Internet of Things in 2018: Application scope is getting wider and wider, and NB-IoT will take the lead

Currently, 5G and the Internet of Things have become two areas of particular concern to the industry. In the field of the Internet of Things, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology predicts that the number of global Internet of Things terminals will reach 18 billion in 2020, and the number of Internet of Things connections in China will reach 8 billion. In terms of market size, Luo Wen, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, previously predicted that the market size in 2018 is expected to exceed US$100 billion. Whether in terms of the number of connections or the market size, the Internet of Things will bring huge imagination to the industry.

Narrowband cellular IoT will continue its strong momentum in 2017

In the IoT market, narrowband cellular IoT is closely related to operator networks. With the deep involvement of operators, the IoT industry is developing more and more rapidly, and the three major operators have all proposed strategic development plans for the IoT. In particular, in 2017, narrowband cellular IoT made great progress, and NB-IoT technology progressed particularly rapidly, ushering in the first year of large-scale commercial use.

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In order to promote the development of the NB-IoT industry, the country has successively issued a number of major IoT development policies in 2017. Among them, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Notice on Comprehensively Promoting the Construction and Development of Mobile Internet of Things (NB-IoT)" in June 2017. This policy provides 14 guidelines for the construction of NB-IoT networks, which has become the driving force for the rapid development of the NB-IoT industry. It also proposes that by the end of 2017, the NB-IoT network will cover major cities such as municipalities and provincial capitals, with a base station scale of 400,000. By 2020, the NB-IoT network will achieve universal coverage across the country, and achieve deep coverage for application scenarios such as indoor, transportation road networks, and underground pipe networks, with a base station scale of 1.5 million.

At present, the three major operators and major manufacturers have made important progress in NB-IoT. For example, China Unicom has completed the trial commercial launch of NB-IoT in dozens of cities across the country, and more than 300 cities across the country have the ability to quickly access the NB-IoT network. By the end of 2017, China Mobile will achieve continuous coverage and full commercial use of NB-IoT in 346 cities, and provide 1 billion yuan in special subsidies for NB-IoT modules. Huawei, Qualcomm and major IoT module manufacturers have actively cooperated with operators to deploy narrowband cellular IoT to bring convenience to users.

At present, China Telecom has clearly stated that it will start commercial deployment of eMTC in 2018. It is expected that in 2018, NB-IoT will continue the strong development momentum of 2017, and the networks of the three major operators will fully support NB-IoT technology. In 2018, eMTC will gradually attract the attention of the industry, and the scale of deployment will gradually expand.

The scope of application will become wider and wider, and safety issues will become more prominent

The Internet of Things is an important part of the new generation of information technology. Its cross-border integration, integrated innovation and large-scale development have played an increasingly positive role in promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries.

After years of development and accumulation, 2018 is expected to be the year when the Internet of Things will explode in scale. It is expected that in 2018, the industry applications of the Internet of Things will increase, and it will continue to be popularized in the fields of industry, energy, transportation, medical care, new retail, etc., especially new retail, logistics, medical care, and smart cities will show vertically rising demand. For example, the development of the Internet of Things has a significant impact on smart cities, helping to optimize urban management and improve various services. As the builders of basic network facilities, operators will undoubtedly greatly promote the construction and development of smart cities by making efforts in the field of mobile Internet of Things. In the narrowband cellular Internet of Things business, as NB-IoT technology matures, it is expected that the application scenarios of NB-IoT will be more abundant in 2018.

The Internet of Things is currently booming, but it is also inevitably facing development problems, the first of which is security. The Internet of Things market is developing rapidly, and the number of terminals is increasing dramatically. From network systems and platforms to terminal devices such as sensors, the security risks of the Internet of Things will be everywhere.

High-risk terminal security vulnerabilities and insufficient terminal security protection measures are the two main reasons for the security risks of IoT devices. While enterprises in various links of the IoT are establishing themselves in the market and seizing the entrance, they rarely plan and deploy security protection measures in advance, resulting in a low proportion of security links in the IoT industry chain, and the corresponding security issues also pose serious threats. In 2018, the IoT will usher in further development, and the security issues of the IoT will become more severe, requiring the industry to work together.