The Wireless IoT Forum was launched today to support and promote the deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT) globally, with the aim to drive the widespread adoption of wireless wide-area networking technologies in both licensed and unlicensed spectrums. Will Franks, who was previously CTO and Founder of small cell firm Ubiquisys had been appointed as Chairman and William Webb, who is the President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), is the CEO.
According to the Wireless IoT Forum, its objective is to address the fragmentation of standards across the IoT ecosystem as it continues to expand to include more players including fixed and wireless network operators, infrastructure providers, app developers in utilities, government and specialist SMEs, semiconductor vendors, radio technology providers, module developers, systems integrators and vertical end-users.
The wireless Internet of Things is bringing connectivity and control to an order of magnitude more devices, however there is a very real risk of fragmented standards and technologies holding back the development of the market. There has also been a tremendous amount of work done in the IoT world across a wide range of technologies. As in the cellular world, the success of this will lie in the promotion of open standards. The Forum will work tirelessly to make this a reality in the IoT world.
Will Franks, Chairman of the Wireless IoT ForumIBM
Successful wireless technologies have always been founded on interoperability, open standards, and a focus on the demands of end-users. The Forum is committed to securing these conditions and working with all major stakeholders to ensure successful and timely deployment of the Internet of Things worldwide. We are delighted to have helped bring together key industry players with the common goal of driving standardisation and interoperability. These players have the vision to recognise the need to collaborate to create robust technology platforms while competing to create dynamic markets.
