London, July 11 (IANS): Global networking and tele-communications service provider Ericsson on Tuesday launched a set of network services to facilitate operators introduce Internet of Things (IoT) applications on their networks.

The services include IoT network design and optimisation, deployment, operation and management.

"We anticipate IoT devices will surpass mobile phones as the largest category of connected devices as early as 2018 and, according to Ericsson's latest Mobility Report, there will be 18 billion connected IoT devices in 2022," said Peter Laurin, Head of Business Area Managed Services, Ericsson, in a statement.

"This massive uptake requires a different approach to network planning, design, operations and capabilities than traditional mobile broadband networks," Laurin added.

The company introduced IoT software features such as Voice over LTE (VoLTE) support for the "Cat-M1" (an IoT-friendly version of LTE) technology.

This will provide operators opportunity to expand voice services to areas such as security alarm panels, remote first-aid kits, wearables, digital locks, disposable security garments among other IoT-enabled applications and services.