Communications regulator Ofcom has today announced support for innovation in the emerging Internet of Things (IoT).
Working with industry and Government, Ofcom says it wants to create a regulatory environment which fosters investment and innovation in the IoT, which is likely to see billions of devices wirelessly connected to the internet and each other.
Currently there are over 40 million devices connected via the IoT in the UK and this is forecast to grow more than eight-fold by 2022.
Globally up to 50 billion IoT devices, ranging from cars and parking meters to coffee machines and combine harvesters could be connected to the Internet over the next five years, each using tiny slivers of spectrum to get online.
On Tuesday Ofcom said it will ensure the UK “has the tools and infrastructure to allow the IoT to develop unhindered” and is able to play a “leading role” in its development and adoption.
To do this, the regulator has outlined key “priority” areas, including spectrum availability, data privacy, network security and ‘bespoke’ network addressing.
“The Internet of Things will bring benefits to a range of sectors and could change the way we live our lives,” said Steve Unger, Ofcom’s acting chief executive.
“As a result of this growth, we have listened closely to industry and want to develop a framework for this technology to evolve in a way which will ultimately benefit citizens and consumers.”
Last year, Cisco CEO John Chambers said the IoT will create $19 trillion in economic benefit and value over the next decade – adding that the impact will be five to 10 times higher on society than Internet itself.
View the full Ofcom report here.
