Dec 22, 2017 | 4 min read

8 IIoT Predictions for 2018 (No.3): LPWANs Gain Ground

8 IIoT Predictions for 2018 - 3

Eight IIoT predictions for 2018

We have seen an enormous amount of progress in the industrial ecosystem in 2017. The ever evolving landscape of Digital transformation is in full speed providing many exciting new business models as well as providing solutions to some of the problems that have plagued traditional industries since their inception. We see longstanding business models reinvented as more businesses are realizing the need to digitally transform their businesses. We're also starting to move from pilots to ROI as the adoption of connected devices is  accelerating industries like manufacturing and energy according to a recent Verizon study.

Momenta Partners is committed to helping our clients, partners, and stakeholders navigate this evolving landscape and deliver sustainable value from Connected Industry.  To achieve this, we keep our finger on the pulse regarding industry trends and developments. Here's what we see as the 8  key developments for 2018 in IIoT, with suggested resources to enable you to learn more: 

 

Prediction No.3: 

Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) will gain ground

For Industrial IoT products with devices, the ability to transmit small data payloads often intermittently, using minimal power and bandwidth is an attractive alternative to more costly cellular and satellite data connections. Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technologies including LoRA, NB-IoT, and Sigfox have been expanding their reach globally over the last few years, including in the industrials to support real time and predictive analytics. New technologies such as Thingstream’s USSD-based offerings promise battery life in years for remote sensors. It's foreseeable that LPWAN standardization will become a reality due to the lack of interoperability between the technologies and we already see a plethora of standardization

efforts undertaken by different bodies such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), European Telecommunications Standard Institute (ETSI), and The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) along with industrial consortia such as WEIGHTLESS-SIG, LORa™ Alliance, and DASH7 Alliance. Interoperability is crucial to their long-term profitability.

 

Suggested resources: 

Momenta:  2 Part seriesHow LPWAN technologies are accelerating IoT adoption 

Link Labs: The past, present, and future of LPWAN

Network Computing: Managing IoT with Edge Computing 

 

Stay tuned for our 4th prediction in our Eight IoT Themes for 2018.