The Internet of Things (IoT) was among the touchstone topics many speakers referenced at last week’s SCTE/ISBE Cable-Tec Expo in Philadelphia − for good reason. The cable industry is in a superb position to use equipment, infrastructure and services already deployed to deliver robust IoT to subscribers.
Technology hurdles do exist, of course. Among them is the extensive need for upfront cooperation among many players to make all those “things” work together seamlessly across networks. Operators and vendors need to collaborate early in the solution development process, and those chats will involve some complicated issues including pristine security and reliability as well as standardization.
The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers and its global arm, the International Society of Broadband Experts, is looking to help take that issue on with the creation of an Internet of Things Working Group within the SCTE/ISBE Standards Group. The goal is reportedly positioning the cable telecommunications industry as a pivotal delivery channel for IoT technologies, products and services.
Chris Cholas, gateway solutions architect for Intel, was appointed chair by the SCTE/ISBE Standards Engineering Committee, which approved the creation of the IoT working group during a meeting at Cable-Tec Expo last week.
The IoT working group will address the rapid growth of Internet connected devices, which is predicted to exceed 30 billion by 2020. Unlike other standards and interoperability organizations already studying IoT opportunities and challenges, the SCTE/ISBE IoT working group will focus on what is unique and advantageous about delivering IoT services over cable telecommunications networks.
“Even as it opens the door to new business opportunities, the massive number of Internet of Things devices that are being connected to our networks present unique reliability and security requirements,” Chris Bastian, SVP and CTO of SCTE/ISBE, says. “Our new IoT working group is intended to bring together network operators and vendors to determine how best to standardize and operationalize these new services.”
The SCTE/ISBE standards program is the only ANSI-accredited forum for the development of technical specifications supporting cable telecommunications. Corporate membership in the program is open to any organization in the cable telecommunications industry. Member organizations develop standards and recommended practices through their technical representatives who serve on committees and subcommittees.
Info about the SCTE/ISBE Standards Program, including how to become involved as an SCTE/ISBE Standards Program member, is available in the Standards section of the SCTE/ISBE website at www.scte.org/standards or by emailing standards@scte.org.
For more on how IoT was addressed during Expo 2016, read the article here.
