ZigBee Alliance Initiative Extends Mobile Telephone Networks

May 9, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS

The new ZigBee Telecom Profile is designed to feature secure mobile payment, information delivery, health care monitoring, peer-to-peer small data sharing and other location based services and features.

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ZigBee mobile devices include mobile telephones and personal digital assistants with embedded ZigBee technology or using a ZigBee subscriber identity module (SIM) card.

These devices act as a mobile terminal and/or as a sensor control device anywhere there is a ZigBee network or ZigBee access point.

Potential applications in development include:

• Secure mobile payments: Mobile users pay for goods and services by waving a handset in front of a scanner and entering a PIN number.
• Information delivery: Users receive news, downloads including messages, ringtones, images and advertisements from network operators or localized information such as weather, traffic updates and movie show times based on their current location or neighborhood.
• Health care monitoring: Continuously monitored health data is recorded on a handset and transmitted to the patient's doctor. In an emergency situation, such as the absence of patient response or alarming vital signs, the mobile device can be programmed to immediately alert emergency services.
• Peer-to-peer small data sharing: Small files such as ring tones, images, address book contacts and other information provided by telecom operators is shared between two ZigBee-enabled mobile devices.
• Location based services: Discounted rates for calls from ZigBee mobile phone users in a certain zone offers savings to users.

Source: ZigBee Alliance.