IoT, from a geek buzzword to
a multi billion business economy
ir. Carmelo Zaccone
Expert within
the Legal & Technology Watch working group

Agence Wallonne des
Télécommunications
The AWT is a public body of the Walloon Region
(Belgium).
It has the overall responsibility for the development of
ICT, through 3 main missions:
1. technology watch,
2. consultancy,
3. promotion.
www.awt.be is the ICT platform of Wallonia.

The ICT platform of Wallonia
ICT observatory in Wallonia
Companies & citizens. Specific
sectors (education, ICT sector,
health, municipalities, …).
Partnerships with other
European regions.
Professional forums
#mforum / #ipforum.
E-commerce & ICT advanced
uses by companies. Web.
Education/e-learning.
Digiwal (ICT event).
Strong and officials partnerships
with all ICT players in Wallonia.
TIC & TWIST Clusters, Charte eTIC, CETIC,
CoWallonia, #pme20, #rentic, #mforum,
#ipforum … and private companies (FeWeb,
Agoria, etc.) + SPW.
Online database of the ICT sector
and players.
ICT companies. E-commerce sites. Public
Digital Spaces. Coworking centers &
Smarwork centers. ICT schools.
Municipalities … and more.
ICT watch (technologies, laws, business
opportunities, ...) and content provider.
AWT plays the role “ICT one stop shopping”
for Wallonia (Europe’s Digital Agenda, ...) .
Open data and consultancy for public
services and government in Wallonia.
Organization and “activation” of the data
managed by the AWT and others public
bodies.
awt.be

• Since IT exist, engineers wanted to control
equipments
– mechanical industry was pioneer
– industrial machine locally computer operated
• When networking appears, hypes started with
– remote monitoring
– remote control
• Mobile data (gprs aka 2g) introduced new
businesses
– Machine 2 Machine
– Wireless Sensor Networks
Origin in the industrial technology

• Early 2K,
– dot [com], internet startup & geek dreams
– first smart fridge from LG
unsuccessful product, unnecessary product ,to expensive ($20.000)
– technologies
• RFID
• WiFi
• Mid 2K,
– idea of connecting home appliances to the Internet
– birth of first ever mass consumer adopted
smartphones
– smart home
Consumerization of industrial
technology
Journey in the i-fridge history
http://fuckyeahinternetfridge.tumblr.com

• End 2K,
– gadget objects & the ‘connected’ buzz effect
eg Nabaztag
• Sound, light, robotics, WiFi connection, Interactivity
• Information feeds (RSS, weather, exchange, email, +dev kits)
• New broad set of technologies to satisfies
Geek’s appetite
Geek’s power to bring things alive

• End 2K,
– massive tsunamy of connected devices
– key success factors are
• mass adoption – a market
• business model – a strategy
• money – a lever
• Not yet seduced VC / Business Angel?
crowdfunding & hightech buzz review
Get the market & ‘some’ money
– kickstarter
– indigogo
From a tech geek to a business man

From geek’s backpack to your
wife’s hands
• Nowadays
– Smart TV
– Smart Body Analyzer
– Connected Car
– Smart Watch
– Respiratory health
management
– Garden sprinkler
– Smart light bulb
– Washing machine
– Heather bulb
– Smart camera
– Clothes

• Today, in numerous application domains,
devices can be connected
– residential home automation
– wellfare/well-being business
– health/fitness domains
– the entertainment arena
– in vehicle infotainment
– daily life objects such as wearable computing
Immensity of connected objects

• Huge challenge to be solved !
– Gamification
– Self Quantification
– Social networking
– Tons of various sensors
• New hype technologies to be involved !
– Big Data
– Semantic Web (data & metadata & interpretation)
Immensity of data to process
(in realtime)

From geek’s art to structured
architecture
• technology evolution
– standardisation
organisation
IEEE, IETF,
GS1/EPCglobal,ITSA
– International
consortium
IoTC, Wearable Technologies,
GSMA Connected Car
• multi-level business
– wire(less) harvesting
bluethooth, zigbee, z-Wave,
EnOcean, WiFi, LiFi,
Rfid, Mifare
– embedded system
hardware platform
Arduino, Raspberry PI,
Open picus, Ninja Blocks
– infrastructure & data
protocol
6LowPAN, REST,
EAN ONS, Fibaro

Some software
platforms/frameworks
• SaaS oriented
– SmartThings
– Open Remote
– App.net
– Sen.se
– Xively (former
Pachube)
– Paraimpu
– Everythng
Automotive industry
• Ford Sync/Applink
• BMW ConnectedDrive
• Renaud R-Link
• Audi Connect
• Toyota Entune
• GSMA MirrorLink

Belgium is active in the field
• Enterprise, startups
– Skylane open.yoursen.se
– Vision Smart pic2shop
– Arguslabs Jini
– TagTagCity
– Carambla
– Getyoo
– Vigo Robotics
– Enerban
– Selinko
– Nomics
– HMI Products
– Uniwan
• Industry clusters
– Infopole Smarthome
– Infopole Connected
Objects.
• Research centers
– CETIC
– Multitel
– IBBT

Multi billion business economy
By 2020, analysts predict that the planet will count
50 billions device connected to the Internet.
will reduce the border between the real world and the virtual digital one

Lets continue the discussion
Carmelo Zaccone
cz@awt.be
@carmelo
linkedin.com/in/zaccone
+32 475 586.782
www.awt.be
www.twitter.com/awtbe
www.facebook.com/awtbe
www.awt.be/web/rss
www.youtube.com/user/awtbe