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Tag: iot

  • GSMA launches IoT, big data directory

    GSMA launches IoT, big data directory

    The GSMA has launched the IoT Big Data API Directory, which will make harmonized data sets from multiple sources worldwide available to developers and third parties, enabling them to create innovative new Internet of Things (IoT) services.

    The directory, which is the first of its kind, is designed to encourage a common approach to data sharing that will help the IoT to realize its full potential and encourage the development of new projects across transport, the environment and smart cities.

    Global mobile operators China Mobile, China Unicom, KT Corporation, Orange and Telefónica have already implemented solutions enabling them to share harmonized IoT data.

    “The IoT generates a huge amount of data that is currently retained in vertical silos. However, in order for the IoT to reach its full potential this data needs to be released and made available to developers and third parties,” said Alex Sinclair, CTO of GSMA.

    “A common, collaborative and interoperable approach to big data will remove the commercial and technical barriers to capitalizing on the IoT opportunity and usher in a new era of IoT solutions that will help the market to scale,” said Sinclair. “We encourage mobile operators to collaborate with the wider industry to benefit from the big data opportunity.”

    The IoT Big Data API Directory provides details of IoT and context data sets covering machines, devices, automotive, roads, environment, smart home and agriculture.

    All of the data sets are harmonized and can be viewed on github. A common approach to data sharing lowers costs and creates opportunities for IoT developers, data brokers and data providers.

    The IoT Big Data Framework defines how mobile operators can approach the delivery of IoT big data services. It is designed to enable industry participants to work together collaboratively to deliver big data services and support an ecosystem of third-party application developers.

    Mobile operators are seen as key participants in the delivery of an IoT big data ecosystem, although much of the IoT data that is collected will come from a range of data provider partners.

    The document provides a framework for the delivery of IoT big data services that recognizes the many different approaches towards the services that are offered and the technology choices that are made. The proposed architecture promises a degree of flexibility which allows IoT big data services to be offered in multiple ways.

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  • Fujitsu enables biometric authentication for IoT

    Fujitsu enables biometric authentication for IoT

    Fujitsu Laboratories says it has developed a technology that enables safe and easy use of cloud services through IoT devices by leveraging the biometric authentication functionality and near-field wireless functionality of modern smartphones.

    In the era of IoT, various devices are connected to cloud services. When using these services such as parcel delivery lockers in apartments or public facilities, or when using car sharing services, user authentication will need to take place each time a service is used.

    With existing ID and password systems, users have to manage multiple IDs and passwords which make the authentication process cumbersome.

    Fujitsu Laboratories has developed technology that enables biometric authentication of a cloud service’s user without extracting biometric information from that user’s smartphone.

    The technology establishes a secure network between a cloud service, an IoT device and a smartphone, and then simultaneously verifies the identity of the user and that the user is in front of the IoT device.

    With the new technology, users can safely and conveniently access cloud services through a variety of IoT devices without inputting an ID and password, using just their smartphone’s biometric authentication.

    In addition, Fujitsu said this technology enables the provision of a strong personal authentication service using biometrics without requiring service providers to manage an individual’s biometric information for each device or service.

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  • IoT devices drive DDoS attack traffic in Q4

    IoT devices drive DDoS attack traffic in Q4

    Unsecured IoT devices continued to drive significant DDoS attack traffic in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to Akamai’s latest State of the Internet / Security Report.

    The fourth quarter report also revealed that attacks greater than 100 Gbps increased to 12 during the quarter, a 40% year-over-year increase.

    Seven of the 12 Q4 2016 mega attacks, those with traffic greater than 100 Gbps, can be directly attributed to the Mirai IoT botnet.

    But the largest DDoS attack in Q4 2016, which peaked at 517 Gbps, came from Spike, a non-IoT botnet that has been around for more than two years.

    The number of IP addresses involved in DDoS attacks grew significantly this quarter, despite DDoS attack totals dropping overall. The United States sourced the most IP addresses participating in DDoS attacks – more than 180,000.

    “With the predicted exponential proliferation of these devices, threat agents will have an expanding pool of resources to carry out attacks, validating the need for companies to increase their security investments,” said Martin McKeay, senior security advocate and senior editor of the report.

    “Additional emerging system vulnerabilities are expected before devices become more secure.”

    Of the 25 DDoS attack vectors tracked in Q4 2016, the top three were UDP fragment (27%), DNS (21%), and NTP (15%), while overall DDoS attacks decreased by 16 percent.

    Akamai started tracking a new reflection DDoS attack vector this quarter, Connectionless Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (CLDAP), which attackers abuse to amplify DDoS traffic.

    “If anything, our analysis of Q4 2016 proves the old axiom ‘expect the unexpected’ to be true for the world of web security,” continued McKeay.

    “For example, perhaps the attackers in control of Spike felt challenged by Mirai and wanted to be more competitive. If that’s the case, the industry should be prepared to see other botnet operators testing the limits of their attack engines, generating ever larger attacks.”

  • SK Telecom, CAT to launch IoT network in Thailand

    SK Telecom, CAT to launch IoT network in Thailand

    SK Telecom has teamed up with Thai state-owned operator CAT Telecom for a project to deploy a LoRa-based IoT network and services in Thailand.

    Under the agreement, the operators plan to deploy a LoRa-based IoT pilot network in Bangkok and Phuket and launch IoT pilot services from April.

    SK Telecom will be responsible for deploying LoRa-based IoT networks in central areas of Bangkok and the entire Phuket province. The company has also been contracted to provide consulting services.

    In Phuket, SK Telecom and CAT will initially launch a LoRa-based vehicle location tracking service, and plan to follow this up with more IoT services including smart metering and smart street lighting services.

    In central Bangkok, the companies plan to offer an IoT-based location tracking service for tourists, designed to prevent children and the elderly from going missing near the Grand Palace during the mourning period recently deceased king Bhumibol Adulyadej.

    “SK Telecom will contribute to the growth of the ICT industry in Thailand by working together with CAT Telecom in the area of IoT, while nurturing a new ICT ecosystem by cooperating with many related companies,” SK Telecom EVP and head of IoT Cha In-hyok said.

    “Going forward, SK Telecom will collaborate with CAT Telecom in more areas to create more success stories in Thailand and other Southeast Asian markets.”

    SK Telecom and CAT also announced that Tree Pay, the joint venture established by the two companies as well as Korean digital payment company NHN KCP, has launched a payment gateway service in Thailand.

    Tree Pay will combine technologies from SK Telecom and NHN KCP to develop an innovative payment gateway supporting online, offline and mobile payment. CAT will meanwhile work with the Thai government to develop business opportunities for the new venture.

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  • Indonesian govt to embrace IoT

    Indonesian govt to embrace IoT

    By 2019, 20% of local and regional governments in Indonesia will use IoT devices to turn infrastructure like roads, street lights, and traffic signals into assets instead of liabilities, IDC predicts.

    This year, however, it said 90% of Indonesian cities will fail to take full advantage of smart city data and digital assets due to a lack of process, project management, and change management skills.

    “In Indonesia, digital transformation is still not adequately represented within the enterprise, and this disparity in leadership will lead towards a delayed response towards market changes that will adversely impact business,” IDC Indonesia country manager Sudev Bangah said.

    Timing is critical, and archaic thinking of riding out trying economic times is no longer relevant and should be addressed with process-led innovation.”

    These insights are among the top technology predictions announced recently by IDC Indonesia at the IDC FutureScape Media Briefing.

    The research firm highlighted that digital transformation will attain macroeconomic scale over the next two to three years in the country, changing the way enterprises operate and reshaping the global economy. IDC calls this as the dawn of the “DX Economy.”

    “As digital transformation reaches macroeconomic levels, a DX economy will emerge and will become the core of what industry leaders do and operate,” IDC Indonesia research manager for consulting Mevira Munindra said.

    “Essentially, to succeed, Indonesian enterprises must begin to think of the relevancy of their business in 10 years, and how they should react in the face of disruptive forces.”

    In the enterprise sector, IDC’s predictions are as follows:

    1. By 2019, 50% of IT organizations will create new customer-facing and ecosystem-facing services to meet the business DX needs.
    2. By 2018, lack of vision, credibility, or ability to influence will keep 80% of IT executives from attaining leadership roles in enterprise DX.
    3. By 2020, Indonesian firms will use open innovation to allocate expertise to 15% of new projects, aiming to increase their new product introduction success rates by over 50%.
    4. By 2020, nearly 20 percent of operational processes will be self-healing and self-learning — minimizing the need for human intervention or adjustments.
    5. By 2018, online brand ambassadors and social media influencers will have more marketing power than traditional digital advertising, yet this will subside through 2019 and beyond.
    6. By 2019, digital transformation investments will double, drawing funds away from store capital and profoundly changing the retail industry.
    7. By 2019, only 30% of manufacturers investing in digital transformation will be able to maximize the outcome; the rest will be held back by outdated business models and technology.
    8. By 2019, cloud adoption will reduce infrastructure spend by 25% among top-tier banks.
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  • China Mobile to cooperate with Ericsson on IoT

    China Mobile to cooperate with Ericsson on IoT

    China Mobile and Ericsson have signed an agreement to cooperate on the Internet of Things as part of China Mobile’s Big Connectivity strategy.

    The companies signed a strategic collaboration agreement at the China Mobile Global Partner Conference in Guangzhou, China last month, and announced the development last week.

    As part of the agreement, China Mobile will use the Ericsson Device Connectivity Platform to streamline the provisioning process for IoT services and deploy services to capitalize on potential new business opportunities.

    The operator plans to use the platform to integrate resources from roaming partners and offer enterprise customers worldwide reliable connectivity based on service level agreements.

    “China Mobile expects to have 200 million IoT connections by 2017. We stick to the strategy of open cooperation with our partners for win-win results,” China Mobile EVP Yuejia Sha commented.

    “China Mobile strengthens the collaboration with global leading enterprises of advanced platform, application and intelligent hardware to drive the rapid development of our industry, and provides superior applications and services to our customers.”

    Ericsson said the Device Connectivity Platform has been adopted by more than two dozen operators since it launched in 2008, supporting 1,700 industry customers.

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  • Consumers willing to accept ads on IoT devices

    Consumers willing to accept ads on IoT devices

    The majority of consumers, at least in the US, are fine with the idea of ads on IoT devices, according to an Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) study on consumer adoption patterns and trends.

    In the survey of 1,200 US adults, 65% of IoT device owners said that they are willing to see ads on their IoT screens. What’s more, 62% already do, the study added.

    Devices examined in the study included connected cars, internet-enabled home control devices, internet-enabled appliances, smart watches, wearable health trackers, internet-enabled voice command systems, smart TVs, VR headsets and smart glasses.

    Incentives are the prime motivators.

    The report showed that 55% browsed through ads get coupons, while 30% searched for extra features and 22% loved playing exclusive games.

    Affluence and age matter when gauging consumers’ willingness to see ads on their IoT devices.

    According to the report, 69% of those who earn $100,000 or more and 68% of those aged 18-34 years are “more likely to see the value exchange of receiving such ads on their devices.”

    While the above results cater to only US consumers, it does indicate a growing willingness among consumers to view ads if the rewards are clear.

    It also offers valuable clues for CMOs who are looking to cash in the upcoming IoT boom and get into the living spaces of consumers.

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  • SmarTone enters IoT alliance with Cisco Jasper

    SmarTone enters IoT alliance with Cisco Jasper

    Hong Kong’s SmarTone has teamed up with Cisco Jasper, Cisco’s IoT division, to launch IoT services in the market.

    The companies will offer Hong Kong businesses the opportunity to leverage SmarTone’s mobile network and Cisco Jasper’s Control Center managed connectivity platform for their IoT-based services.

    Announcing the deal, Cisco Jasper managing director for China and APJ Hong Lu said the company sees SmarTone as an ideal partner for the Hong Kong market due to its status as a total service provider, including cloud, mobile, fixed line, ICT and IoT services.

    “For more than 10 years we have been helping businesses across every industry automate the delivery of IoT services that have a direct impact on their bottom line,” Lu said.

    “Today, more than 6,500 companies in over 100 countries use Cisco Jasper Control Center to automate the connectivity management of their IoT devices around the world.”

    Customers include 23 of the world’s major auto makers leveraging the platform for their connected car initiatives. Cisco Jasper is also particularly targeting smart cities, as well as the industrial manufacturing, retail, security and smart home sectors.

  • Qualcomm to support Google’s Android Thing IoT platform

    Qualcomm to support Google’s Android Thing IoT platform

    Qualcomm announced that it plans to work with Google to add support for the search giant’s new IoT operating system, Android Things, in its Snapdragon processors.

    In a statement released Wednesday, Qualcomm said the collaboration with Google will focus on developing both “consumer and industrial applications” and the initiative would help a vast number of developers participate in the IoT opportunity.

    “We anticipate Android Things running on Snapdragon processors will offer developers familiar connectivity environments, including cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth; support for a wide array of sensors; camera, graphics, multimedia, and rich UI capabilities; hardware-based security; Google services and cloud integration; test and optimization tools, and more – allowing for rapid development of scalable, cost-effective and security-focused IoT solutions,” Qualcomm said.

    Although Android Things is currently in a developer preview stage, Qualcomm noted the platform is expected to be released more broadly on Snapdragon processors next year.

    Qualcomm’s announcement came a day after Google launched a preview of the new IoT platform which it said would enable developers to quickly build smart devices using Android APIs and Google services.

    In a blog post on the Android Developers’ Blog, Google said Android Things incorporates feedback received on its Project Brillo IoT OS and will include tools such as Android Studio, the Android Software Development Kit, Google Play Services, and Google Cloud Platform.

    Google will also offer Developer Preview updates in the coming months to provide the infrastructure necessary to securely push OS patches, security fixes, a developer’s own updates, built-in Weave connectivity and more, the search giant added.

    Google is also updating its IoT communication platform Weave to help facilitate cloud connectivity for all types of devices so they can interact with services like Google’s Assistant.

    “This is just the beginning of the IoT ecosystem we want to build with you,” Google developer advocate Wayne Piekarski wrote in the blog post.

  • Cellco IoT revenues reach $11.7b in 2016

    Cellco IoT revenues reach $11.7b in 2016

    Mobile operators worldwide earned a combined €11 billion ($11.7 billion) in revenues from the IoT in 2016, but revenues remain relatively low compared to lofty industry projections, according to Berg Insight.

    Despite a significant early install base, low monthly ARPUs are restraining growth, Berg Insight senior analyst Tobias Ryberg said.

    The global monthly ARPU for cellular IoT devices is estimated at €1.40 this year, but with major variations between regions. In some emerging economies ARPUs were less than €0.30, and in some less competitive developed markets, ARPUs exceeded €3.00.

    “Until recently, the principal financial metric for IoT has been projected, not actual, revenues. Now the market has entered a new phase in which hard business facts take precedent over lofty projections,” Ryberg said.

    “Wireless connectivity is now near ubiquitous and there will be half a billion cellular IoT connections in 2017, but revenues are still relatively small.”

    But in the third quarter Vodafone and Verizon each generated €200 million in IoT sales revenues, and next year Berg Insights predicts that a handful of major operator groups will generate over €1 billion each from the IoT.

    Many early operator-led IoT efforts have focused on the automotive market as a starting point, with major players including  AT&T, Vodafone, Verizon and Deutsche Telekom establishing dedicated ventures centered on the connected car.

    But Berg Insight said a better strategy for smaller operators is to develop a broad IoT ecosystem and sell IoT solutions from preferred partners through existing B2B channels.

  • Reliance Group launches dedicated IoT venture

    Reliance Group launches dedicated IoT venture

    Indian conglomerate Reliance Group, parent company of Reliance Communications (RCom), has teamed up with Cisco Jasper to launch a new dedicated IoT venture in the market.

    The new venture, UNLIMIT, will provide enterprise customers throughout India with a service that combines the RCom mobile network with Cisco Jasper’s IoT connectivity management platform.

    As part of the partnership, Cisco will also improve its IoT engineering talent base in India by hiring more expert staff for its Cisco Innovation Center in Bangalore.

    Indian customers seeking to expand their IoT services to new overseas markets will be able to take advantage of Cisco Jasper’s partnerships with operator groups representing more than 120 mobile networks worldwide.

    The new service is also expected to play a key role in supporting the government’s Digital India project, which aims to transform 100 cities across the nation into smart cities.

    “IoT is a critical enabler for India’s growth, and businesses throughout the country are already utilizing its huge potential to help deliver innovative new services to their customers, while reducing cost and increasing revenue,” commented Juergen Hase, CEO of Reliance Group’s Unlimit IoT business group.

    “We are delighted to partner with Cisco Jasper, and this strategic partnership will strengthen the market position of UNLIMIT significantly.”

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  • Microsoft opens IoT innovation center in Taiwan

    Microsoft opens IoT innovation center in Taiwan

    Microsoft has opened its first IoT Innovation Center for the APAC region in Taiwan.

    The center aims to offer cross-discipline technology transfer, strategic alliances, business model transformation and innovation opportunities. Taiwan was chosen because of its renowned high-tech and hardware manufacturing sectors.

    The center will act as a link between regional IoT partners and the world, covering R&D project integration, technology development, and international collaboration.

    As IoT solutions will need to be tested, verified, and improved via actual clients’ projects, the Innovation Center will also include an IoT Community Lab that provides partners with IoT technology training, professional consultation, and three IoT Scenario Labs, delivering tailor-made services, such as technology development, architecture design, and business consultation.

    “The Microsoft IoT Innovation Center in Taiwan is our starting point for capturing the booming IoT opportunity in Asia,” Microsoft Cloud Enterprise GM Chris Phillips said during the Microsoft IoT Expo held in Taiwan.

    “We aim to do this by accelerating the collaboration between Taiwan-based companies and global partners. We are already collaborating with close to 50 companies at the Innovation Center and based on the initial interest, we expect to have many more join us before the end of the year.”

    Microsoft’s regional ecosystem consists of 370 partners from Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Philippines, India, Japan, Korea and China and encompasses industries including manufacturing, healthcare, transportation and retail.

    The company has been investing in growing the IoT ecosystem in Asia. About 50% of all companies that are Microsoft Azure Certified for IoT exist within the region.

    Since the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on IoT with the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in Taiwan last October, Microsoft has actively promoted several IoT related industry and talent development programs. For example, the first DevDays Asia took place in Taiwan last April with presentations from over 10 scientists and architects.

  • South Korea among G20’s top IoT-ready markets

    South Korea among G20’s top IoT-ready markets

    The United States, South Korea, and the United Kingdom ranked as the three countries in the G20 most ready to contribute to and benefit from the IoT, according to IDC.

    The research firm said  the US scored particularly well on measures such as ease of doing business, government effectiveness, innovation, and cloud infrastructure, as well as technology spending as a percent of GDP.

    Meanwhile, South Korea scored extremely well on IoT-specific spending and has a business environment that fosters innovation and promotes attractive investment opportunities.

    Similarly, the UK scored very highly on measures of ease of doing business, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, start-up procedures, innovation, and broadband penetration.

    The standout country in the ranking, however, proved to be Australia, which, despite its relatively small GDP, scored exceptionally high on ease of doing business and start-up procedures, government effectiveness and regulatory quality, and innovation and education.

    The original index was first published in 2013 but the updated index is now comprised of 13 criteria that IDC views as necessary for sustained development of the IoT and reflects each nation’s economic stature, technological preparedness, and business readiness to benefit from the efficiencies linked to IoT solutions.

    “Countries are keen to become or maintain a competitive advantage and, as such, are looking to the Internet of Things as one of those initiatives,” said Vernon Turner, senior vice president, Enterprise Systems and IDC fellow for the IoT.

    “Knowing where a country stands in the IoT Index will help global and local IT vendors know what opportunities lie ahead of them as they line up their strategies at federal, local, and enterprise levels.”

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  • Huawei launches IoT accelerator in Singapore

    Huawei launches IoT accelerator in Singapore

    Huawei has teamed up with the National University of Singapore (NUS) to launch its first IoT-focused accelerator in Singapore.

    The vendor will work with NUS’ entrepreneurial arm NUS Enterprise to provide start-ups with mentorship, access to investors, access to industry-grade test beds, and global co-marketing opportunities.

    Known as i5Lab, the accelerator seeks to support the development of Singapore’s next unicorn company by nurturing promising start-ups with Huawei’s real network environment and open platform as well as its global Go-to-Market channel capability.

    Huawei said i5Lab will follow the model of established Huawei collaborations with leading software and industry partners to develop solutions that will build a competitive industry ecosystem.

    As a global leading ICT player in 170 countries, Huawei works with 45 of the world’s top 50 telecommunications providers that provides connection to two-thirds of the world’s population.

    Start-ups will be able to leverage Huawei’s global partner ecosystem, and will also be invited to participate in joint marketing through Huawei’s Customer Solution Innovation & Integration Experience Center (CSIC), and large-scale events such as NUS Enterprise’s flagship event InnovFest unbound and CommunicAsia.

    “With one of the most connected societies, open data sets and high-skilled ready talent, Singapore is an excellent test bed to nurture IoT ideas that will bring us closer to a smarter future. We hope that start-ups will make full use of this collaborative platform and leverage on accumulated knowledge of industry-leading technology and expertise from Huawei and our global partners,” Huawei CMO for Southern Pacific Lim Chee Siong said.

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  • New Zealand to extend rural broadband initiative

    New Zealand to extend rural broadband initiative

    The New Zealand government has allocated a further NZ$150 million ($107.1 million) towards improving broadband connectivity in rural areas.

    The government has announced the next phase of the rural broadband initiative (RBI), a project to boost broadband coverage and speeds in the 25% of the population not due to be covered by the concurrent Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) project.

    Under the second phase of the RBI program, improved broadband will be delivered to communities unable to access broadband speeds of at least 20Mbps. The first phase of the program improved speeds for around 293,000 rural users.

    In addition, the government’s mobile black spot fund (MBSF) will improve the availability of mobile services in areas lacking coverage, including state highways and tourist areas.

    There are more than 200 blackspots listed in the government’s request for proposals, but not all locations will received coverage.

    “My aim is to provide high-speed broadband to the greatest number of under-served rural New Zealanders within the funding available, and give regional communities access to high-speed broadband. We also want to improve the reach of mobile services to support safety on State Highways and enhance the visitor experience for tourists,” communications minister Amy Adams said.

    “We’ve set an ambitious goal of ensuring that by 2025, 99% of New Zealanders will have access to broadband peak speeds of at least 50Mbps, and everyone will have at least 10Mbps. We’re interested in seeing how proposals for delivering coverage under the RBI2 and MBSF programmes show an upgrade path in line with this vision.”

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