Promoting investment and innovation in the Internet of Things
- Start: 23 July 2014
- Status: Statement published
- End: 01 October 2014
The Internet of Things (IoT) is set to enable large numbers of previously unconnected devices to communicate and share data with one another. It is clear that radio spectrum will play an important role in enabling the IoT, given the need to support a potentially significant number of wireless connections. We are seeking input on the scale and nature of demand for spectrum, including how much additional spectrum may be required to support the IoT, if any; which frequency bands may be suitable; and whether an approach based on licensed or licence exempt access to spectrum is more appropriate;
Aside from spectrum, we recognise that the IoT has the potential to raise a number of other policy issues in which we have a role. Some IoT applications will require highly robust and reliable networks and we are therefore interested in understanding more about issues relating to network resilience and security. A specific and important aspect of network security is privacy of personal or commercially sensitive data; there will likely be a number of privacy issues and the IoT will only flourish if these are addressed.
IoT devices will need to be assigned one or more addresses in order to communicate with other devices. A number of address types could be used, including telephone numbers or Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. The type of address may depend on the network to which the device is connected and whether the device requires access to the global internet, or a local, private network.
Finally, and more broadly, we are interested in stakeholders' views on the nature of Ofcom's role. Generally, our view is that industry is best placed to drive the development, standardisation and commercialisation of new technology. However, given the potential for significant benefits from the development of the IoT across a range of industry sectors, we are interested in views on whether we should be more proactive; for example, in identifying and making available key frequency bands, or in helping to drive technical standards.
Main documents
Supporting documents
Responses
| Responder name | Type |
|---|---|
| Airbus_Defence_and_Space.pdf (PDF File, 276.4 KB) | Organisation |
| Anonymous.pdf (PDF File, 149.8 KB) | Organisation |
| ARM.pdf (PDF File, 157.3 KB) | Organisation |
| ATT.pdf (PDF File, 954.9 KB) | Organisation |
| BCS.pdf (PDF File, 363.9 KB) | Organisation |