IoT itself has started receiving attention as an emerging technology trend for 2019. The importance of IoT for our future is finally being realized by the general public, but here at IoT For All, we’ve understood its importance all along.
Below, I break down the input of over 120 industry experts highlighting the most thought-provoking. You can expect insight around 5G, smart cities, cybersecurity, edge and cloud computing + hybrid deployments, augmented reality (AR), democratization and governance, and more.
Telecoms
With all of the hype around the release of 5G, it’s easy to forget that the real benefits from full-scale deployment and adoption won’t be seen for another few years. Although consumers won’t be able to see the benefits of 5G from the beginning, the eventual higher speeds and lower latency 5G provides will create unheard of experiences in AR, VR, the connected home and any other areas where machine learning is taking effect. 5G connectivity will be great in the communities equipped to handle technology, but these devices will still need to be compatible with LTE networks. Could we also see non-telecom companies (Google, Amazon, Apple) dip their toe in the industry? Many think so.
Industry Insight
Jeff Travers, Head of IoT Connectivity Management, Ericsson
“All industries will continue to explore how Industry 4.0 can help their bottom lines and new and compelling use cases will emerge. One area well positioned to benefit from technologies such as augmented reality (AR) is field services. Experienced engineers are hard to find and those they do have can only visit so many remote sites in a year. Enabled by 5G and the speed with which data can travel through the air, AR will enable engineers-in-training to be able to have instant intelligence about a device on which they may be working just by pointing their tablet towards it. This will allow them to rely less on sheer experience and intuition but still be able to make informed decisions. Seasoned engineers will be empowered to accomplish more in less time with access to that same, instant insight provided by AR applications and powered by 5G.”
Warren Chaisatien, Global Director of IoT Customer Engagement Marketing, Ericsson
“In 2019, we will see more widespread deployment of 5G networks, which will directly result in the emergence of new and interesting use cases for the technologies associated with Industry 4.0—AR/VR, autonomous cars, AI/ML and IoT. All of these technologies will be dependent upon greater access to 5G technology, which is well suited to support the diverse, but demanding needs of the likes of IoT and AR/VR. 5G will enhance the capabilities of edge computing, which will be particularly vital to certain technologies, like self-driving cars, where computing must be performed as close to the device as possible to reduce the latency of decision making. The list of emerging technologies ready to cut the cord and take their capabilities to the next level when 5G finally becomes available in 2019 is long. In addition to those previously discussed, other include robots, drones, manufacturing, public safety/emergency, and government services. Telecom providers will begin evolving into connectivity managers. Telecom operators will evolve from simply network providers to connectivity managers. In 2018, telecom operators provided the fundamental needs—network access. Going forward, we will see many of them move to the next level, offering enterprises the ability to manage their field of connected devices, and not just connecting those devices, but managing their entire lifecycle.”
Jamie Bennett, VP of Engineering, Canonical
“5G has been promised for 2019, but in reality, this is years away. What we’re going to see being rolled out can be defined as an enhanced 4G hybrid model. However, with the current fixed networks, 5G is not yet essential. Once industries scale up and begin adopting edge computing, it will become crucial to add a 5G fast lane for better connectivity.”
Keith Pennachio, Executive Vice President, SQUAN
“In every single scenario, the data collected from IoT devices is only as reliable as the robustness of the network to which they are connected. Funding from non-telco entities like Facebook, Apple, and Google, for example, will likely make its way into the telecom infrastructure sector. Additionally, I expect to see a greater rationalization of P3 arrangements across Network Operators, Government Entities, Real Estate Developers, and Utilities.”
Bruce Chatterly, CEO, Senet
“2019 will see two major trends that will feed off of each other and propel the Internet of Things to its next stage of growth. First, Tier 1 carriers, cable operators and MVNOs will move beyond their evaluation and small regional deployments of Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs) and begin providing national and global connectivity plans. Innovative LPWAN network deployment and ecosystem engagement models will facilitate rapid network expansion and drive change in traditional networking architectures. Second and simultaneously, first-mover markets like water and gas metering will begin deploying connected devices at scale. The “proof-of-concept” in these markets will be replaced with large-scale commercial deployments, creating the foundational proof points other markets are seeking to justify their IoT technology choice and go-to-market strategies.”
Cybersecurity
It’s no surprise that over half of the predictions we received addressed cybersecurity issues within the growing IoT industry. As IIoT use cases begin to evolve and be implemented, temporary fixes to networks will no longer hold and security breaches will continue to abound rapidly. 2019 will place focus on IT/OT and because of this, an increase in attacks will emerge. Many are predicting that blockchain will be used by IoT and IIoT developers to secure access to both devices and networks. With an increase in attacks being predicted we will see industries begin to adopt Security-by-Design. Companies have been using temporary patches or fixes when it comes to security concerns, but we will start to see them working with hardware and software that has security built in.
Industry Insight
Hansang Bae, CTO, Riverbed Technologies
“IoT hasn’t been overhyped, but it is underdeveloped. The widespread and rapid adoption of IoT devices has caused manufacturers to fast-track development, sacrificing the advanced security technologies that would provide greater protection in favor of low production costs. This will lead to widespread IoT security breaches in 2019. These breaches will be large enough and damaging enough to create a shift in attitude about IoT across the spectrum of end-users, developers and device manufacturers. First, there will be a wake-up call and the realization that there is no quick fix to the security breaches – only smart security investments and re-engineered devices. As developers begin to prioritize security over ease of access, we’ll see a slowdown in the development and adoption of IoT devices, which will ultimately lead to the long-term success of the technology. These breaches—and the search for their solutions—will also boost other technologies, such as machine learning.”
[to continue, click HERE]
