 percent from 2017.

“We have set ourselves an ambitious target for global expansion because we’re no longer being held back by complex country-specific deals for data connectivity,” said Casper Chien, founder and CEO at Doki Technologies.

Research firm Technavio has identified Doki Technologies as one of the players in the global children’s smartwatch market, which the analyst firm expects to expand steadily at a CAGR of almost 16 percent between 2017 and 2021.

Anthony Bartolo, chief product officer of Tata Communications, said cellular networks are a good foundation for many IoT applications, but the challenge is that every time a company wants to launch a new IoT device in a new country, it has to negotiate a new connectivity deal with a new local mobile network operator.

The API-enabled, automated Tata Communications MOVE platform is integrated with Doki Technologies’ business processes. This enables Doki Technologies to spot trends in the data consumption of dokiWatch S devices, adjust tariffs, and enhance billing accuracy. The software-defined platform allows the company to customise the features of dokiWatch S with children’s needs in mind.