Page 8 - ETSI-Newsletter-Feb-2017

Executive Viewpoint Series

Jim Nolan, EVP, InterDigital Solutions
Q. Let’s begin with an overview of standards-based solutions and the suite
your role and responsibilities within of (horizontal) services necessary to
InterDigital. enable multiple IoT applications across
multiple verticals. This is the main
JN Let me start off by introducing reason for our involvement in oneM2M.
InterDigital. Our core business is
to design and develop advanced Q. oneM2M recently issued its Release
technologies for mobile 2 specifications. How do you view the
communications. Since the early standard and its progress?
1970’s, our engineers have designed
and developed a wide range of 2G, 3G, JN Our work in IoT standards started
4G and IEEE 802-related products and with some early work within ETSI TC
networks. M2M group that focused on metering
applications. This was a good start but
I previously ran our in-house R&D unit, somewhat narrow in scope. Once other JN We are looking in several
InterDigital Labs, for 8 years. Since the worldwide standards organizations different areas as part of our IoT
middle of 2014, I have run InterDigital joined efforts with ETSI to create commercialization strategy. We
Solutions which focuses on bringing oneM2M, we saw the potential for a have invested in oneMPOWER, our
our technology to market. We do this much more complete standard with oneM2M-based platform to help
by offering specialist R&D services to the added benefit of global scale and businesses to launch and support their
other companies and by developing credibility. IoT applications.
commercial technology solutions In fact, we are using this platform to
within InterDigital. We are also active The length of time required to create support oneTRANSPORT, which is an
in creating new businesses where we a global harmonized standard does intelligent transport trial in the UK.
see commercial opportunities to create create frustration for many with the Since 2015 we have been working with
greater value by joining the capabilities standards process. At the same time, several local-government authorities,
of our technology specialists with we do appreciate that the result from the “Highways England” and several
external entrepreneurs. the oneM2M working groups is a transport-sector specialists to lay
very detailed and well-documented
Q. InterDigital has a strong reputation specification. I’d say that the progress the foundation for smarter transport
for innovation in the cellular technology of oneM2M compares well with the networks in the UK. This is quite a
arena. How did the company get 3GPP standard which was initiated in large scale undertaking, covering many
involved with the IoT? 1998, saw a first set of products around different types of connected devices
2001/2 and mass market traction after and a population base of about 4
JN Around 2009, we explored what the about 5 years after its first release. million people. In fact, the project won
next-generation wireless landscape oneM2M, which started in 2013, seems an award for the best transportation
would look like and we identified three to be progressing along a similar and logistics solution at IoT Solutions
tightly coupled possibilities. The first timeline. World Congress in 2016.
of these applies to new developments
in next-generation networks (NGN). Q. Why is the oneM2M standard so InterDigital also has initiated efforts
Secondly, we felt that the projected important? in the healthcare sector, where we
growth in digital media would drive are working as part of the Continua
content and traffic loads on these JN We see a lot of standards-related Health Alliance. We are also exploring
networks. And thirdly, we could see activities in the market from different opportunities in the industrial and
that IoT would drive the number of industry alliances and consortia. enterprise sectors, especially where
devices on networks. While many oneM2M stands out because it takes customers are looking for supplier
of these applications involve small a truly horizontal approach. It’s also diversity and therefore need inter-
amounts of data traffic, we took applicable across different industry operability capabilities for their IoT
the view that all of these connected verticals. There is no reason why applications.
devices would increase the signalling oneM2M can’t be a transparent Over the coming years, we expect
load on networks quite significantly. underlay to many of the other to support our existing technology
It made sense to focus our efforts application-specific standards initiatives licensing customers who are looking for
on these three self-reinforcing areas that have launched in recent years. IoT expertise. We will also be offering
that would drive the next generation oneMPOWER as a licensed software
wireless networks. You can look at oneM2M as a ‘standard
of standards’. It re-uses all of the solution and possibly as a service
The IoT, we believe is just the next step established industry protocols, such through a PaaS model. oneMPOWER is
in the evolution of the Internet. It’s as CoAP, MQTT etc. In fact, oneM2M also available in combination with wot.
going to require a new set of Internet can support IoT applications for io, a data exchange service that allows
protocols for ‘things’. When we were multiple access technologies such as companies to take a modular approach
looking at the next-generation wireless Wi-Fi, ZigBee and Bluetooth to create a for their IoT architecture, so that they
landscape, most of the M2M initiatives common IoT platform in smart homes, can plug in their preferred device
focused on proprietary, non-standard to illustrate just one example. management, visualization tool or
approaches within a few verticals. database, for example, into an overall
InterDigital decided to take a broader Q. How is InterDigital approaching the IoT application.
view of the market opportunity. IoT market and what can we expect to
We concentrated our efforts on see in the coming year? Continued on page 9 >

8 | THE STANDARD February 2017