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It was a busy week in the embedded M2M solutions sector. Here are some of the major stories.

Sirius XM is perhaps best known as being the satellite radio home of Howard Stern — but Sirius XM could become a key player in the new direction of connected cars and telematics. Sirius XM hardware is being found in about two-thirds of the vehicles sold in the United States. Still, it means one-third of the cars don’t have it – a possible roadblock for use of the technology in car-to-car communications, analysts said. Now, Sirius XM is offering an in-car streaming service and an in-dash access to the Internet Radio App in Ford cars with the Sync AppLink, news reports said.

In addition, a new 4G LTE machine-to-machine (M2M) router from CradlePoint, the CradlePoint (News - Alert) COR IBR600 4G, is being offered by Westbase Technology. The router will let businesses get better network performance and improved data connectivity via wireless 4G. The connectivity is always on. It is useful for high-bandwidth applications. Also, it can be used as a primary mobile broadband connection or as a failover in those instances where the wired connection is disrupted. It can be put to use in M2M, industrial and remote business applications, the company adds. Among the sectors it is best suited for are: energy, finance, retail, security and transport.

In still another story, increasingly, objects are being equipped with sensors and can also communicate, leading to a widely anticipated scenario called “The Internet of Things (IoT).” Neul Ltd. – which provides Network as a Service (NaaS) technology to connect machines – is refocusing on IoT rather than solely providing broadband equipment and services. TV white space remains a key capability for the company. The firm is building and providing NaaS for the IoT. That is leading to lower-cost endpoints and base stations that support Weightless, which is used for varied IoT applications and is a royalty-free, open communications standard.

It was also reported how Gemalto’s UpTeq NFC SIM embedded software and product is securing an NFC payment program for Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), a Taiwanese mobile network operator with 10 million subscribers. Gemalto’s (News - Alert) UpTeq NFC SIM will be used to safeguard mobile NFC transactions. CHT subscribers can use their mobile phone for contactless payments at more than 20,000 MasterCard (News - Alert) PayPass point of sale readers across Taiwan.

In addition, Sierra Wireless has received Sprint (News - Alert) certification for its AirPrime MC7355 module, making it the first 4G LTE wireless module to be given the OK for use on the Sprint mobile network. The MC7355 is one of many modules produced by Sierra Wireless (News - Alert) that utilize Sprint's network, making up a portfolio from the company.