Leveraging technology, interesting usage cases are coming up abroad. With global mobile cellular tele-density standing at a whopping 97 percent (as per the UN’s ITU), connectivity is now increasingly moving towards devices. Tech’s hardware and software giants are seen paddling around a fancy-sounding phenomenon, the “Internet of things” – or IoT. The analyst view abroad suggests IoT as a key driver of the economies of the future. Global internet usage is at 46 percent of households, as per ITU.
What IoT does, it links up smart devices at homes, offices, highways, factories, etc. to the Internet. Thanks to built-in sensors (which are the “things”) and connectivity (which could be any type of broadband), devices can interact internally and externally, share data, and make decisions in a programmed fashion. As machines talk to machines, a steady stream of data is generated. Data can then be mined and used for real-time information, automation and optimization of processes and practices.
Put simply, IoT is just devices connected to the Internet and each other. Technologies have been around through which you can just turn up the room AC, switch on the heating, turn off the lights, or send vital signs to a physician, all with a twiddle on your Smartphone. But treating IoT as an individual phenomenon – separate from connectivity and devices – offers a better direction to public and private sectors to move towards automation-led efficiencies, be it homes, offices, or factories.
In the developed globe, where Internet penetration is high, IoT is making traction. Future uptake could be huge. Technology research firm Gartner expects 26 billion connected devices by 2020; Cisco has forecast 50 billion devices by then. Value generated could be up to $11 trillion per annum by 2025, as per an analysis done by consulting firm McKinsey in June this year. Much as in the developed world, in the developing world, too, IoT up tick will be a function of broadband affordability and smartphone penetration.
Last week saw a good example of how any technology, once available, can unleash its applications. Telenor Pakistan organized an expo on IoT in Karachi on November 18 – the company’s second this year. With 3G mobile broadband available in many Pakistani cities and towns now – and at reasonable tariffs, one might add – there can be a business case for Internet-powered devices that make lives easier for folks in different fields.
While the IoT ecosystem will take time to develop here, looking at some of the devices at the expo, one could say that it’s a nice start. A wearable device (wrist watch) updates parents on their kids’ whereabouts and sounds an alarm in case of distress. A retrofit device, Jul Bhuj, helps legacy water geysers become eco-friendly and efficient. For a monthly rental of Rs490, the most basic product from BrighterLite, a solar energy solution, lets rural households use two lights and one charger. It’s good that the country is now moving towards IoT, which is all about useful connectivity cases. Perhaps the greatest impact could lie in business. Not just manufacturing, service sectors could also use automation and real-time data collection and analysis. IoT devices do look ugly in shape and aesthetics, but the value such gadgets can potentially generate should excite decision-makers at homes and boards.
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