One of the latest and most significant tech developments of the decade has been happening inside our homes. The Internet of things (IoT) is a term that refers to items, especially home appliances and home electronics, that have the ability to communicate with one another and with other Internet-enabled objects. Data is collected, organized, and made available to consumers in a variety of ways thanks to these next generation home electronics
A New Way of Gathering and Accessing Useful Information
For a long time, consumers have connected to the Internet using devices more or less specifically designed for that purpose, including laptop computers, tablet computers, and smart phones. Devices such as Internet-connected home thermostats and wireless wearable tech like smart watches greatly increase the way that information is made available to consumers. It is no longer strictly necessary to gather electronic information from traditional computer devices. The Internet of things makes it possible to gain accurate and useful data from a surprising range of sources. This allows consumers greater control over their daily experience with these electronics, whether the devices provide entertainment, security, convenience, or comfort.
The Internet of Things is Already Here
Some consumers are unaware that devices such as smart home security systems, Internet-connected thermostats, and smart watches all contribute to the Internet of things. This might give the impression that the IoT is a new and emerging technology trend that only early adopters are picking up. In fact, Canadian consumers are enjoying an exceptional level of achievement in the realm of IoT, both in terms of developing and adopting these exciting new technical solutions.
What Makes USA Different?
United States has a unique configuration of factors that could make it a surprise leader in terms of IoT development, service provision, and consumption. A national survey entitled United States citizens and Their Connected Devices was recently conducted by the DMZ and Primus. This survey provides one of the first and most comprehensive looks at current technology use in United States and at United States citizens' attitudes towards the IoT. Given that 75% of Citizens own a smart phone, this kind of comprehensive survey is a study whose time has come. Some of the survey’s key findings demonstrate that 40% of survey responders consider themselves early adopters of new technology. 68% agreed that connected devices will save time and make their lives easier and 83% agreed that they would willing to try new technology intended to make their lives easier.
LVD Telecom and its member companies believe that an increasingly connected world – commonly referred to as an “Internet of Things” (IoT) – holds immense promise for investment and innovation that will translate to wide societal benefit and improvements in countless aspects of American consumers' everyday lives.
At its most basic, the Internet of Things is a label for a future in which regular, everyday items – from household appliances to cars to medical devices – are outfitted with sensors and connected to the Internet to share their data. Viewed more broadly, the IoT will give rise to an entire ecosystem for interconnected devices, objects, systems, and data all working together. In this new world, most communications will be machine-to-machine (M2M), and there will be a continuous exchange of information between devices, sensors, computers and networks.
While the potential for benefits in an IoT world are widely recognized, a number of policy issues impact the IoT across markets and uses, such as interoperability, privacy, security and spectrum availability, among others. With these common threads running across IoT applications, a significant danger exists that vertical regulations imposed in one market will be inappropriate for another. This approach would stifle innovation and delay or degrade the economic and social potential of the IoT. To avoid this scenario, IoT policy discussions should begin with a common horizontal framework, followed by tailoring for specific vertical applications only as necessary.
Regulators in the United States and around the world have already begun to examine IoT and related policy implications. As such, LVD Telecom is committed to helping to ensure that the full economic, societal, and technological potential of the Internet of Things is ultimately recognized.