Smart Cities Global Cellular Connection Revenue Forecast , by segment , 2014 - 2020

Source:IHS

Semtech LoRa™ RF Platform Video

Water Resources in entire planet

Urban Population Growth Drives the Need for Smart Cities

Traditional City vs Smart City

Source: Smart Cities Council

The Path to a Smarter City

Industrial IoT Platform Capabilities

According to ARC there are 8 broad capabilities that a well-rounded platform for the Industrial Internet of Things needs to have.  In no particular order: Device interface and management.  IIoT data has to come from somewhere, and a lot of it will come from various sensors attached to devices, and through gateways and device connectivity platforms.  An IIoT platform will need a way to establish and manage connections to those devices, and collect and route the data from those devices. 

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City We Need

SAFETY

Global studies show that 60% of all urban residents in developing countries have been victims of crime at least once over the past five years, 70% of them in Latin America and Africa. Urbanization, particularly in the developing world, has been accompanied by increased levels of crime, violence, and lawlessness.

The growing violence and feeling of insecurity that city dwellers are facing daily is one of the major challenges around the world. In some countries, crime and violence have been exacerbated by the proliferation of weapons, substance abuse, and youth unemployment. Crime and violence impact the on everyday life of city residents. Women and children are often the most affected, especially when fear hinders their access to services.

The impact of crime and insecurity restricts urban social and economic development, and often jeopardizes opportunities and pro-poor policies. Without a deliberate effort to address this issue, the prospects of future development and poverty reduction are limited.

Source: UN - Habitat

The role of Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) in the Connected Car.

Dedicated short-range communications technology, or DSRC, is one of the primary areas of research and development for a network exclusively for transportation-related uses. Here are some of the basics on DSRC.

What is DSRC?

DSRC is is “a two-way short-to-medium-range wireless communications capability that permits very high data transmission critical in communications-based active safety applications,” according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, which heads up much of the research related to DSRC. The Federal Communications Communications Commission set aside 75 MHz of spectrum around the 5.9 GHz band (5.850-5.925 GHz) band in 1999 to be used for vehicle-related safety and mobility systems.

In general, intelligent transportation systems — smarter infrastructure, as well as vehicles with new driver assistance and eventually, autonomous driving features — are seen as a way to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities, as well as improve traffic congestion and fuel efficiency.

How will DSRC be used?

It is anticipated that DSRC will be used for both vehicle-to-vehicle communications as well as vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. The spectrum is seen as particularly useful for V2x communications because it can support very low-latency, secure transmissions; fast network acquisition and in general, the ability to handle rapid and frequent handovers that are inherent in a vehicle environment; as well as being highly robust in adverse weather conditions. ITS also notes that it is tolerant of multi-path transmission.

The DOT has identified more than 40 use cases for V2I technologies, such as the ability to pay for parking and tolls wirelessly, identify when a car is approach a curve too quickly and alert the driver; adjusting traffic signals to accommodate first responders in an emergency; and alert drivers of conditions such as road construction, among others.

According to the National Connected Vehicle Field Infrastructure Footprint Analysis report (pdf here) conducted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, a connected vehicle infrastructure deployment is expected to leverage technologies that include cellular and Wi-Fi as well as DSRC and would typically include:

• Roadside communications equipment and enclosures, mountings, power, and network backhaul.

• Traffic signal controller interfaces for applications that require signal phase and timing data.

• Systems and processes required to support management of security credentials and ensure a trusted network.

• Mapping services that provide highly detailed roadway geometries, signage, and asset locations for the various connected vehicle applications.

• Positioning services for resolving vehicle locations to high accuracy and precision.

• Data servers for collecting and processing data provided by vehicles and for distributing information, advisories, and alerts to users.

What is the status of DSRC?

According to a report published last week on the connected car by the Government Accountability Office, the US DOT (Department of Transportation)  “plans to provide up to $100 million through its Connected Vehicle pilot program for projects that will deploy V2I technologies in real-world settings” over the next five years.

However, the GAO report also pointed out that “the full extent of V2I technologies’ benefits and costs is unclear because test deployments have been limited thus far; however, DOT has supported initial research into the potential benefits and costs.”

What are some of the challenges for DSRC and the connected car?

The GAO identified the following challenges, specifically for V2I communications:

(1) making sure that possible spectrum-sharing in the DSRC band will not adversely affect V2I performance

(2) addressing the lack of resources at the state and local level to deploy and maintain V2I technologies

(3) developing technical standards for interoperability

(4) developing and managing data security and addressing public perceptions related to privacy

(5) ensuring that drivers respond appropriately to V2I warnings

(6) addressing the uncertainties related to potential liability issues posed by V2I.

“DOT is collaborating with the automotive industry and state transportation officials, among others, to identify potential solutions to these challenges,” the GAO noted.

 What are some current issues in regard to DSRC?

Although DSRC spectrum was set aside to be used for vehicle- and transportation-related systems, the federal government is trying to open up more spectrum to the wireless ecosystem in general — and DSRC isn’t immune to consideration. One particular area of concern is whether the 5.9 GHz spectrum would be opened up for spectrum sharing with Wi-Fi. Qualcomm made a proposal that involved divvying up the spectrum so that certain functions operated in different regions of the band, instead of sharing the entire allocation with some version of Wi-Fi’s listen-before-talk approach.

Automakers responded by protesting Qualcomm’s plan, although so far there has been more support for a spectrum-sharing approach offered by Cisco for V2V communications, which GM reportedly plans to begin implementing into its 2017 Cadillac CTS sedans.

The DOT released a device test plan in August (pdf here) designed to “characterize the existing radio frequency signal environment and identify the impacts to DSRC operations of unlicensed devices operating in the 5850-5925 MHz band and adjacent bands.”

The DOT also has accelerated its support of fore regulatory requirements for V2V capabilities in all new vehicles. In May, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced that after putting out a proposed rule-making in 2014 and planning to send a proposed rule to the Office of Management and Budget for review next year, the DOT is pushing its timeline forward and will send its proposal for OMB review by the end of 2015.

Source:KELLY HILL Twitter LinkedIn Editor, Big Data, Analytics, Test & Measurement khill@rcrwireless.com


More info on DSRC Technology

New passive sensor tag identifies water leaks in vehicles, ships and planes

Leaks inside cars will soon become a thing of the past as Smartrac launches what it claims is the first ever passive water sensor tag that works on metal surfaces such as the harsh environment of an automobile chassis.

The solution aims to ensure that cars leaving the factory are completely watertight, and the tag may also find applications in aviation manufacture and shipbuilding.

Smartrac has teamed up with chip manufacturer RFMicron to develop Sensor Tadpole, a UHF sensor tag that is deployed on cars during assembly, and used to detect small amounts of water leakage inside vehicle compartments that can damage a car’s electronics bays, cabins and trunks. The sensor tag features RFMicron’s Magnus S2 Sensor IC with its patented Chameleon™ technology, which can be used to sense moisture or pressure.

As more and more hybrid and electric cars are produced that require enhanced protection for their electronic circuitry and electrical components, identifying water ingress in these critical areas is becoming ever more important for manufacturers. Window seals, weather stripping and body seams are the primary causes of factory water leakage.

Smartrac’s Sensor Tadpole is an on-metal passive sensor tag designed to work on metal surfaces, with minimum signal degradation from surrounding structures. The tag has a strong adhesive and small, slim form factor, which makes for easy deployment on difficult surfaces. The detection area can be extended by using a wicking tail, which guides moisture to the sensor tag. This allows even minute amounts of water to be detected quickly, easily and reliably, allowing manufacturers to identify the source of a leak. Sensor Tadpole is deployed in the manufacturing flow as part of the automobile’s assembly process.

“The use of RFMicron’s Magnus® S2 Sensor IC enables a reliable alternative to today’s manually intensive and error-prone water intrusion testing process, resulting in an automated, cost-effective, scalable moisture-sensor solution,” said Shahriar Rokhsaz, RFMicron president and CEO. “The benefits of the sensor solution are cost savings, faster and more accurate water intrusion detection, and improved customer satisfaction as vehicles that escape factory water-intrusion testing result in significant field repair costs and cause irreparable damage to a manufacturer’s reputation.”

Batteries not required

The use of a passive sensor means that the tag requires no power supply, servicing or replacing. Sensing capabilities are supplied without the need for batteries or an external power source, because the IC harvests UHF energy from a hand-held reader or optionally from a gate reader, which scans vehicles as they pass through the final quality-check areas of the factory production line.

The tag’s antenna transforms environmental data into an impedance change, and the tag IC translates this into a 5-bit sensor code, as it dynamically matches antenna impedance to die impedance.

Lauri Hyytinen, head of Segment Automotive, Business Division Intelligent Things at Smartrac, said, “We designed Sensor Tadpole as a low-cost solution to the challenge of water-sensing applications in high-volume deployments, and decided to use RFMicron’s Magnus S2 Sensor IC because it offers extremely stable performance over an unlimited lifetime. Future applications for Sensor Tadpole could include many more industries, where monitoring water ingress levels is of obvious importance.”

First deployment already on the road

The first commercial deployment of Sensor Tadpole is already being piloted. Project-managed by automation partner Turck, a German OEM is successfully testing the passive sensor tag in high-end cars to ensure that they leave the factory watertight.

Walter Hein, business development manager RFID at Turck, stated: “Smartrac’s Sensor Tadpole and Turck’s RFID System BL ident are an ideal solution to the problem of sensing water levels inside metal structures, so we chose the automotive industry for a first pilot scheme. Car manufacturers want to ensure that their vehicles’ passenger cabins, trunks and electronics bays are completely watertight before they are sent out to dealerships, and this innovative sensor product does the job perfectly.”

The new tag can be delivered pre-encoded if needed. Furthermore, the unique TID, EPC and sensor code offer the opportunity to manage and collate the information received from the sensor tag using Smartrac’s Smart Cosmos Cloud-based services platform, which is of high interest to manufacturers wishing to track the performance of components, or to improve quality management.

Sensor Tadpole tag is available in white wet singulated format, and with a die-cut size of 21.5 x 73.0 mm, either as a standalone tag, or with different tail options. Suiting all converting-industry needs, the tag complies with all relevant industry standards and strict quality control parameters.

Source:M2Mnow

Internet of Things: Opportunities and challenges for semiconductor companies

The Internet of Things (IoT) has generated excitement for a few years now, with start-ups and established businesses placing bets on the industry’s growth. Some of the earliest investments have begun to pay off, with smart thermostats, wearable fitness devices, and other innovations becoming mainstream. With new IoT products under development or recently launched—ranging from medical-monitoring systems to sensors for cars—some analysts believe that the Internet of Things is poised for even greater gains.

Semiconductor companies, perhaps even more than other industry players, might benefit from the IoT’s expansion. With growth rates for the smartphone market leveling off, the Internet of Things could serve as an important new source of revenue. Given the size of the potential opportunity, McKinsey recently collaborated with the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) to investigate the Internet of Things more closely, with a focus on risks that could derail progress. In addition to assembling a fact base, we surveyed and interviewed senior executives from the semiconductor sector and adjacent industries, as described in the sidebar, “Our methodology.”

Another important insight relates to the nature of semiconductor companies themselves. Their traditional focus on silicon, which allowed them to profit in many industries, may not be optimal for the Internet of Things because chips represent only a small portion of the value chain. Instead, semiconductor companies will be required to provide comprehensive solutions—for instance, those that involve security, software, or systems-integration services in addition to hardware. As with any major change, this move entails some risk. But it could help semiconductor companies transform from component suppliers to solution providers, allowing them to capture maximum benefits from the Internet of Things.

A new source of growth

The McKinsey Global Institute recently estimated that the Internet of Things could generate $4 trillion to $11 trillion in value globally in 2025. These large numbers reflect the IoT’s transformational potential in both consumer and business-to-business applications. Value creation will stem from the hardware, software, services, and integration activities provided by the technology companies that enable the Internet of Things.

Analysts also estimate that the current Internet of Things installed base—the number of connected devices—is in the range of 7 billion to 10 billion. This is expected to increase by about 15 to 20 percent annually over the next few years, reaching 26 billion to 30 billion by 2020.

In keeping with these projections, many executives we interviewed stated that the Internet of Things would significantly boost semiconductor revenues by stimulating demand for microcontrollers, sensors, connectivity, and memory. They also noted that the Internet of Things represented a growth opportunity for networks and servers, since all the new devices and services will require additional cloud infrastructure. Overall, the Internet of Things could help the semiconductor industry maintain or surpass the average annual revenue increase of 3 to 4 percent reported over the past decade. These results are particularly significant in light of slower growth in the smartphone market, which has served as the major driver for the past few years.

Our interviews did reveal some ambiguity about whether the Internet of Things would be the semiconductor industry’s top growth driver or just one of several important forces. In particular, interviewees questioned whether the Internet of Things will trigger demand for new products and services, or if there will just be an increased need for existing integrated circuits. Similarly, our survey showed that executives from GSA member companies had mixed feelings about the IoT’s potential, with 48 percent stating that it would be one of the top three growth drivers for the semiconductor industry and only 17 percent ranking it first.

Despite the size of the IoT opportunity, some semiconductor companies have hesitated to make significant investments in this sector. The greatest issue is that products within the Internet of Things tend to appeal to a niche market and generate relatively low sales volumes. With individual products delivering a relatively low return on investment, some semiconductor companies have limited their R&D expenditures for IoT-specific chips, preferring instead to adapt existing products. For instance, wireless system-on-chip players may offer repurposed wireless processors and chip sets for the Internet of Things, while microcontroller players often bundle lower-end processors and connectivity-chip sets to compete for the same opportunity.

As the IoT market matures and increases in scale, semiconductor companies may decide to pursue new approaches more aggressively. Before moving ahead, however, they should first determine which verticals and applications are growing strongly and assess when their markets will be large enough to justify significant investment. While semiconductor companies could potentially capture growth in many IoT verticals, six of the most promising markets—those where we chose to focus our research—include the following:

• wearable devices such as fitness accessories
• smart-home applications like automated lighting and heating
• medical electronics
• industrial automation, including tasks like remote servicing and predictive maintenance
• connected cars
• smart cities, with applications to assist with traffic control and other tasks within the public sector

The challenge ahead

Like many other high-tech innovations, the Internet of Things is garnering intense interest in the press, with reports of connected cars and smart watches making headlines. Although we do not want to diminish the IoT’s potential, our research suggests that the following six issues could derail its growth:

• inadequate security and privacy protections for user data
• difficulty building customer demand in the absence of a single “killer application”
• a lack of consistent standards
• the proliferation of niche products, resulting in a fragmented market and an unprofitable environment for creating application-specific chips
• the need to extract more value from each application by providing comprehensive solutions, rather than focusing solely on silicon
• technological limitations that affect the IoT’s functionality

These problems are not insurmountable, particularly if semiconductor companies are willing to take an active role in solving them.

see more

Source:McKinsey

Mobile IoT Initiative

The ‘Mobile IoT Initiative’ is designed to accelerate the commercial availability of Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) solutions in licensed spectrum. Backed by 26 of the world’s leading mobile operators, OEMs, chipset, module and infrastructure companies, this Initiative will facilitate demonstrations, proofs of concept and trials of a selection of complementary LPWA licensed spectrum technologies. It will also provide analysis and feedback to assist 3GPP in standardising the technologies.

Market Opportunity for Low Power Wide Area networks

LPWA networks are designed for Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) applications that have low data rates, long battery lives and that operate in remote and hard to reach locations. Because of their low data usage, LPWA modules and connectivity will be low cost, making it easier to deploy across a number of different verticals such as utilities, agriculture, manufacturing, wearables and transport.

It is an emerging area of the IoT and represents a huge market opportunity as the IoT scales. Analyst firms including Analysys Mason, Machina Research and Strategy Analytics anticipate that there will be 2.7 billion LPWA connections by 2022.

Complementary Technologies Using Licensed Spectrum

Due to the diversity of IoT application requirements, a single technology is not capable of addressing all of the LPWA use cases and so the initiative will focus on three proposed complementary licensed 3GPP standards: LTE Machine Type Communication, Extended Coverage GSM and Narrow band IoT technologies. LPWA technologies in licensed spectrum can be deployed in a simplified manner, without sacrificing key customer requirements, such as battery lifetime and security.

Mobile operators already provide reliable end-to-end IoT platforms that allow customers to scale and manage their business requirements. They also have unrivalled global network coverage as well as technical and business support to react to a customer’s changing needs.

It is expected that initial specifications for LPWA solutions will be completed by the end of 2015 and included in 3GPP Release 13, with first implementations in early 2016 and full commercial solutions following later in the year. For more information on the Mobile IoT Initiative, please contact connectedliving@gsma.com

Connected Car Trends & Forecast

A study of “connected car” technologies shows innovation racing ahead as auto makers unveil new digital services and autonomous driving features. The connected car is an automobile designed with direct access to the Internet, enabling automated links to all other connected objects, including smartphones, tracking devices, traffic lights, other motor vehicles — and even home appliances. Volkswagen and Daimler led the industry in a year that saw high general levels of innovation in infotainment systems and safety-assistance technology. The forecast of annual sales of connected car technologies tripling to €122.6 billion by 2021. 

Both premium and volume auto makers clearly see connected car technologies as essential to their futures. They also realize that overall vehicle prices aren’t rising as rapidly as the prices charged for digital capabilities. This means returns on investments in traditional car components are shrinking.

Over the next five years, the connected car could disrupt the entire automotive ecosystem. The industry will undergo fundamental change as semi-autonomous driving emerges, followed by an eventual shift to full autonomous driving. Auto makers that have always seen themselves as product suppliers will take on a new identity as providers of mobility services. This will open the door to lucrative new digital revenue streams, especially as they begin to explore opportunities in other digital areas such as entertainment, commerce, and monitoring a driver’s health and fatigue level.

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Source:by Richard Viereckl, Dietmar Ahlemann, Alex Koster, Sebastian Jursch. - Strategy&

Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, 2014 - 2019

In February 2015, Cisco released the Cisco VNI Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, 2014 - 2019. Global highlights from the updated study include the following projections:

By 2019:

• There will be 5.2 billion global mobile users, up from 4.3 billion in 2014
• There will be 11.5 billion mobile-ready devices and connections, more than 4 billion more than there were in 2014
• The average mobile connection speed will increase 2.4-fold, from 1.7 Mbps in 2014 to 4.0 Mbps by 2019
• Global mobile IP traffic will reach an annual run rate of 292 exabytes, up from 30 exabytes in 2014

See Infographic 

Source:Cisco

Global IP Traffic Forecast 2014-2019

In May 2015, Cisco released the complete VNI Global IP Traffic Forecast, 2014 – 2019. Global highlights from the updated study include the following projections:

• By 2019, there will be nearly 3.9 billion global Internet users (more than 51 percent of the world’s population), up from 2.8 billion in 2014
• By 2019, there will be 24 billion networked devices and connections globally, up from 14 billion in 2014
• Globally, the average fixed broadband connection speed will increase 2.2-fold, from 20.3 Mbps in 2014 to 42.5 Mbps by 2019
• Globally, IP video will represent 80 percent of all traffic by 2019, up from 67 percent in 2014.

See Infographic

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Source: Cisco