Page 170 - Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2016

One possible approach is for governments to IoT devices will have the biggest societal impact
contribute assets and infrastructure, potentially where they are used together in larger, inter-
through public utilities, in co-ventures with connected, systems. At the macro-level, two
private operators. There is also real benefit in of the areas of greatest IoT development and
governments’ providing a high degree of up-front investment are:
certainty about regulatory treatment of sharing
arrangements for new network build-outs. (1) “Smart cities” – where infrastructure and
building systems will improve the efficiency
Introducing the Digital Ecosystem and sustainability of a whole range of urban
activities; and
Investment and infrastructure-sharing address the
basic building blocks of connectivity, but the true (2) Smart power and water grids – which will see
value of connectedness includes higher layers – improved efficiency in the transmission of
beyond the network layer. True interoperability power and the monitoring and maintenance of
comprises everything from technological delivery systems.
interconnection through data compatibility and
even human and institutional connections and Apart from the kind of machine-to-machine
compatibility. At the technological level, the (M2M) interoperability implied by the IoT,
exchange is simply ones and zeros – electronic human knowledge is increasingly implicated in
exchanges of signals. At the next level up, data the profusion of digital wireless services and
must be framed, transmitted and decoded applications (“apps”) being developed and
through a common intelligence – a common set disseminated. Conventional services such as
of hardware and software that allows data to banking, access to government services, and
become information. Human minds, however, education are now accessible in regions where
perform the critical function of converting these services were either unavailable or
information into knowledge within the context of inadequate before. Governments throughout the
inter-cultural and inter-societal interoperability. world -- and particularly in developing countries
The digital ecosystem, then, assumes a holistic -- are looking to mobile platforms for innovative
aspect that includes everything from basic ways to improve the delivery of public services and
technical interconnection up to institutional to foster participation in public policy-making. The
cooperation – including the work of policy-makers potential for economic growth, improved human
and regulators at local, national and even inter- connections and communication and cultural
governmental levels. exchange – just to scratch the surface – are
tremendous and exciting.
One of the earliest manifestations of this holistic
connectivity is likely to be the Internet of Things Of course, this is why the major software and
(IoT), a term coined to help us understand computer companies around the world are so
the complexity of literally billions of devices, eager to become constructive players in the
appliances and systems interconnected with growth of infrastructure. The more infrastructure
each other – and often with the global, universal is built, the greater will be the global reach of
Internet. As noted in Chapter 3, Consumers their by-now nearly ubiquitous mobile services,
will encounter IoT in everything from parking operating systems and apps.
meters, thermostats, cardiac monitors, tires,
roads and car components, to supermarket Clearly, a comprehensive, digitally connected
shelves and many other types of physical objects ecosystem calls for holistic approaches to policy-
and appliances. IoT-enabled objects and devices making and regulation. One could be forgiven for
can share data directly using protocols such as paraphrasing Samuel F.B. Morse (inventor of the
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, via mobile phone networks telegraph) and asking, “What have we wrought?”
and specialized radio networks, or over the The answer is that we are daily and monthly
global Internet. Device manufacturers, network creating nothing less than the most interconnected
operators, application platform architects system of communications and knowledge-
and software developers are forming a broad sharing in human history (along with an entire
ecosystem that is even now developing IoT environment of interconnected machines). And
services. there is no end in sight.

152 Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2016