ITU Internet Reports 2005: The Internet of Things

This is the seventh in the series of "ITU Internet Reports" originally launched in 1997 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Written by a team of analysts from the Strategy and Policy Unit (SPU) of the ITU, it looks at the next step in “always on” communications, in which new ubiquitous technologies (such as radio-frequency identification and sensors) promise a world of networked and interconnected devices (e.g. fridge, television, vehicle, garage door, etc.) that provide relevant content and information whatever the location of the user - heralding the dawn of a new era, one in which the internet (of data and people) acquires a new dimension to become an "Internet of Things". It includes chapters on enabling technologies, the shaping of the market, emerging challenges and implications for the developing world, as well as statistical tables covering over 200 economies.

The six chapters of the report are as follows:

• Chapter one, Introducing the Internet of Things, explores the key technical visions underlying the Internet of Things, such as ubiquitous networks, next-generation networks and ubiquitous computing;
• Chapter two, Enabling Technologies, examines the technologies that will drive the future Internet of Things, including radio-frequency identification (RFID), sensor technologies, smart things, nanotechnology and miniaturisation;
• Chapter three, Shaping the Market, explores the market potential of these technologies, as well as factors inhibiting market growth. It looks at new business models in selected industries to illustrate how the Internet of Things is changing the way firms do business;
• Chapter four, Emerging Challenges, contemplates the hurdles towards standardisation and the wider implications of the Internet of Things for society, such as growing concerns over privacy;
• Chapter five, Opportunities for the Developing World, sets out some of the benefits these technologies offer to developing countries that may themselves become lead users and drivers of the market;
• Chapter six, The Big Picture, draws these threads together and concludes on how our lifestyles may be transformed over the next decade.

The executive summary is freely available online, and the report is available in paper copy for sale.

Click here for access to download either a Microsoft Word or PDF of the Executive Summary and to order the printed version of this full publication online.