Latin America. Many times when people hear the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) they have no idea what is being talked about, or immediately associate it with futuristic situations they see in commercials or Hollywood movies. However, beyond smart irrigation systems or the way people get their information, IoT has become a booming reality.
The general definition says that it is about connecting objects of daily and everyday life with the Internet in order to send and receive data. While IoT is a relatively new concept, it is increasingly important to the lives of many consumers.
According to Gartner, consumers will invest in more than 26 billion devices connected to the Internet of Things by 2020*, many of them because they want to save time by automating their processes, allowing them to focus on other aspects that are important to them, such as their families, jobs and hobbies. However, according to Jessica Epley, Content Development Specialist at CommScope, this cannot be achieved if the network infrastructure that supports all these devices is not adequate:
"In recent years the need for greater connection and technological advancement have presented great challenges for network infrastructures. The challenge for operators is to ensure that networks are converged, so that IoT devices can operate quickly and efficiently. The transfer of all data depends on the networks and, more importantly, on the quality of those networks. As IoT devices become more valuable for accessing information, so does the value of a quality network."
The constant dependence that consumers have generated to access information at any time and place, has meant that, according to Cisco estimates, by 2020 the total amount of data transmitted by the IoT will be around 600 zettabytes per year**. This is 275 times more than the current data traffic that is sent from data centers to end-user devices. Therefore, in the end, network convergence will play a key role in getting information quickly to consumers.
For Jessica Epley, in the same way that consumers depend on the efficiency of their IoT devices, these devices depend on the converged efficiency of the network infrastructure to which they are connected. "Many IoT devices were created to improve efficiency, but consumers not only want these devices to allow them to achieve efficient results, they also want their experience with this equipment to be. That's why, to increase the efficiency of their infrastructure, operators are looking for ways to achieve the convergence of their networks."
Although advances in IoT device technology are relatively recent, consumers are still trying to figure out how to integrate their devices into their daily lives; therefore, this is the perfect time for operators to focus on figuring out how best to monetize the future of this growing industry.
"Network convergence will play a major role in ensuring that consumers take full advantage of IoT technology, considering that lifestyle is increasingly moving towards digital. As consumers increasingly rely on IoT devices, even perhaps without realizing it, network convergence becomes increasingly critical to helping operators meet their consumers' IoT demand."
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