Predictions about the Upcoming Internet of Things Technology in 2019

We are in the midst of the worldwide adoption of digital transformation. Recent decades have marked an irreversible move towards greater urbanisation and technology disruptions. The ability to provide the highest number of people with modern conveniences and amenities in an efficient, sustainable and affordable way is probably the single greatest motivation driving this change. Concerns about climate change and a greater awareness of the challenges of addressing the needs of growing populations with limited resources have focused attention on the decisive capabilities of emerging technologies and innovations.

Connectivity is the bedrock of all communication today, and IoT is the enabler of connectivity

All these global shifts have resulted in a world overwhelmed with digital gadgets, automation sensors and devices of all sorts. And connectivity among this vast mass of devices holds the promise of a world enhanced to unprecedented levels of efficiency. It is this connectivity that the Internet of Things enables. Whatever the environment, large scale or small, commercial or residential, innovative applications of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology have the power to unify disparate devices, and positively impact the performance and agility of enterprises, as well as the customer experience they can to deliver. Gemini Property Developers CEO Sunil Gomes feels that whilst the technology has not quite reached a critical mass in startups and public initiatives, 2019 could be the year in which IoT deployments become truly widespread across sectors, including real estate.

IoT will become mainstream in 2019, applied across industries

Top predictions about IoT’s evolution in 2019 range from its all-pervasive potential to specific applications:

A transition from buzzword to use case

This year will see the conversation shift from IoT being a buzzword to its actual use case and application. The discussion will move beyond the technology itself to the many solutions and benefits its enables – its true value proposition. From Smart Homes and Smart Buildings to Smart Cars and Smart Healthcare, IoT will become omnipotent owing to its application across industries.

Growth across the board, leading to a push for 5G connectivity

Over the past year, IoT has grown at an exponential rate. Vehicles, wearable gadgets, RFID sensors and software, are advancing way past their basic functions, and the network of connected devices is growing every day. Statistics on connectivity and the IoT market mostly yield numbers in the billions. As per IT Pro ⁽¹⁾, in this year alone, around 3.6 billion devices connected to the Internet were used for daily

tasks (which implies the total number of connected devices outside the Internet could be much more!). Such a large number of devices means more data and more traffic on an already congested connected internet, which could drive a bigger push for 5G connectivity in 2019 ⁽²⁾ to improve the web highways capacity to handle the increase in devices.

Higher penetration of IoT in Manufacturing, Healthcare & Smart Car networks

Sensors, RFID tags, and smart beacons have already started the next industrial revolution, and this is set to grow further in 2019 in the manufacturing sector. In terms of healthcare, Forrester predicts that 87% of healthcare organisations will have adopted IoT technology by 2019. And when it comes to transportation, the era of Smart Cars seems to be here, with IoT technology penetrating every aspect of connected vehicles. From the ability to check tire pressure and oil level to gauging the fuel consumption, connected apps can now send the entire up to date diagnostic information of your vehicle to the palm of your hand ⁽³⁾.

Smart buildings will give rise to Smart neighbourhoods before crystallising into Smart cities

A recent disruptive application of IoT has been in the buildings industry. Its ability to unify siloed building management and automation systems, and create a centralised metric of building performance is revolutionising operational efficiency, energy savings and overall ROI. While these Smart Buildings will eventually cascade into the connected Smart Cities of the future, 2019 will see the birth of Smart Neighborhoods – microcosms of the larger Smart Cities.

As a live example, Sidewalk Labs, a Google company, is building a smart neighbourhood in Toronto ⁽⁴⁾ which will include Smart sensors around the neighbourhood to record everything from walking routes, shared car use, building occupancy, sewage flow, and temperature choice 24/7 with the aim of creating a place that is comfortable, convenient, safe, and clean for those who live there. This is expected to serve as a model for other Smart Cities eventually.

IoT, Smart Cities & Real estate

IoT Analytics reports that Smart Cities (23%), Connected Industry (17%) and Connected Buildings (12%) are the top three IoT projects in progress ⁽⁵⁾. Significantly, that puts two of the three most energetic examples of early adoption squarely in the real estate and urban development space. A recent McKinsey & Co report predicts that the worldwide IT spend for IoT deployments will amount to US $581Bln by the year 2020 ⁽⁶⁾. These are impressive figures in themselves, but the sheer potential of IoT to transform society exceeds even the striking picture they paint.

UAE’s IoT and Smart Dubai vision: A dynamic metropolis, innovating to become the gold standard in urban environments

The UAE has made a firm commitment to embracing a technology-driven approach in the pursuit of people-centric results. Perhaps the most definitive element of this strategy is the Smart Dubai initiative. A particularly inspirational goal of the initiative and one that is unique across the world is to make Dubai the world’s smartest and happiest city. Sunil from Gemini is of the opinion that IoT-led smart technologies, given their potential to enhance the quality of life for Dubai’s residents, will be the path to realise this vision of the Government as more and more buildings embed connectivity and automation at their core.

The Smart Dubai program is currently focused on four primary initiatives, the Dubai Data Law, the Dubai Pulse Platform, the Dubai Blockchain Strategy and Smart Dubai 2021. A network of more than 30 partners has already enhanced over 1,000 services, and the Smart Dubai IoT Strategy is a crucial element in delivering these to the city’s residents, businesses and government agencies ⁽⁷⁾. Sunil believes that the IoT strategy will help fulfil Dubai’s vision of creating the most advanced smart networks and connected digital infrastructure to achieve completely paperless governance, and a Smart City comprising happy citizens.

Dubai as the epicentre of IoT deployment

The Armani Hotel Dubai will host the region’s private and public sector decision-makers at the sixth edition of the ‘IoT Middle East 2019’ conference from February 20 to 21, 2019. Featuring some of the most respected names in business and technology as guest speakers, the event will provide a further stimulus to the UAE governments’ recent declaration extending the smart city initiative to the entire emirate. Sunil expands that a concerted push from the UAE administration on IoT adoption, allied with pre-existent high quality enabling infrastructure, make Dubai a prime candidate to becoming one of the world’s first truly smart cities.