By Anton Le Saux, Head of Connectivity and Partner Sales at O2 Telefónica UK: As the IoT continues to grow and expand its influence to more industry areas, questions are being raised as to how it can reach the more disparate and low cost businesses.
Is it really possible for m2m to be a ubiquitous technology? Some believe it will require its own independent WAN to generate further reach, which may seem an unfeasible solution. However, the development of Long Range Low Power (LRLP) networks could be the way to facilitate this.
WANs generally consume a large amount of power which makes them an unpopular choice. Newer LRLP networks provide a high performance network with wide area coverage, combined with ultra-low power use, which makes for a much more cost-effective solution for many businesses, particularly smaller companies with smaller budgets.
As more and more devices become connected there will be an increasing number of m2m solutions available, and connectivity demands will rise and become more complex. For example, any sort of remote monitoring such as parking or isolated utilities sites will require long-range, low power solutions to connect them efficiently.
The cost of traditional WANs would be prohibitive in these situations. The basic problem of network congestion will also be problematic as the number of connected devices rises. This is another area that LRLP networks can ease by simply providing more options that have the added bonus of being budget-friendly.
Ultimately for the IoT to continue its current rapid expansion, the evolution of LRLP networks is a necessity to make m2m more widely accessible to more businesses. This model will enable the predicted growth of m2m to continue unchecked.
(anton.lesaux@telefonica.com - partnersdigital.telefonica.com)