Where the Internet of Things (commonly referred to as IoT) is concerned, there’s a lot of work to be done before these devices become mainstream. At a ground level, organizations and networks across the world are working to ensure that devices and platforms can operate with one another, making it easy for consumers to purchase whatever brand or type of module or device they like, and also making it easier for companies to sell these products as well. The Internet of Things has become an area that has become known with 5G as part of the new network technology’s development. Thanks to the new bandwidth and frequencies that future 5G networks will be able to use it makes sense that the Internet of Things and 5G have been bundled together as the future of connectivity. There is also talk of 5G being used for corporate applications of IoT devices, too.
In South Korea, LG U+, one of the nation’s largest networks, has recently demonstrated interoperability between different IoT platforms and IoT devices. LG U+ were using the oneM2M platform to complete the demos, which is a positive sign for developers as well as hardware manufacturers that are paying close attention to the oneM2M initiative. For those unfamiliar with it, oneM2M is an organization looking to develop technical standards that should allow all IoT devices to “talk” to each other without issue, no matter where they came from or who developed them. The project counts leading figures from Cisco Systems, Huawei and Intel as part of their leadership team, and this demo will be welcome news to the project as well as those paying close attention.
We might be a long way away from IoT platforms and devices “playing ball” together without any issues, but at least progress is being made. In the future, oneM2M wants these new devices to be accessible by all, not just those that have bought into a very specific ecosystem. It’s a noble cause, and one that now has some credibility to go with it, but just how much more the oneM2M project can do for IoT remains to be seen. These demos were part of a Technical Plenary taking place at The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Seoul in South Korea, and the even runs until the 20th of May.