The GSMA, Monday released guidelines for the Internet of Things (IoT) market that outline how devices and applications should communicate via mobile networks in the most intelligent and efficient way. The guideline - ‘IoT Device Connection Efficiency Guidelines’, an initiative developed by the GSMA Connected Living programme are intended for use by all players in the mobile ecosystem, ensuring that mobile networks can efficiently accommodate the increasing number of connected devices and services resulting from the rapid growth of M2M connections.
According to GSMA, the guidelines receive backing from all leading mobile operators including AT&T, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, KT Corporation, Orange, NTT DOCOMO, Tata Teleservices Ltd., Telefónica, Telenor Connexion and VimpelCom as well as ecosystem partners including Sierra Wireless and Jasper.
The guidelines include a number of best practice areas such as data aggregation within devices, non-synchronous network access, application scalability and guidance on how to manage signaling traffic from de-activated or out-of-subscription SIMs. It will also help IoT device and application developers expand the number of devices connecting to mobile networks, whilst preventing service outages and ensuring optimal performance that will ultimately enable the market to scale across a diverse range of sectors including automotive, transportation, utilities and health.
It is imperative that the IoT market develops with the right standards and best practices in place, reducing undue pressure on mobile networks across the world and allowing the Internet of Things to grow unimpeded. The GSMA has worked closely with its operator members to develop connection efficiency guidelines that ensure that IoT device and application makers can follow a common approach to create efficient, reliable services that can scale as the market grows and we encourage all parties to adopt these moving forward.
- Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA