AUSTIN, Texas -- Big Communications Event – The future is now for the Internet of Things, according to a Tuesday afternoon BCE keynote by Huawei's Russ Coffin.
"The major message is if you're not into it [IoT] now, you should be," Coffin said. "If you're not into it, now you're going to be left behind."
Coffin said IoT is an amalgamation of big data, artificial intelligence, predictive and prescriptive technologies and machine-to-machine applications.
"It's not just the technology but also mergers and acquisitions," said Coffin, strategic architect, for Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. "Companies are buying other companies just for the data that they are collecting."
IoT is also a smash-up of verticals, Coffin said. The smart home vertical includes automation, security, Internet and video, retail, device and online verticals that are interconnected. The various verticals represent new revenue streams and business models for carriers, service providers and competitors.
"Every carrier in this business has to figure out what their policies are for things like data control," Coffin said. "There are no legal frameworks or ownership rules, but we believe data control is a major aspect of service delivery."
Data control could include filtering what information goes where, or making sure that user information remains anonymous.
Coffin said that while each IoT vertical can vary, a good platform should build upon existing infrastructure, work with existing OSS/BSS systems, extend network capabilities and open up North and South-bound interfaces.
Additionally, platform vendors should include ecosystem enablers such as APIs, SDKs, sandboxes and training.
"The ecosystems are all about the IoT parts that have to come together, which are joined by business arrangements, test beds and SDKs and open interfaces," he said. "All of the players in the IoT ecosystem need to build direct relationships to the end customers to be successful."
— Mike Robuck, Editor, Telco Transformation