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This past week in the embedded M2M solutions sector featured some noteworthy events, including partnerships, a product release and the future of payments.

First up, it was revealed that BlackBerry 10 features a platform with embedded navigation, maps and other software components from TeleCommunication Systems in order to provide reliability in core areas.

As such, BB10 features a feature-rich map app with complete navigation solutions, an easy-to-use but powerful search feature and a native SDK developer toolkit that allows third-party developers to add maps and features. TCS is known for providing government agencies with cyber security and other mission-critical solutions.

Next, Ericsson and XL Indonesia forged a new M2M partnership in which Ericsson (News - Alert) is to provide M2M connectivity as a service via its device connection platform. This platform will allow XL's enterprise customers to monitor devices anytime, anywhere, while providing XL greater flexibility in offering end-to-end M2M products and services.

Furthermore, DCP will enable XL to increase revenue, decrease operational costs and shorten time to market. The company's current M2M offerings include smart metering and point of sales services, fleet management, logistics and delivery, personal tracking and mobile surveillance.

In other news, SIMCom Wireless renewed a licensing agreement with Red Bend Software (News - Alert) to use its vRapid Mobile software's firmware-over-the-air technology to provide remote updating on M2M modules. Considered among the most reliable FOTA solutions on the market, vRapid Mobile guarantees completion of software updates despite disruptions.

The three main components of vRapid Mobile are the Update Generator, which helps developers identify changes in firmware and create an update package, the Update Installer, which performs the update using limited memory, and the Complete Android (News - Alert) Update Client.

The latter enables background updating on Android devices.

Redpine Signals launched the RS9113 this week, a fully self-contained M2MCombo chip that integrates dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, ZigBee and dual-mode Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. This chip offers a high level of hardware integration and saves manufacturers money, while reducing time to market.

“Our experience with thousands of customers in the growing wireless M2M space over the past decade has shown us that they need a way to hurdle over the barriers of multiple protocols in order to accelerate product time to market, and therefore drive The Internet of Things market," said Venkat Mattela, CEO at Redpine Signals (News - Alert). "Our M2MCombo solution not only provides an outstanding customer value for cost but also speeds up the product lifecycle by removing challenges involved in wireless co-existence issues.”

Lastly, Gemalto discussed the future of payments at the 2013 Payments Summit. The company participated in two panels at the event: "Mobile Wallets Debates: NFC vs. The Cloud?" and "EMV Experience Panel: Issuers, Merchants and Processors Discuss Their Experience with EMV."

The focus of the summit was on EMV this year and migration to the standard, providing attendees with a chance to know how this migration will help develop mobile payments. Gemalto (News - Alert) executives expressed their views on this topic as well as NFC.