Page 9 - Mobile World Daily - Day 2

SK TELECOM | INTERNET OF THINGS
Lee Hyung-hee,
President of Network Operations Business of SK Telecom
& Chairman of Korea IoT Association
Wearable computers, personalized
advertising billboards and self-
driving cars are some of the items
that appeared in science fiction
blockbusters like the Minority
Report to depict a futuristic world.
Now, in 2015, this scene has become
a reality. With the spread of smart
devices, evolution of mobile
networks and growth of smart
technologies encompassing sensors,
cloud computing and Big Data, the
era of the Internet of Things (IoT)
has finally arrived.
Global market research firms predict a
rapid growth for the IoT sector:
Gartner, Inc. forecasts that the
number of connected things, which excludes
PCs, smartphones and tablets, will increase
from 4.9 billion in 2015 to 25 billion by 2020; government and enterprise markets, but also
and International Data Corporation (IDC)
predicts the global market for IoT solutions to IoT services. In the IoT market, near-field
grow from USD 1.9 trillion in 2013 to USD 7.1
trillion in 2020.
Against this backdrop, mobile operators,
manufacturers, chip makers, solution
providers and internet related service
companies around the globe are aggressively
entering the world of IoT to gain an early
mover’s advantage by leveraging their
existing strength. Thus, there is a growing
interest in who will gain leadership in this
new IoT market.
Here, the telecommunications companies
have an important role to play. As pioneers of
the era of Internet and mobile, they hold an
invaluable set of tools, - including seamless
connectivity based on a strong network
infrastructure, innovative convergence
services designed to meet customer’s varying
needs, and extensive experience in service
delivery, - that will allow them to open a
whole new world of opportunities in the IoT
era by setting up an ecosystem where anyone
can join to create, deliver and share value.
The core concept of IoT is that anything
and everything can be connected. And
telecommunications companies are the only
ones with the accumulated power of
connectivity. At present, mobile operators in
many countries across the world have
launched 4G networks and are now focusing
on further strengthening their networks to
better support IoT. In particular,
telecommunications companies in Korea are
making aggressive efforts to keep advancing
their networks towards the next-generation
mobile network system, or 5G. To this end,
they have recently commercialized tri-band
LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation that
supports up to 300Mbps speeds. With the
realization of the 5G network, the size of the
IoT market will grow exponentially as the
evolved network will support giga-level
speeds, massive data transmission and ultra-
real-time connectivity.
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS DAILY 2015 | www.mobileworldcongress.com
Telecommunications
Companies, True
Enablers of the IoT Era
Meanwhile, with the spread of Figure 1: Concept of an Open IoT Platform
personalized smart devices such as
smartphones and wearables, there will be an of the agriculture sector through advanced Figure 2: Concept of IoT Solution
increasing chance for telecommunications ICT. To date, an IoT-based intelligent for Farming
companies to not only tap into the greenhouse management solution named
“Smart Farm” has been applied to 100 farms innovating how people work, play and
the individual consumer market with their that grow fruits and vegetables. Smart Farm
allows farmers to remotely control communicate. In the IoT era, the results of
wireless communication technologies that temperatures, humidity and water supplies at
connect individual devices and things to the greenhouses with their smartphones, thus innovations taking place in each and every
gateway will become of greater importance. enabling them to take immediate and
Thus, telecommunications companies are appropriate action against sudden industry will be connected and optimized,
also focusing on advancing their wireless temperature changes or equipment errors.
personal area networks (PAN) through Studies show that farmers are showing a high followed by meaningful convergence, to
technologies such as Bluetooth low energy level of satisfaction as they can spend less
(BLE) Beacon and Wi-Fi, while constantly time, cost and energy on farming. Going constantly create greater value and infinite
developing their wide area networks (WAN). forward, once such IoT solutions are
developed for and applied to other areas of opportunities. Telecommunications
If seamless connectivity forms the basis for farming, the productivity of the overall
an IoT ecosystem, platform will serve as the industry will be maximized. In the long term, companies, which already have unmatched
main engine that powers the virtuous circle of these solutions collectively can even play a
the ecosystem. Without a platform that part in resolving one of the most difficult strength in connectivity, hold the power to act
enables anyone to come with their innovative issues in the world, including food shortage
ideas and create new and added value, and climate change, as the massive amounts as true enablers in the IoT era by creating and
telecommunications companies will be of data they generate can be gathered,
relegated to mere dumb pipes. Thus, they analyzed and mashed-up to turn into valuable delivering new value through its open IoT
must build an attractive platform to succeed intelligence.
in the era of IoT. platform, and then sharing the value with the
Over the past 30 years, telecommunications
The following are the key requirements for technologies have transformed people’s lives. society to contribute to increased well-being
an ideal IoT platform: It needs to support both Mobile technologies, in particular, have
fixed and mobile networks; take an open evolved from voice-centered communication and happiness of all.
Application Programming Interfaces (API) to data communications to today’s
approach to provide a high level of smartphone-based smart lifestyle services,
accessibility; support registration and
management of smart devices (and their
applications); and provide a cloud
infrastructure to accommodate data. Such a
platform will enable diverse players to provide
end-users with value-added, customized
services by combining their ideas and
technologies regardless of device, thereby
promoting a virtuous cycle in the IoT market.
Moreover, telecommunication companies
can further expand the IoT market through
intelligent, customized services created by
analyzing Big Data generated and
accumulated upon the network and platform.
For instance, IoT can be used as an important
means to enhance productivity and
profitability of other industries. In October
2014, the Korean Government created
“Changjo (Creative) Village” in Sejong Special
Autonomous City to promote sophistication
Tuesday 3rd March PAGE 9