The New Age of IoT: Connectivity Is Not Enough!

2023-09-14

For the last four and a half years, Jans Jelinskis has been managing 1NCE Latvia, which is the Technology Competence Center of 1NCE, a leading IoT solutions provider worldwide. He has a lot of experience in IoT and telecommunications to share, but this time he reflects on the days when, like hailing a taxi or inquiring about hotel vacancies in person, this was the norm. He believes that for many, these experiences are unfamiliar thanks to a shared characteristic: a heightened level of abstraction.

Jans proceeds to elucidate. Today, services like Bolt, Uber, Booking, and Airbnb have streamlined these processes, offering a simplified way to obtain transportation and accommodations. Such solutions gather information and facilitate bookings with a single click, revolutionizing our daily routines. It’s become nearly unimaginable to revert to the old methods.

This same principle applies in the current landscape of the IoT industry. A myriad of intricate operations can be supplanted by a new layer of abstraction, rendering the creation of IoT solutions as straightforward as reserving a taxi or a hotel. Jans extends this metaphor into the realm of IoT.

Typically, an IoT solution encompasses connected electronic devices linked to servers for monitoring and control. These devices could encompass intelligent electric meters, smart street lighting, or rentable scooters. The process of establishing connectivity is straightforward—insert a SIM card, run the necessary code, and the setup is complete. However, mere connectivity is insufficient. Imagine tens or hundreds of thousands of exceedingly basic IoT devices, each operating on limited battery power and designed for extended lifespans. As new devices are integrated and older ones phased out, this dynamic management becomes imperative. Each IoT enterprise grapples with pushing device telemetry data to their cloud backend, verifying data and device authenticity, prolonging battery life, and positioning devices sans GPS, among other challenges.

A pivotal, non-trivial realization emerges: every IoT company contends with these hurdles, allocating resources and time to forge bespoke solutions. This mirrors the individual endeavors of securing transportation or lodging before the advent of Uber and Booking. It’s one and the same.

All these endeavors warrant a shift towards a higher level of abstraction, presenting IoT enterprises with a tool that empowers them to craft IoT products with the same ease as booking a Bolt taxi. This is precisely what Jans and his team at 1NCE endeavor to achieve.

This endeavor is not without its difficulties, as their clientele, comprised of IoT businesses, often perceive these challenges as intrinsic to their own. Jans aspires for businesses to focus on their core strengths: innovating and enhancing lives in a sustainable manner. Meanwhile, he and his team work tirelessly to revolutionize the IoT industry, enabling their customers to shape a better world.

For those eager to delve deeper into the intricacies of this transformation, Jans invites them to “RIGA COMM 2023”, where he will expound upon how 1NCE accomplishes this feat and the hurdles they face. With over 15 million IoT devices globally connected, 1NCE possesses a wealth of experience to share, aiming to inspire and propel the IoT community forward.

Schedule a visit to the “IoT & Robotics” conference, which will take place at the Future stage on October 6. Where Jans will give listeners more details on the topic: “The New Age of IoT: Connectivity Is Not Enough!”

Get your pass here.