Growth of the Internet of Things and Machine 2 Machine applications

In today’s connected world the things all around us are being brought to life. Lamp-posts, parking meters, coffee machines, cars, central heating, refrigerators. You name it, it’s all starting to get connected. The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly changing the world in which we live and work. Management Consultants McKinsey and Co estimate that by 2020 50bn items will be connected via the Internet of Things, valuing the market at about ￡6.3 trillion (that’s lots of zeros).

Across the UK we still have a long way to go, and on an international playing field, we lag behind some of the pioneers of IoT including Germany, Singapore and Taiwan.

The NHS is leading the way in the public sector by using the IoT to monitor patients remotely when they return home to continue recovery. The military is also implementing IoT technology particularly in the use of drones.

However, concerns exist around potential security breaches and the issues surrounding data transfer using the internet. This impacts on an individual basis with consumers reluctant to give away information or being hesitant to allow their utilities providers the ability to connect to their home routers.

From a commercial point of view, it can be even more restrictive. Last year the Serious Fraud Office was fined ￡180,000 for accidentally sending a witness information about 64 people involved in a case. The scale of the fines levied for such errors can deter other companies from adopting these technologies.

Although the private sector is way ahead there is still some way to go. Historically if a business wanted to monitor a remote site it would have to install a phone line to run xDSL or even install a private leased line to enable monitoring applications to send data back to HQ. In an office block, Door Entry / Intercom systems would need to be wired from the entrance all the way back to a control room in order to work. This was often costly and took a long time.

With IoT M2M (Machine to Machine) SIM cards, this type of scenario can be overcome, and deployed in much less time and at fraction of the cost. What’s more, closed user groups can be set up so only data, sms and calls between SIMs in the same predetermined user group can communicate with each other, helping reduce risk of security breaches as well as being able to combat SIMs being stolen and 'repurposed" for other uses that were not intended by the company being billed.

There have been some remarkable stories about the integration of IoT into offices and the workplace. A company called First Light PR helped a member of staff who could no longer commute to the central London offices by creating a robot to represent her in the office. Connected directly to the staff member ‘Jenkins the Robot’ looks like a Segway with an iPad mounted on it, allowing the team member to meet people face to face in the office although working remotely.

As offices evolve with hot-desking, breakout areas and meeting spaces, looking much like a café or airport lounge, the IoT will be used to greater effect. Workers will be able to clock in and out of workspaces, all managed online. For businesses, this could have huge implications on the amount of property and space needed, even during times of expansion.

No doubt you will have tried to park in a town or City over the years, you find a space only to realise you have no change and the meter only takes coins. It was an inconvenience and you risk getting a ticket if you run to find a shop to get coins to feed the meter.  Nowadays things are starting to become so much more convenient. Parking meters are getting connected most probably using SIMs. You can pay with your card, or even better use an APPs like “RingGo” see (https://www.myringgo.co.uk/bookparking) or  “PaybyPhone” (see https://www.paybyphone.co.uk/) where you enter your reg and the locations short code and pay using your phone. Even logging your tickets to help with expenses. They even text you to remind you how long you have left. Not only is this good for you as the customer, from a car park owners perspective it means they have to empty the machine of its cashless often (if at all) reducing the risk of it being broken into. Add into the mix ANPR number plate recognition systems and the operators can check who has parked without paying and they can reduce the staff in the ground time manually going around checking tickets in windows.

All this can and is being done remotely using IOT.  Streamlining a business. Adding value to customers needs.

Home automation services like setting your heating from your phone can be done via your home WiFi sometimes, but more often the energy company use SIMs in the hardware. Unlike the SIMs you get on the high street bespoke tariffs can be set based on the actual amount of data needed to operate the device. This can be pence per month rather than ￡’s per month which can save a company a substantial amount of money in operating costs.

We all know that not all networks have the same coverage everywhere you go, so using the scenario above if a company deploying Smart Heating systems installed a SIM in their kit, and found that it had insufficient coverage it might normally be stuck. Not if using the SIMs HM Network deploy. We can change the carrier on the fly so 1 SIM can be changed to an alternative fixed network, or can be set to look for best signal and lock on to that carrier - ideal for mobile fleet tracking for example where vehicles are on the move, or for automobile rescue services looking for a customer in the back of beyond - having a SIM that roams different networks gives them a much better chance of keeping them online.

Perhaps the best recent example of the growth in IoT comes from wearable technology. The Apple Watch and Fitbit have both taken IoT to the masses. The implications of the type of monitoring that these devices undertake is huge. Soon they, along with mobile and tablet devices will ensure that all aspects of our lives are woven fully into the fabric of technology.

As the world embraces the Internet of Things businesses will need to make sure they are ready for the dynamic changes technology presents. Are you ready for IoT? Do you currently operate systems that need M2M SIM?

Do you need SIMs for a bespoke contract term for a project as opposed to standard 12,18 or 24 months?

Get in touch to see how we can help.

[email protected] or call 03333 444 190