2022 Informed: Telecoms and IoT predictions for the coming year

Next year is gearing up to be one for growth for Internet of Things and telecoms, according to industry experts. Here are some of their key predictions.

2022 is gearing up to be a key growth year for the Internet of Things and Telecoms, according to industry experts. With more than twenty billion interconnected devices in use by the end of 2021, according to Statista, the connected future is set to become an even more prevalent part of everyday life, both at home and in work.

One key trend in the coming year, according to our experts, is the growth in actual applications for IoT…

“With the availability of more bandwidth from 2022, 5G will unlock the potential of interactive IOT applications that drive Edge Computing, which will demand the data and processing to be far closer to the user. There is set to be an explosion of these richer IOT applications which go far beyond the early and more limited IOT applications, such as smart meter or network monitoring devices.

“The future might involve interactive gaming in vehicles or vehicle monitoring and the analysis of vehicle data to provide instant responses: for example, interactive range management for electric vehicles, informed by the proximity and availability of charging points. Major vehicle manufacturers are active here, and this may become a critical competitive proposition in future.

“Distributed data and processing will become increasingly important as IOT application sophistication increases. But where the connected device is mobile, the data may need to track it as it moves, to maintain low latency, so the ability of a database to balance data storage based on ‘affinity’ becomes equally important.

“We predict that 5G will enable more sophisticated IoT applications that drives Edge Computing capability to deliver those applications, which drives distributed data management to best serve Edge Computing.”

David Walker, Field CTO, EMEA, Yugabyte

Others predict that edge computing and IoT will converge to serve users with more efficient data extraction and real time analysis on super flexible platforms…

“The vision of IoT and the actual reality are very different. A ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response from a sensor is different from figuring out whether a complex piece of machinery is acting as it should and to optimum efficiency levels. It’s not just about the opportunity to collect data, but also having the capability to modify that data collection, to add additional sensors to expand the data gathered even further.

“For instance, it could be that the solution is monitoring temperature and speed, but you also need to measure vibration. Another sensor is then required, so you need a platform that’s adaptable and scalable.

“With the use of edge computing and analysing data where it is created fast gaining momentum, organisations will discover how they can quickly access only the most valuable data, in real time, which will prove mission critical to their business.

“We will see an increase in demand for specialised equipment that requires an IoT edge solution that can accurately translate, measure and analyse different formats of data incompatible and comparable data formats as it arrives, without having to rip and replace internal electronics of the machinery being measured.”

Peter Ruffley, CEO, Zizo

But security around IoT devices remains a priority…

“In the last three years, an ecosystem of over fifty partners have collaborated around PSA Certified to provide a common framework around IoT security, which is critical to our connected future.

“In 2022, we expect perceptions of IoT security to shift from it being a cost to a necessary value. With laws, regulations and baseline requirements changing the way we see security, there’s a growing recognition of the importance of best-practice security and the risks of inaction. Third-party evaluation and certification frameworks will continue to play an increasingly central role in driving consistency across markets and to building trust and assurance in connected devices. 

“This coming year, we anticipate that the ecosystem will take proactive IoT measures to protect devices based on the Root of Trust. Moving away from siloed approaches to hardware security, leveraging cross-industry collaboration and embracing a secure-by-design culture will act as a catalyst for trusted IoT deployment at scale.”  

David Maidment, senior director, Secure Device Ecosystem, Arm

“In 2022, we predict that governments will start demanding that IoT manufacturers declare how long IoT devices will keep receiving security maintenance to their customers up-front. The UK is one of the first countries that started working on such regulations, conscious of the interconnected risk that IoT devices bring.”

Gabriel Aguiar Noury, robotics product manager, Canonical

The connected world that IoT promises can only happen if the telecoms solution underpinning it is fully functional. No connectivity means no 5G – which some believe will lead to a surge in demand for bonded technologies that allow the user to switch between multiple connectivity sources.

“Portable wireless connectivity can be deployed within days, providing stores and warehouse facilities with the capacity required to manage peak demand. But don’t rely on a single connection to achieve ultra-reliability – businesses of every size need multiple connections.

“Using a bonded solution that orchestrates these connections together, uptime is maintained and capacity maximised. And, where 4G (or 5G) wireless connections are used in tandem with existing fixed line resources, the solution becomes a fully resilient solution – using wireless to enhance capacity and performance, or as a failover when the fixed connection fails; reverting back to the fixed line automatically when it is available.” 

Nick Sacke, head of IoT and products, Comms365

“I believe that 5G, with its ultra-low latency, ultra-reliability and super high bandwidth requirements will be the route to true growth in Industry IoT. Of course, there’s some maturity that needs to happen to devices and platforms, but this will only speed up, enabled by smart cellular connectivity platforms with a future-focused approach.”

Nir Shalom, CEO at floLIVE

With 5G deployments growing in number, 5G itself was another trend noted by the experts. The fifth generation of mobile will allow for better data capture…

“As the new generation of 5G network connectivity rolls out, it will have a direct impact on the emergence of data-rich applications deployed on the edge. Increasing bandwidth to and from the edge will also minimise the concerns of data gravity, a concern that data was becoming increasingly voluminous and costly to move. This will further spark the generation and consumption of data on the edge, but also promote data mobility across edge, cloud and core data centre locations.”

Paul Speciale, chief marketing officer, Scality

Telecoms isn’t just about mobile connectivity, however…

“The spotlight on Fibre Channel will brighten even more in 2022. A little-known story of 2021 was the pendulum swinging back in favour of the stalwart technology. This is for a variety of reasons most of which rest on Fibre Channel’s well-earned reputation of reliability, stability, and deterministic performance. However, Fibre Channel is also quite flexible, and I expect to see in 2022 the acronyms “FC” and “NVMe” combined with greater frequency.”

Tim Klein, CEO, ATTO Technology