The Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF, or FRII in Russian) has teamed up with high tech company GS Group and mobile operators Megafon, MTS and VimpelCom (Beeline) to create an Internet-of-Things (IoT) consortium in Russia.
Tele2, another major mobile operator, expressed interest in potentially joining the consortium in a further stage, Russian news agency TASS reported.
The first phase of the consortium will consist of establishing a single and open standard of data exchange for the Internet-of-Things network, which does not yet exist on the market. “Seeking and agreeing on such a standard will enable the connection of different industries and accelerate the diffusion of IoT in Russia,” an FRII representative said.
In Russia, more than ten different companies and startups are working on the development of technologies for IoT data exchange. The consortium plans to examine their decision and identify groundwork, which will form the basis of the protocol and of the data exchange standard, explained FRII.
Included in this standardization effort is the definition of a single protected protocol of data transmission in order to specifically address the critical infrastructure issues that may affect governmental and military complexes. As the fund explained, there are around 300 solutions using IoT protocols and technologies in Russia. They either solve very specific issues and do not suit scaling, or are poorly protected and are vulnerable to cyber-attacks, or finally are incompatible with other generally accepted protocols, TASS wrote.
Concerning the amount of investments, the fund said that the question is for the moment premature, and will be further looked into by participants of the consortium.
Launched in 2013 with considerable funds to support Internet startups at the seed stage, FRII extended its coverage to new fields such as wearable devices and the Internet-of-Things as early as in 2014.
According to J’son & Partners Consulting, the number of IoT devices in Russia by 2018 could amount to up to 32,55 million, doubling compared to 2015. This sustainable growth will ensure the development of massive IoT-services, in particular in fields like smart homes, transportation, trade, financial services and industry.
- On September 29, Moscow will play host to the third edition of the annual international Internet of Things Conference, Expo and Meetup, in partnership with East-West Digital News. Click here for more information.
