The second edition of the International Telecommunication Union Standardisation Sector (ITU-T) Study Group 20 (SG20) meeting on Internet of Things (IoT) and its Applications including Smart Cities and Communities (SC&C) concluded on 26 January, made significant inroads into the development of international IoT standards.
Hosted by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the meeting saw discussions on IoT standardisation areas such as IoT devices and network requirements, interworking of IoT applications and services, signalling requirements for next-generation networks (NGN) evolution to IoT, and telecommunication systems infrastructure in smart sustainable cities. I
Key outcomes
The meeting concluded with consent on two proposed key ITU-T recommendations, Common requirements and capabilities of device management in IoT and Requirements of the smartphone as a sink node for IoT applications and services. These ITU-T Recommendations, if adopted, may help governments and industries to take a bigger stride towards developing international IoT standards in the near future.
The ITU-T recommendation Common requirements and capabilities of device management in the Internet of Things states that IoT devices/applications have to be correctly configured before they can operate efficiently through standardised interfaces and procedures. The recommendation identified common parameters for remote activation, diagnostic, software upgrade and security management, allowing a simpler and more efficient way to manage IoT devices/applications. This could pave the way for providing a common set of standards to facilitate the fast deployment of machine-to-machine (M2M) and IoT communications on a vast variety of devices.
The ITU-T recommendation Requirements of the smartphone as sink node for IoT applications and services covers the requirements of the smartphone if it is to act as a point for the collection of IoT data such as monitored health parameters, device status, video and audio feeds. Smartphones can provide Internet connectivity for devices such as wearables and home monitoring devices. This recommendation could potentially enable smart healthcare initiatives, such as telehealth or health monitoring on the go.
Globally, governments and businesses have been looking to harness the opportunities and potential offered by IoT. It is projected that there will be 50 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020*, and IoT services spending is also projected to top US$235 billion worldwide this year, up 22% from 2015**. In Singapore, IoT will be a critical cornerstone for many Smart Nation initiatives such as smart homes, smart urban habitats, autonomous vehicles, and digital healthcare wearables.
The ITU-T SG20 was established to study and develop international standards to enable the coordinated development of IoT technologies and their applications for smart cities and communities. An important aspect of the ITU-T SG20’s work is the development of standards that leverage IoT technologies to address urban development challenges.
The next ITU-T SG20 meeting is expected to be held from 25 July to 5 August 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.
*www.cisco.com/web/about/ac79/docs/innov/IoT_IBSG_0411FINAL.pdf (PDF)
**www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3165317
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