The Connectivity Standards Alliance, an organization consisting of hundreds of companies that create, maintain, and deliver open global standards for the Internet of Things (IoT), today celebrates 20 years of innovation and collaboration – driving the next generation of home and commercial network connectivity forward.
"The secret to success for our members has been creating the right environment where companies, both large and small, can work side-by-side with an equal voice and energy to address the barriers to interoperability and growth in the IoT," said Tobin Richardson, President, and CEO of the Alliance. "What began as cutting edge work to create Zigbee, our reliable mesh networking standard, has expanded to include our latest IoT standard Matter. This is joined by industry leading efforts in Data Model development, Access Control, and creating strong Product Security. The Alliance's growth and reach reflects a holistic approach to solving the challenges of an ever-evolving IoT."
As a global standards organization, our key measures of success are adoption, certification, and the use of the standards created. In 2021, our membership grew by 38%, with members evenly distributed across the Americas, EMEA, and China/Asia Pacific regions. Year-to-date in 2022, another 60 companies have chosen to participate in Alliance work and adopt Alliance standards. In-market use shows there are currently more than 4,500 products and platforms that have been certified by the Alliance, with millions of Zigbee-capable devices in the market today. This positive trajectory will continue with Zigbee and with Matter, where according to ABI Research, within five years more than half of the world's key smart home devices will ship supporting Matter*.
"Alliance standards have been invaluable to the growth of smart homes and buildings, enabling reliable mesh networking and low-power solutions, with Zigbee Green Power, to reduce customers' and consumers' carbon footprint. Now, we are driving what's next in IP-based interoperability and IoT security, Over 20 years, we've had a positive environmental impact on our planet. Our impact has now even traveled beyond the bounds of earth's gravity with NASA using Zigbee technology for communication between the Mars rover and its companion drone."
Bruno Vulcano, Head of R&D at Legrand and Chair of the Alliance Board of Directors
Looking ahead at the next two decades, the Alliance will continue its mission to simplify and harmonize the IoT by creating standards and brands of trust for the industry and consumers alike. This fall, the Alliance is slated to formally introduce its latest standard, Matter, a common language and IP-based protocol for the IoT. Products incorporating the Matter standard will feature a unique logo, signifying interoperability with certified Matter products from any manufacturer.
About the Connectivity Standards Alliance
The Connectivity Standards Alliance, formerly the Zigbee Alliance, is the foundation and future of the Internet of Things (IoT). Established in 2002, its wide-ranging global membership collaborates to create and evolve universal open standards for the products transforming the way we live, work and play. With its Members' deep and diverse expertise, robust certification programs, and a full suite of open IoT solutions the Alliance is leading the movement toward a more intuitive, imaginative, and useful world.