FCC Opens Up Spectrum Needed for 5G Network
On Thursday, July 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously approved the use of a swatch of spectrum above 24 GHz for wireless services. AT&T, Qualcomm, Intel and other technology providers that are starting to test fifth-generation (5G) wireless applications—including Internet of Things applications related to autonomous driving and other high broadband use cases—that would require the use of bands in the spectrum the FCC has just made available. A 5G network would support data speeds of up to 100 times faster than those delivered by current 4G wireless networks.
Following the vote, the FCC’s chairman, Tom Wheeler, said enabling a 5G network would give the United States a competitive advantage. “By becoming the first nation to identify high-band spectrum,” he stated, “the United States is ushering in the 5G era of high-capacity, high-speed, low-latency wireless networks.”
But the mobile industry is still in the early stages of 5G development and standardization. As The Verge reported this week, there are some technological hurdles linked to 5G networks, regarding signal range and interference from buildings.
IDTechEx Analyzes Wearable Technology Market
A new report from market-research firm IDTechEx finds that the market for wearable technology will be worth more than $30 billion by the year’s end, with more than a third of that value ($11 billion) being generated by smartwatches and fitness trackers. The company also expects the market to continue growing at a rate of 10 percent annually until 2018, after which it will grow more sharply, hitting $100 billion by 2023 and more than $150 billion by 2026.
The report probes key product areas, including fitness trackers, smartwatches, smart clothing, smart eyewear (including those with augmented and virtual reality functions), smart skin patches and headphones. It also analyzes the technology based on industries, such as health care, fitness, professional sports, infotainment, enterprise, military and fashion. The report includes case studies, interviews with more than 60 industry players and discusses trends that are fostering increased cross-industry collaboration and product development. Moreover, it forecasts the impact that commoditization of wearable technologies could have on the industry.
Glasgow Serving as LoRa Network Testbed City
At the Mobile World Congress, held in Shanghai, IoT platform provider Stream Technologies, along with IoT network node provider Semtech, Boston Networks, a consultancy that specializes in building-management systems, and CENSIS, a collaborative research center supported by the Scottish government, announced that the group, through a partnership with Glasgow University, Strathclyde University and Glasgow Caledonian University, has installed a LoRa wireless IoT network that provides coverage across 12 square kilometers (4.6 square miles) of Glasgow, including its commercial center, as well as its Merchant City and West End districts.
LoRa is a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) that sends small packets of data over long distances. The partners report that the Glasgow network will enable the development and use of such devices for a wide range of uses, including building energy efficiency systems, pollution sensors, tracking valuable assets and wireless health-care devices to enable the sick or elderly to live independently.
The technology providers hope that the Glasgow network will serve as a model for other cities considering deploying IoT networks that businesses can leverage as well. Glasgow serves as a good testbed, they explain, because it is similar to many major metropolitan areas worldwide.
IBM and AT&T Collaborating
Last month, IBM and Cisco announced their intention to work together on IoT deployments, by bringing IBM’s Watson cognitive computing platform and business-analytics technologies to select Cisco’s customers. Now, Big Blue has formed a partnership with AT&T to help businesses accelerate their Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives. The two companies are co-developing a new starter kit, as well as standards-based tools on the IBM Cloud, to help developers accelerate the creation and deployment of IoT-based solutions.
The offering includes access to IBM’s Watson (machine-learning based) IoT platform and Bluemix IBM’s cloud application development platform, as well as a range of application program interfaces (APIs). What’s more, it gives developers the ability to deploy apps on the IBM Cloud.
Developers will also be able to use AT&T’s Flow Designer, a cloud-based IoT application development tool, as-a-service on the IBM Cloud. Developers can use the tool to make apps aimed at a range of applications for connected cities, industrial equipment, cars, homes and health devices.