IoT: the next digital revolution?

What is the IoT?

The International Telecommunication Combination (ITU) defines the IoT (Internet of Things - IoT) as a "global infrastructure for the information society, which makes available advanced services by linking objects (physical or virtual ), thanks to interoperable, existing or evolving information and communication technologies ”. bacobolts

Concrtely, IoT also means:

 The connected physical objects , which have ports of interaction with their environment (sensors, antennas, embedded electronic)

  Of electronic communications networks , which can transport data from objects

 Of computer components , which provide storage capacities and / or data processing.

Towards a new IOT market?

Representing 57% of global sales of connected objects, the 2.9 million connected objects dedicated to the home are still the most successful in France in 2017 in the sector, with an increase of 42% in one year (2017 figures). This market is itself dominated by dedicated security devices (eg alarms, cameras, etc.), followed by household appliances. “  Wearables  ” (eg connected watches) grew by 16% with 1.6 million devices sold in 2017. Finally, the connected objects market is complemented by both the health sector, which is still embryonic but whose sales increased by 57%, and by that of "gadgets" (eg drones), 460,000 items sold for a growth of 22%.

What are the whys and wherefores for the success of IoT?

Several factors can explain the success of IoT:

The falling costs of technology storage, computation, and communication

The maturity of networks . For data to be usable at any time and in real time, we need a network capable of connecting objects to each other and to storage and analysis platforms. Depending on usage, two types of networks coexist in a complementary manner. On the one hand, low-speed networks , which are long-range such as LoRa and Sigfox and short-range such as Zigbee . On the other hand, high-speed, long-range networks such as 4G and wifi networks , and short-range networks such as Bluetooth .

The diversity of the offer . While start-ups were the first to launch into the market, large manufacturers (eg Microsoft, Samsung, IBM, Suez, etc.) are now investing heavily in the sector. Samsung announces that 100% of its devices will be connected by 2020.

L ' interconnection of connected objects . Connected objects only have added value for the consumer if they are interconnected with each other. The strength of IoT lies in the ability to simultaneously process data of different kinds. This information is used either through project-specific platforms or by using shared tools in the Cloud.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Thanks to the new processing capacities of AI, the potential uses of IoT are increased tenfold (eg predictive maintenance). Increasingly efficient, current AI technologies offer significant data processing capacities allowing the implementation of ambitious projects of event prediction or data analysis in the light of a large number of variables. .

Who are the main players in IoT?

The IoT is a nebula of economic players, from different sectors, which together constitute this new market. Its main actors are:

Designers and manufacturers of connected objects,

The manufacturers of the computer components of these objects,

Operators and managers of data flow transmission networks,

The managers of the data collection and processing platforms,

Designers of software interfaces between objects and users,

Service providers who collect, analyze and use user data provided by connected objects,

Public regulators, ensuring compliance with the laws in terms of respect for life and private data, as well as security standards for connected objects.

Data processing: the real added value of IoT?

The Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority ( Arcep ), conducted a cycle of hearings in 2016 highlighting a consensus that the majority of the added value of connected objects in the sense of revenue is based on data processing. collected for their use in the production of services.

Consequently, the place of data is central in the IoT economy, and its valuation is based on two dynamics:

In a closed circle , like a private actor who deploys a network of connected objects and the associated operating platform, directly benefiting from the information processed in a process of optimization and improvement of its service or its process. These data are its property, they are not shared because of their potential sensitivity or their strategic interest.

In open mode , when the measured data is made publicly available on open platforms, called " Open Data ", so as to promote open innovation for the benefit of the community (called "open innovation").

The form that the data made available takes depends on the level of competence and the need of the actors concerned, or on the strategy in which the data sharing takes place. The data can be communicated in the form of raw data to be processed without the bias of an upstream interpretation work, or in the form of data exploited and presented using graphs on a supervision table, called “  Dashboard  ”.

Is the IoT a risk for personal data?

The success of IoT depends on the buy-in and trust of users, who must be able to maintain control over the use of their personal data . The transparency of projects and their ambitions, and the security of objects and networks are imperative. The challenge is therefore to find a balance between meeting these conditions (which can be expensive) and the costs of implementing the IoT projects themselves.

In Europe, the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) since 2018 regulates the use of users' personal data. Its main articles require:

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