“Internet of things” refers to the ever-growing network of physical objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity, and the communication that occurs amongst these objects and systems. It extends internet connectivity beyond traditional devices like desktop and laptop computers, smartphones and tablets to a diverse range of devices that utilize embedded technology to communicate and interact with the external environment.
In 2018, BTRC issued a directive in a preliminary effort to develop policy for the new technology in Bangladesh and permission to use it in 9 sectors: smart building, industry automation, smart grids, water management, waste management, smart agriculture, telecare, intelligent transport systems, environment management, smart urban lighting, and smart parking.
The IoT-enabled Internet has been progressively emerging as an extremely rich, heterogeneous array of business and consumer use cases, requirements and environments. The integration of IoT is transforming Internet into a real-time conduit of unimaginable amounts of data that can be analyzed to make better decisions, improve performance, and grow profits.
Challenges & Prospects
There are 3 major challenges to implementing IoT solutions in Bangladesh: people, infrastructure, and finance.
(i) Lack of both leadership support for making data-driven decisions and a workforce enabled with the skills required in implementing, utilizing, and maintaining the system.
(ii) Lack of high speed internet connectivity and hardware required for implementation.
(iii) Unwillingness of market-players to invest in adopting IoT into their businesses and services.
The major fields to be focused on are discussed below:
1. Market Structure:
To implement an IoT solution sensors/RFID tags are needed to produce data, network connectivity, and computing power to process the data sent through the network to produce information and insights. Once processed, the output can be fed back into the system to automatically control production processes such as in manufacturing goods, monitoring blood sugar levels of diabetics, and more efficient inventory management.
In the first phase of the Internet, vendors developed horizontal technologies and a selected-few only used internet for mainstream interaction with their customers for providing service. The majority of IoT projects currently lie in smart cities, connected industries, connected buildings and connected cars with most enterprises focusing on applications that reduce costs.
2. Connected devices:
There are more than 12 billion devices that can currently connect to the Internet, and researchers at IDC estimate that by 2020 there will be 26 times more connected things than people. Bangladesh’s late launch of 4G may turn out to be the key in making IoT deployment more feasible as Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT) is supported by the majority of current 4G hardware. NB-IoT uses licensed frequencies and coexists with existing cellular broadband technologies, has considerable improved power consumption, system capacity and spectrum efficiency, and battery life of more than 10 years support, overcoming the majority of hurdles IoT deployment faces. Grameenphone has recently deployed NB-IoT on a limited scale, making Bangladesh and Sri-Lanka the only 2 countries in South Asia to have an NB-IoT network.
To incorporate the system in real time and everywhere at once in Bangladesh, it requires authorities to rethink how to architect, monetize and secure their connected systems – rather than simply connecting as many devices as possible.
3. Technology Concentration:
The first phase of the Internet converged on a few access technologies—Ethernet, Wi-Fi and mobile. IoT is driving a proliferation of access technologies based on different use cases and their specific requirements, including bandwidth, latency, power and proximity. This lack of uniformity compounds the complexity of the IoT environments. IoT and its vast amounts of streaming data require the evolution of cloud architectures to fog computing to provide real-time analytics at the edge of the network or on devices themselves.
4. Security Focus:
Traditional closed operational systems in factories or buildings are now open and connected, and consumer device vendors are more aware regarding comprehensive risk management. More institutions and businesses have been adopting smart-lock systems, Face ID and fingerprint scanners in their compounds. This has enabled more consumers of Google Home devices, Amazon Echo, etc. Many corporations have implemented smart-locks in the office and brought the use-case of these devices to an employee level.
5. Standards:
The sheer number of horizontal, vertical and regional standards bodies and consortia working on frameworks, architectures and standards can be overwhelming. And the resulting volumes of overlapping and contradicting semi-proprietary standards combined with long-lasting standards wars create even more challenges.
Way Forward:-
Recently in Bangladesh, Datasoft has been at the forefront of IoT developments, though the 3 major telecom operators in the country have also begun offering a number of IoT-enabled solutions.
1. DataSoft:
In 2017, DataSoft signed an agreement with Japanese company Smart Life to develop and implement smart-home technology in 10,000 homes in Tokyo. The company is installing IoT-based toll management systems for Congo and working to mitigate the water supply shortage of Saudi Arabia. Datasoft will introduce 4 IoT devices to detect gas and water leakage, as well as smoke and intrusions in their clients’ homes on a subscription basis. DataSoft has become renowned to the rest of the world and with a production plant located in Gazipur, the company aims to make IoT devices for both local and foreign consumers. The company has also signed an MoU with Grameenphone.
2. Grameenphone:
Grameenphone provides its own Smart Home, Smart Security and Smart Attendance services alongside the Vehicle Tracking Service. It also introduced the country’s first IoT-based digital livestock management solution Digi Cow for livestock farmers. Grameenphone is also marketing the IoT solutions for vehicles produced by BanglaTrac. Chinese company Hexing is working with Grameenphone in demonstrating its own NB-IoT enabled Gas meter and NB-IoT enabled Smart Prepayment Energy Meter. On October 21, 2018, they signed a joint-venture deal with the state-owned West Zone Power Distribution Company (WZPDCL) to create the company “Bangladesh Smart Electrical Company Limited”. Inovace Technologies helped Grameenphone in developing its own fingerprint attendance service called “TipSoi 21”.
3. Robi:
Robi launched their own Smart Home and Smart Attendance systems as well as Industrial IoT services. It signed an agreement with Sri Lankan start-up nCinga to create an IoT solution focused on helping the RMG industries of Bangladesh.
4. Banglalink:
Banglalink has its own Vehicle Tracking Service and the Watchmaniss Security Service, a security service for corporates.
Institutions like BRAC University, Grameenphone in collaboration with IEEE, Datasoft, Bangladesh Skill Development Institute, Global Skills Development Agency are already providing training to solve the knowledge gaps regarding IoT.
For Bangladesh to spur growth through IoT, it must increase awareness about IoT in both public and private enterprises, and build stronger industry-academia collaboration for a workforce prepared for the constantly changing technological landscape.
