Telefónica, a leading provider of integrated communication solutions, today announced it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the LEADERS quadrant of the Magic Quadrant for Managed Machine-to-Machine Services published October 21, 2014.
Surya Mendonça, Global Managing Director for M2M at Telefónica says: “We feel this positioning as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant is recognition of the great work of our entire team at Telefonica and proves our strong commitment to provide the best and most advanced m2m services to our clients”
According to Gartner, machine to machine (M2M) is one of the fastest-growing enterprise and most-profitable communications service provider (CSP) enterprise digital services”, and in the U.S. alone, Gartner forecasts that IT services in support of M2M solutions are growing at a CAGR of 23% from 2011 through 2016. (Gartner Market Trends: Ten Leading CSPs Accelerate Efforts to Grab the M2M Opportunity, July 2014).
Surya Mendonça continues: “Telefónica has achieved a great deal in the M2M space with a consistent strategy encompassing horizontal and E2E solutions both globally and locally. Activity has taken place in numerous sectors and areas - from transport and utilities to consumer electronics and smart cities, culminating in some significant results for us”.
“Some of the highlights include signing a deal with electric car manufacturer, Tesla, to bring connectivity to the Tesla Model S in Europe;  winning the world’s largest M2M contract to date with the UK’s Smart Meter Implementation Programme (SMIP) consisting of over 42 million smart meters across 23.5 million households; playing a leading role in transforming public services through smart city programmes in Santander and Valencia; launching our own internet of things module called ‘Thinking Things ’ and establishing an M2M Global Partner Program in the US and Europe consisting of over 250 M2M partners”.
“We are delighted to be positioned in what we believe is the forefront of this digital revolution and will continue to provide our customers with new and innovative ways of doing business more efficiently and helping them embrace the digital future.”                          
The report defines "leaders" as companies that “believe in the promise of the IoT, and they invest in that future. Leaders perform skillfully and often exceed expectations. Leaders have a clear vision of the market's direction and develop competencies to maintain their leadership. They shape the market, rather than follow it.”
The vendors in the Magic Quadrant were evaluated on their "ability to execute" and "completeness of vision," which reflect the following specific criteria:
Ability to Execute

• Product/Service
• Overall Viability (Business Unit, Financial, Strategy and Organization)
• Sales execution/pricing
• Market Responsiveness and Track Record
• Marketing execution
• Customer experience
• Operations

Completeness of Vision

• Market understanding
• Marketing strategy
• Sales strategy
• Offering (product) strategy
• Business model
• Vertical/Industry Strategy
• Innovation
• Geographic strategy

Disclaimer:
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose 
About Telefónica
Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world in terms of market capitalisation and number of customers. With its best in class mobile, fixed and broadband networks, and innovative portfolio of digital solutions, Telefónica is transforming itself into a ‘Digital Telco’, a company that will be even better placed to meet the needs of its customers and capture new revenue growth.
The company has a significant presence in 24 countries and a customer base that amounts almost 316 million accesses around the world. Telefónica has a strong presence in Spain, Europe and Latin America, where the company focuses an important part of its growth strategy.
Telefónica is a 100% listed company, with more than 1.5 million direct shareholders. Its share capital currently comprises 4.551.024.586 ordinary shares traded on the Spanish Stock Market (Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia) and on those in London, New York, Lima, and Buenos Aires.
For more information about m2m business, visit m2m.telefonica.com or follow on twitter at @m2mtelefonica and LinkedIn.