What does the Internet of Things mean for mobile network operators?

According to Gartner, there will be nearly 21 billion devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) by 2020. Regardless of whether or not this figure is accurate – some think it’s too high (in fact, Gartner has revised its prediction down in recent years) – mobile network operators (MNOs) are going to experience a rapid increase in the amount of devices communicating over their networks. This will require a fundamental rethink of the infrastructure enabling these services to run smoothly. Get this wrong and MNOs will quickly lose out in the battle to attract IoT spend, as well as our loyalty when it comes to voice and broadband services.

IoT infrastructure demands

As well as an increase in volume, MNOs need to factor in that IoT devices may communicate very differently compared to smartphones and computers. Some IoT devices tend to exchange relatively small amounts of data and connect and disconnect to the network very infrequently. Examples of this are smart meters (e.g. gas or electricity) providing their latest values to a centralised repository. In contrast a connected car may exchange diagnostics information to this central hub while also offering mobile broadband services for in-car entertainment, thereby exchanging a lot of data over the mobile connection for a longer period of time. 

This difference in ‘IoT endpoint’ behaviour places very different demands on both the network as well as the data centre responsible for processing and hosting this information. For example a 4G network is very suitable for the connected car use case, but may not be the best choice for the smart metering scenario. Smart metering only requires a low bandwidth channel that can be accessed with minimal power consumption. Several mobile operators are currently rolling out low-power WAN networks (LP-WAN) such as LoRa or Sigfox which will work alongside traditional 3G/4G networks and which cater to those IoT applications that require very low bandwidth and low power consumption so the battery life span of the IoT device can last several years.  

On the data centre side, adopting cloud technologies is critical. The ability to quickly spin up a virtual environment delivering both the network functionalities as well as the IoT platform functionalities addressing the specifics to each IoT use case, is crucial. Indeed, due to the wide variety of IoT use cases there is no one-size-fits-all approach. In order to achieve and maintain continuous IoT application availability and keep up with the pace of new IoT application rollouts, organisations must ensure their cloud infrastructure is robust, possessing the flexibility and agility to scale and adapt when needed.

Preparing for IoT

On the whole, the Service Provider industry is well on its way to building IoT ready infrastructures and services. As stated above, several service providers are rolling out LP-WAN networks to complement their existing 3G/4G mobile access infrastructure. Core network consolidation is also well under way which helps to reduce overall costs, but also allows for new services to be introduced much faster then before as the networks have become much simpler as a result of this consolidation.

In some of the early adopter IoT projects, SPs have adopted cloud technologies such as Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) to build the infrastructure components to deliver IoT use cases, arguably providing the blueprint for the future of IoT infrastructure. NFV is a network architecture concept that virtualises entire classes of network node functions into building blocks that may connect, or chain together, to create highly scalable communication services.

Originally the primary goal of NFV was to reduce Capex and Opex for the service provider. However, SPs increasingly see NFV as a way to introduce new services and adapt existing services much faster than ever before. With IoT putting very different requirements on the network and applications they support, NFV deployments will be essential for SPs looking to address the IoT market.

The last few hurdles

As the promised-land of the Internet of Things approaches, SPs are well positioned to become the facilitators and engine-room of this super-connected world. Evidently SPs will provide the radio connectivity to the IoT devices, however, many SPs may also want to step higher in to the value chain and offer the IoT platform to interested parties as well. Yet, while strong cloud infrastructure and early experience with NFV provides a decent footing, there are still a number of challenges for SPs to continue working on.

Connecting IoT devices is one thing, securing them and securing the applications they connect to is another. SPs have become much more security-aware in recent years as cyber and DDOS attacks have impacted other areas of their business. This has made some companies more cautious in terms of their expansion into the IoT.

This might not be a bad thing. Ultimately, we as consumers, be it a business or a person, will only enjoy the full benefits of the connected world if the networks and infrastructures underpinning it are secure and soundly managed.

Source:Bart Salaets -Telecomtechnews

IoT solutions from physical sensors to LPWAN

We sat down with Guillaume Houssay, co-founder and CEO of Qowisio North America, to discuss the company’s view on providing LoRa-based low power wide area network services in a more targeted basis rather than looking to provide the widest possible coverage. France-based Qowisio offers solutions targeting the “internet of things” space, from physical sensors to its own UNB LoRa-based network. 

“We see [narrowband-IoT] as a complement technology to what already exists,” Houssay said. “If you think of Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Bluetooth, they don’t really compete with each other. There is some overlap, but we see NB-IoT as different because it is licensed frequencies. You will have specific chipsets for that. For sure the cost of the connectivity will be higher. We see there is high competition, but at this time we see them as complements and we are not focused on the same use cases.”

The company was founded in 2009 as an IoT sensor manufacturer, but started providing a more holistic solution in 2015 with the creation of its own low-power network. The combination of sensors, networking and software allow the company to stay present across an entire value chain of connected devices.-

source: Qowisio

“For us the network is a commodity, we don’t bet on selling a commodity to our customers,” Houssay said. “We want to understand their business requirements so usually we discuss with CIO, chief innovation officers, marketing officers, where they want to generate more revenue.”

Qowisio currently has its network deployed in more than 30 countries and covers all of France. The company is looking to expand into the U.S. with a new North American headquarters in Austin, Texas.

“Qowisio is working in LPWA environments,” Houssay said. “What makes the difference with other companies in this field is we provide a comprehensive solution from the devices we design in-house with a portfolio of over 40 devices. That includes the connectivity, meaning private and public network as well as dashboards. So when we go to discuss with clients we provide an entire solution and we really discuss business requirements and we translate the requirements into technical execution.”

Source:Industrialiot5g

Electric Vehicles and the Smart City – energy impact and usage

Take-up of Electric Vehicle

Electric vehicles are coming – worldwide growth rates are picking up with China leading the world. However the implications for smart cities, in terms of increased electricity demand, smart grid infrastructure and CO2 abatement are not as simple as you’d think.

As shown below (From EV columes.com), global monthly sales are now at 70,000 vehicles. Not a lot compared to global sales of regular cars, but it’s now significant and growing rapidly.

The main driver of growth is China – with a rapid growth spurt in the first half of 2016. However Europe and the US are growing steadily with Europe outpacing the USA by 25%.

Canada doesn’t do so well, total plug-in is less than 25,000 across Canada, with only Quebec, Ontario and BC having significant sales.

Impact on overall electricity usage

For many people, there is an assumption that electric vehicles will require a significant update of the overall generation capacity, however studies have shown that the impact on Load, ie the amount of extra energy load placed on the grid is only 7% at 30% penetration rate of EV. This type of extra load is not considered significant and most first world systems would have no real problem absorbing this extra load.

One caveat is that although this load – when taken as an average – will not require significant upgrade of the generation capaicity, it will require upgrades of the local grid. EVs put a load of, on average an extra 54% on a household – because they are often charging when the normal load is low. This type of load, especially if several

households in a block charge at the same time, will require upgrades to the local grid infrastructure.

source:Rodger Lea - Urbanopus

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IoT Networks: SigFox vs. LoRa

he Internet of Things (IoT) is a growing paradigm that connects various devices or things – including sensors, software, electronics and other physical objects – in order to collect, exchange and process data.

New innovative networking solutions are emerging which would make IoT a reachable reality, but which one to choose?

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IoT is finally starting to get the traction that has long been foretold; the famous 20 Billion connected devices number by 2020 is slowly starting to become reality. However, most of these devices will not be connected to a home WIFI nor to a smartphone; they will mostly exist on a parallel plane, mostly invisible to end-users.

When the average person thinks of IoT, they usually think of home appliances with dumb connectivity, or wearable devices that rely on a smartphone to deliver any usable functionality. The IoT ecosystem has so much to offer once it escapes the WIFI and mobile connectivity restrictions.

Transportation, manufacturing, asset-management and infrastructure-monitoring are only a few verticals that will see massive enhancement due to the pervasive nature of IoT.

The innovation in this field does not originate solely from new technology but mostly from adapting old technologies to the requirements of IoT and making old innovations cheap, available and reliable.

LPWAN: And old paradigm put to good use

Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) is a type of wireless communication network that is designed for wide-range communications but can only handle a very low data rates. These networks suit perfectly the IoT use case, where connected objects send small amounts of sensor-generated data and operate on battery power.

SigFox

SigFox is a French company that aims at becoming the first global IoT networking provider. It positions itself as an IoT network provider. Devices send their data through the network, SigFox handles the transfer of the messages through a HTTP callback to a pre-configured backend.

SigFox: Radio properties

SigFox is an ultra-narrowband technology that runs on sub-GHz frequencies on industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) radio bands:868MHz in Europe/ETSI and 902MHz in the US/FCC.

SigFox: Coverage and infrastructure

As of 2016, the SigFox network covers 23 countries and over 1.3 million km². The company deploys its antennas with the help of local telcos around the world. This means that you don’t have to worry about setting-up the infrastructure.

SigFox: Constraints and API

SigFox enforces a number of constraints on the messages transferred over the network where each device can send only 140 messages per day with a limit of 7 messages every hour. Each message can be up to 12 bytes long.

The radio modules are also able to receive 4 incoming transmissions per day.

The network is subject to these constraints because endpoints are designed to be transmitters and their reception sensitivity is not optimal.

SigFox fully manages the communication between the IoT device and the application backend, which makes the integration of the radio module a fairly simple process for developers. To interact with the radio module one single API is provided, no configuration is required.

Device <---> Antennas <---> SigFox Cloud <---> Your backend

The SigFox approach is to give you one straightforward way to integrate the network into your product with known constraints, which makes the design process of the product as simple as it can be.

To start integrating SigFox you will need to buy a compatible radio module as well as a renewable subscription plan for your device.

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LoRa / LoRaWAN

LoRa is a proprietary long-range wireless technology standard that operates on the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band radio frequency spectrum (863 to 870 MHz in EU / 902 to 928 MHz in US). It is a PHYsical layer (OSI Layer 1) protocol that offers a long range and low-power communication medium for machine-to-machine (M2M) and IoT applications [source].

LoRa technology was originally developed by Semtech , but it is now managed by the “LoRa Alliance”. Any hardware manufacturer can build LoRa modules but has to get a certification of compliance from the alliance.

However, (as far as I can tell) radio modules are exclusively produced by Semtech for the time being.

LoRaWAN has been defined as a data-link (MAC) layer (OSI Layer 2), with some elements of a network layer (OSI Layer 3) on top of LoRa (What is LoRaWAN).

LoRa vs. LoRaWAN

LoRaWAN is an open protocol built on top of LoRa.

While LoRa offers simple point-to-point message delivery, LoRaWAN protocol manages devices’ communication with the application’s backend and provides an end-to-end encryption and authentication scheme.

As they are more complex and offer considerably more functionalities, LoRaWAN chips are more expensive than LoRa chips.

LoRa / LoRaWAN: Coverage and infrastructure

Contrary to SigFox, the LoRa Alliance does not wish to position itself as a network provider. Its goal is to develop a standard and sell chips. This means that there is no single monopole on the LoRa network.

If you want to use LoRa for your product, you have two options:

1- Deploy your own network
You can buy chips and create your own network of devices, gateways and backends.

Also, you will have to deploy and maintain both the gateways and the devices, but you will have full control over your network and you can adapt, tweak and modify it as your product grows and its needs change.

2- Use a network operator
Several operators are starting to offer LoRaWAN networks (Orange) in certain areas. You can buy connectivity plans from them. This will relieve you from the burden of managing and maintaining an infrastructure but will put you at a risk of an operator terminating its LoRa offering after a few years.

LoRa: Constraints and API

Unlike SigFox, LoRa modules allow for granular configuration and set-up. This means that if two devices are not configured exactly the same, they will have a hard time talking to each other.
This makes the setup process more prone to erros but gives you more control over your device’s energy consumption.

SigFox vs. LoRa : Side-by-side

Even though both networks position themselves similarly in the IoT market, they have significant technological and marketing differences. While SigFox aims to become a global IoT operator, LoRa alliance wants to provide a technology that allows other companies to enable a global IoT.

	SIGFOX	LORA
Frequency band	868/902 MHz (ISM)	433/868/780/915 MHz (ISM)
Urban range	3-10km	2-5km
Rural range	30-50km	15-20km
Packet size	12 bytes	Defined by user
Devices per access point	1M	100k
Status	In deployment	Spec released June 2015
Topology	Star	Star

Unlike SigFox, standard LoRa modules can operate in a bidirectional way. Using the same radio module, a receiver can be transformed into a transmitter at any given moment and vice versa.

Therefore, LoRa is more adapted to command-and-control scenarios.

On one hand, SigFox offers a very simple API to integrate the radio module. On the other hand, LoRa offers a highly configurable low-level API, which makes different optimizations possible. The tradeoff is that this makes the integration of the LoRa radio module more complicated than SigFox.

SigFox messages are limited by design to 12 bytes. For LoRa, message length is defined by the user. To ensure compliance with regulations, developers must ensure that radio messages would not last longer than five seconds over the air.

Both technologies offer some security functions. However, only SigFox identifies and authenticates devices.

Both networks provide high resistance to communication jamming because transmissions are achieved through one-sided communications without any network authorization.

Neither SigFox nor LoRa offer encrypted communications [source]. LoRaWAN offers end-to-end encryption and authentication, but it still hasmany problems with moving devices and complicated scenarios.

Specific scenarios

• Q: I am building a connected city infrastructure (e.g. SmartGrid, water-management, pollution sensors), what network should I use?
• A: LoRa / LoRaWAN : If your deployment is limited to a geographic location and your IoT sensors won’t be moving that much, LoRa makes more sense for you.
• Q: I make bikes. Now I want to make connected bikes, what network should I use?
• A: SigFox : Tell your users that their connected bikes will only work in certain countries and put SigFox modules in your bikes. SigFox offers more ubiquitous connectivity.
• Q: I sell connectected home appliances, what network should I use?
• A: You should stick to WIFI for now, if you’re selling a connected door lock take advantage of the fact that it will be installed in house.
  You can always offer an option that has SigFox/LoRa as a fallback solution when the WIFI is down.
• Q: What if I have a LoRaWAN contract with provider A, but my device has moved to a location covered only by provider B.
• A: For now, too bad for you. Your device can’t connect if provider B, does not allow it. However, the LoRa Alliance is already thinking aboutroaming and the possibility to route your device transmissions through another provider.

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SigFox and LoRa are both good steps towards a more mature and ubiquitous IoT. Both offer a networking solution that fits certain use-cases and it is up to you to figure out which one suits you best.

Other alternatives are on the market all fighting for a growing market share. We can list Neul, 6LowPAN, Thread, NB-IoT, etc. But during my Master’s internship in SAP Labs, I have worked extensively with the SigFox and LoRa protocols especially their (lack-of) security features, where I have worked on IoT-specific end-to-end encryption.

Source: Raed Chammam

Smart Solutions for Smart Cities

NB-IOT: A SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY FOR CONNECTING BILLIONS OF DEVICES

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Source: Ericsson Technology Review

Why Smart Cities Must Be Smart Enough to Evolve Over Time

“Smart city” has become a buzzword in recent years as cities across the globe have started to integrate smart technologies with their infrastructure and policy decisions. But what exactly is a smart city? The term is nebulous at best, and different cities vary widely not only in the specific technologies and implementations they embrace, but in their very approach to the concept and what it means for their citizens.

In the broadest of terms, a smart city uses technology to improve quality of life by increasing the efficiency of municipal services and meeting the needs of residents. For instance, sensors allow city services to react to real situations in real time by dimming streetlights on unused streets, monitoring water pipes for leaks, or changing traffic lights along the route of emergency vehicles. The benefits of innovations like these are easy to quantify in terms of saved energy, saved money, even saved lives.

Applications aimed at the vaguer goal of improving quality of life include projects like minute-to-minute reports on air pollution for citizens with asthma, or using historical data to predict crime and direct police to where they are most likely to be needed. The market for smart cities has massive expansive potential — up to $1.5 trillion worldwide by one estimate.

Smart technology allows the workings of a city itself to adapt in real time to the reality its citizens are facing immediately, and to adjust as that reality changes. That means, however, that the true test of just how smart a smart city is will be whether it is able to evolve to keep pace as its citizen’s needs evolve.

Responsive change is unavoidable and desirable when dealing with cutting edge technologies like these. Already in its short lifespan, the smart city has seen three distinct generations. When the concept was first born, smart technologies were created and pushed by tech companies themselves, and cities were jumping on board without a proper understanding of how to implement the new technologies they were buying, nor the concrete implications for citizens. Urban strategist Boyd Cohen, who has been studying smart cities since 2011, calls this era Smart Cities 1.0.

In the Smart Cities 2.0 phase, smart technology projects are driven by city administrators themselves. These government-designed projects are typically geared towards improving quality of life and allow for grand, sweeping visions for the future of their cities.

Perhaps one of the most impressive examples of this can be found in Rio de Janeiro, where the mayor joined forces with IBM to create a sensor system that mitigated landslide damage to favelas in the surrounding hills. That project has since ballooned into a large-scale operations center which IBM is confident will have an impressive 80% success rate at predicting dangerous floods and downpours 48 hours before they occur, allowing the city to be prepared and save lives with a critical early warning and evacuation plan. Furthermore, the system has the crucial capacity to become even smarter in the future by detecting crime via video streaming and integrating emergency services.

That brings us to the final phase — so far. Smart Cities 3.0 takes the infinite adaptability of such technologies to an unprecedented level. Cities that have embraced this phase of development rely on citizens to be active not only as consumers but as co-creators of projects. Vancouver, for instance, engaged more than 30,000 citizens in the development of their Greenest City 2020 Action Plan, and Vienna relied on citizens to participate as investors in local solar plants in order to meet their renewable energy goals. Barcelona solicited new smart projects directly from residents by launching contests for citizen innovators.

These phases are not teleological, and the sometimes chaotic democracy of Smart Cities 3.0 is not necessarily an end goal. The real advantage of a smart city is that the best designs will be able to respond to needs we haven’t even considered yet. We may begin to see Smart Cities branching further out from solely practical considerations into other need fulfillment, such as fun projects designed to make the city an attractive and exciting place to live and visit. Take, for instance, this UK public art installation which used infrared cameras to record the shadows of pedestrians and project them back at another time using the streetlights.

It seems likely that the future lies with an advantageous combination of 2.0 municipal planning and vision with 3.0 methods of engagement so that the city can learn from its own members on the ground, who are likely to experience unmet needs before a mayor. Administrators are still necessary to guide and support growth, but cities also need to tap into the creative capacity of citizens as participants. The changes we will require are, by their very nature, impossible to predict, and so it is crucial that smart cities are designed to reevaluate and evolve as needed. After all, the smartest cities will always be the ones with the smarts to change with the times.

 By Ronald Chagoury Jr. - Eko Atlantic.

IBM sets up IoT consulting service

IBM has announced an array of services, industry offerings and capabilities to help enterprise clients, start-ups and developers drive digital transformation with the IoT.
 
With the number of connected devices skyrocketing, IBM says it is making IoT accessible to millions around the world. The company is dedicating more than 1500 industry experts with its Watson IoT consulting service, as well as giving open and free access to its Watson IoT platform.
 
Today’s announcement follows Forrester Research naming IBM a leader in its Wave report on IoT software platforms. Forrester analysed and scored 11 IoT software platform vendors, identifying IBM as a leader, citing: “The Watson IoT Platform can serve a broad range of advanced IoT use cases.”
 
The report also noted that “IBM has added significant capabilities to the platform, including augmented reality, cognitive capabilities, blockchain, edge analytics, analytics tooling and natural language processing, to name a few. With a strong commitment to open source standards and a robust global partner ecosystem, IBM is well positioned for market leadership.”
 
To help clients across industries capture the massive business opportunity of the digitisation of the physical world, IBM is launching the global IBM Watson IoT consulting practice. The practice will feature 1500 experts across IBM Watson IoT headquarters in Munich, Germany (pictured), and in eight other IBM IoT centres across Asia, Europe and the Americas.
 
“The internet of things is making an enormous impact on our lives and helping to spur even deeper levels of innovation for those developing the connected devices and products of our future,” said Harriet Green, general manager at IBM Watson IoT. “IBM is helping knock down the barriers to getting started with IoT, making it accessible for clients as they begin their digital transformation.”
 
By integrating IBM Watson IoT platform APIs and technologies, including cognitive, analytics, mobile, security and cloud capabilities, with development and implementation consulting and ongoing support, clients can fully use the IoT without the risk and complexity of dealing with multiple vendors.
 
"Clients can now easily introduce IoT innovation into their business by leveraging IBM’s industry and technical expertise to deliver lower risk, as-a-service commercial models,” said Jesus Mantas, general manager for business consulting at IBM. “We are very proud our integrated IoT solutions deliver innovation in an easy to consume model for business leaders. We are helping clients accelerate the digitisation of their business processes by making it easy to deploy IoT services globally into their business.”
 
The consulting practice will employ a global network of skilled consultants, data scientists and design and security experts with deep domain and industry expertise, all dedicated to providing clients with guidance on tackling industry specific IoT adoption challenges. The first priority industries include automotive, electronics, industrial products, insurance, retail, telecommunications, transportation and buildings.
 
Clients can apply Watson cognitive computing capabilities, including machine learning and natural language to tap into massive amounts of unstructured data – such as videos and sounds – to gain insights and augment decision making.
 
Technology company Ricoh is one of the first global organisations to work with the new IBM IoT consultants to redesign its engagement model and help its clients embrace intelligent workplace services designed to improve office collaboration and innovation.
 
“Ricoh is helping customers meet the needs of constantly changing workstyles in the new world of work, where information is at the heart of every successful business decision,” said Mona Abutaleb, CEO of Mindshift Technologies, a Ricoh company. “We are teaming with IBM and combining our knowledge and expertise to deliver Ricoh's Workstyle Innovation Technology, which helps our clients collaborate and share information more easily and efficiently."
 
In addition to the consulting practice, IBM is also announcing industry offerings available via its Watson IoT platform, including IoT for manufacturing and asset health insight, designed to help clients address industry-specific IoT adoption challenges and opportunities. Manufacturing is one of the largest opportunities in IoT, with McKinsey estimating IoT applications in factory settings to have the potential to create value of $1.2 to $3.7tn per year in 2025.
 
Now, using IBM Watson IoT for manufacturing, businesses will be able to manage factory equipment and assets, improve manufacturing processes and manage production resources more effectively. For example, the capabilities include intelligent assets and equipment to sense, communicate and self-diagnose issues to improve machinery performance and reduce downtime.
 
Using asset health insights with IBM prescriptive maintenance, organisations can maintain assets based on current asset condition using analytics and data around weather, asset performance and maintenance. Additional industry offerings on the IBM Watson IoT platform cover automotive, electronics and insurance.
 
IBM is also bringing together its application lifecycle management offering with Aras’ product lifecycle management platform to help engineers integrate the complex hardware and software development processes necessary to make the smart, connected products of the future.
 
IBM is already working with more than 50,000 developers around the globe to help them to get up and running on the Watson IoT platform. Just seven months ago, IBM teamed up with Coursera, the education platform that partners with global universities and organisations to offer online courses, to create and launch a developer's guide to the IoT, a course that already has more than 22,000 registrants.
 
The Watson security-rich, scalable and open platform lets developers connect, build, launch and manage IoT applications and services. To help make creating and developing IoT applications more accessible than ever before, IBM will offer free access to the platform.
 
For businesses who are just starting out on IoT and developers testing out and exploring new IoT innovations, IBM offers open and free access to the platform’s development capabilities. As projects grow, developers can then take their prototypes and scale to full production to meet business needs.
 
To help the new wave of technical innovators learn how to develop IoT applications, IBM continues to offer learning classes, via its collaboration with Coursera, and via easily consumable IoT learning tutorials on IBM’s open Watson IoT academy. These tutorials, led by IBM subject matter experts, include an introduction to programming a Raspberry Pi, how to use natural language processing, and how to use Node-Red, the open source visual programming tool set that is becoming a standard for building connected IoT programmes.

Source: M2M Zone Newsdesk