IoT connectivity – What does it mean for smart metering?

The Internet of Things (IoT) promises to make our environment – homes, offices, cities – smarter, more measurable and better connected to one another. Connected devices are embracing IoT at a rapid pace. Leading analyst firm, Gartner, reported that around 8.4 billion IoT devices were in use in 2017, up 31 percent from 2016, and this will likely reach 20.4 billion by 2020. As IoT continues to be increasingly widespread, the need for connectivity solutions grows to ensure that the devices are working correctly, accurately capturing and analyzing data, as well as securely managing data. For these reasons, connectivity must be flexible and agile, in order to meet the network performance required for a wide variety of evolving IoT use cases, applications and device types. In almost every industry, connectivity is enabling the development of new technologies and changing how cities are embracing big data. With the correct solution in place, a single tool can address the connectivity needs in a wide variety of diverse verticals across both rural and urban, dense areas.