On this episode of the IoT For All Podcast, Bilel Jamoussi from the ITU joins Ryan Chacon to debate the impression of IoT in 2023 and its pivotal position in digitizing the financial system and reworking cities into sensible, sustainable environments. They delve into the challenges dealing with IoT, significantly in safety and system identification, and the significance of worldwide requirements in facilitating interoperability. Bilel shares insights from numerous sensible metropolis implementations across the globe. He additionally highlights future developments within the digital transformation area, significantly the rising position of synthetic intelligence.
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About Bilel Jamoussi
A distinguished engineer, chief, and diplomat, multilingual standardization knowledgeable, and holder of 23 patents, Dr. Bilel Jamoussi is the Deputy to the Director and Chief of Telecommunication Standardization Coverage Division on the ITU Standardization Bureau (TSB) in Geneva, Switzerland. His major mission is to determine worldwide requirements to advertise common, significant connectivity and champion sustainable digital transformation. His revolutionary method has served as a catalyst to launch new requirements initiatives associated to rising applied sciences akin to IoT, Blockchain, AI and Quantum, attracting a brand new wave of memberships from non-traditional gamers.
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About ITU
The Worldwide Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialised company for info and communication applied sciences. Based in 1865 to facilitate worldwide connectivity in communications networks, they allocate international radio spectrum and satellite tv for pc orbits, develop the technical requirements that guarantee networks and applied sciences seamlessly interconnect, and try to enhance entry to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide.
Key Questions and Subjects from this Episode:
(00:34) Introduction to Bilel Jamoussi and ITU
(01:06) The impression of IoT in 2023
(02:50) Challenges and alternatives in IoT
(04:19) Significance of partnerships in IoT deployment
(06:30) Sensible metropolis adoption and implementation
(09:56) Range in sensible metropolis adoption
(12:21) Function of standardization in IoT
(13:55) Challenges in IoT standardization
(17:26) Future outlook: AI and digital transformation
(18:44) Closing remarks and future collaborations
Transcript:
– [Ryan] Welcome Bilel to the IoT For All Podcast. Thanks for being right here this week.
– [Bilel] Thanks for having me.
– [Ryan] Yeah, it’s nice to have you ever. I’m excited to speak, and I wished to kick this off by having you give a fast introduction about your self and the corporate to our viewers.
– [Bilel] Positive. My identify is Bilel Jamoussi. I’m the Deputy to the Director of the Telecommunications Standardization Bureau within the ITU. I’m primarily based in Geneva. We glance after worldwide requirements for connecting the world and enabling digital transformation.
– [Ryan] Implausible. Yeah, it’s, as I realized extra concerning the group, it’s very fascinating the work you just do throughout all totally different areas and so very enthusiastic about chatting with you. And I wished to kick this off and have you ever speak to me about, out of your perspective and the work that you just all do, the place is IoT actually having the largest impacts all through this yr that you just’ve seen?
– [Bilel] IoT is enjoying a pivotal position in digitizing the financial system. The Web of Issues is permitting the bodily world to be mapped into the digital world. So once we speak about digital twins, for instance, they’re doable by way of a variety of IoT units to deliver us the bodily world into the digital area. And in order that’s an essential component in actually the entire world of digital transformation, relies on many Web of Issues units that make it doable.
For instance, to present you a concrete instance, in cities, for example, cities are actually capable of handle visitors significantly better due to many sensors which might be positioned on the street, many cameras which might be all through the town and sensors may give metropolis managers a good suggestion about, the visitors move, parking availability, air pollution within the metropolis and so forth and so forth. So these are some examples of sensors which might be Web of Issues objects, cameras which might be additionally thought of as IoT units, that enable the digitization of the town to have the ability to handle it in a a lot smarter and sustainable means.
– [Ryan] With IoT simply basically, with cities adopting, firms adopting, what are the keys to success in your opinion? And what are a few of the largest challenges that the trade faces, which doubtlessly could tie collectively there?
– [Bilel] Yeah, a few of the challenges are actually when it comes to safety as a result of the perimeter of the community will get grows a lot larger once you join increasingly more units. Each IoT system must be recognized and the visitors move between the IoT system and the community must be secured by some means. And as a way to do this, our effort within the ITU is to allow that by way of worldwide requirements, so you’ll be able to have interoperability once you join these units, and the IoT units include many various channels. Some come on mobile networks, some are linked by way of WiFi, others by way of Bluetooth or Zigbee, LoRa community, so there are various channels of connectivity for the Web of Issues, some even by way of satellites, low orbit satellites. There may be that range within the channel used to attach the Web of Issues units and requirements assist harmonize and supply that interoperability that customers want to make sure that all of those units can speak to one another in a safe method. So these are the challenges and the alternatives with the Web of Issues.
– [Ryan] And one of many issues I do know from our expertise that issues lots within the success of deployments is and simply adoption basically are partnerships. From the work that you just’ve achieved, how important are partnerships to the success of an IoT deployment being profitable?
– [Bilel] They’re vital for, all of our work in ITU relies on the partnership of the general public and the non-public sector in addition to academia. Now we have 193 nations, members of the ITU. Now we have over 900 firms which might be constructing merchandise and deploying IoT options and companies in addition to 160 universities all over the world which might be doing quite a lot of superior analysis on this subject.
So partnering on the defining the worldwide customary is vital as a result of all of those stakeholders are both utilizing, deploying, manufacturing, or regulating the Web of Issues. So it’s essential to deliver all of them into one place to agree on what’s essential when it comes to getting the IoT to be deployed broadly. So there’s quite a lot of partnership among the many non-public sector. Every firm constructing its personal piece of the puzzle and the partnership with the federal government to supply the enabling atmosphere and deployment as a result of most of the cities are mainly governments, metropolis governments which might be utilizing these, these IoT companies.
Within the area of sensible, sustainable cities, we developed a normal that’s the key efficiency indicators of sensible, sustainable cities. They permit the town to gather about 130 information factors, to evaluate the smartness and sustainabilities of cities. Many of those information factors are primarily based on IoT information. And as a way to facilitate the partnership in deploying these options, we created what’s referred to as the United for Sensible Sustainable Cities, which is a partnership amongst 17 UN companies, each working from its personal level of focal focus level to, allow the deployment of those requirements in additional than 200 cities all over the world.
– [Ryan] And I wished to ask about simply sensible metropolis adoption basically. So so long as I’ve been within the area, sensible cities have been a reasonably large subject of dialog. We’ve seen ebbs and flows with the adoption, the success of deployments and simply will depend on the make-up of the town, the municipality, the organizations which might be concerned in with the ability to see sort of progress in sensible metropolis adoption in quite a lot of these totally different areas of the world. The place are we at this time with sensible metropolis adoption? And what I’m making an attempt to know is, are we seeing an increase and enhance in sensible metropolis adoption or what are we actually seeing as the large developments on the sensible metropolis facet of issues?
– [Bilel] We do see an enormous adoption of sensible, sustainable metropolis implementation of our requirements. Nearly each week we get the request from the town to affix the KPI undertaking, the important thing efficiency indicators undertaking. Right now, we’ve delivered a certificates to greater than 200 cities all over the world which have applied the ITU customary on KPIs. There are totally different, each metropolis is totally different. Each metropolis has a distinct focus and a purpose to come back to ITU and be a part of this endeavor journey. Some are extra developed nations that actually wish to make their metropolis engaging for funding and for individuals to come back and stay. Among the many first cities that deployed our customary was Dubai and thru that implementation again in 2016, it’s a very long time, however by way of that we had been capable of adapt our customary to be extra implementable as a result of requirements are developed by committees from totally different experience. However when you implement it, it’s the the place the rubber hits the street.
Primarily based on that, we obtained some suggestions after which once we went to Singapore and Moscow and lots of cities right here in Europe, in Valencia, in Spain, for instance. And as we implement them, cities speak to one another and typically you get like a nationwide request, like in Norway. Now we have the entire nation adopting the identical method. So, we do see an increase on the implementation, particularly with the price of IoT taking place. It’s deployment and use is exhibiting how cities can get the info to handle, in a extra sensible, smarter and in a extra sustainable means.
– [Ryan] Yeah, it’s been an enchanting journey simply to observe, as like one factor you talked about, as prices go down, as municipalities are going to have the ability to begin to see wins in cities that they convey with, to know the worth, which I believe is an enormous a part of it as a result of there’s quite a lot of hesitation additionally simply typically talking once you’re speaking concerning the authorities. Oftentimes it’s very sluggish shifting. So quite a lot of these municipalities simply takes time to, to get the initiatives by way of the door, have price range, do the deployment, see the success, develop from there.
I believe what’s distinctive about it’s that no two cities are the identical, proper? Just like the, cities are very totally different. So how do you see that impacting sensible metropolis adoption? And clearly there’s some carry overs from one metropolis to a different right here and there, however they’re, they’re very totally different from who runs the town and is accountable for making choices to the budgets to the make-up to the atmosphere. All these various things are totally different from metropolis to metropolis. So how does that sort of throw a wrench into issues?
– [Bilel] The range within the cities has been a subject of research of this United for Sensible Sustainable Cities undertaking for the previous 6, 7 years. And as we embark new cities on board, we doc their case research, and we publish it overtly on our web site. And that permits cities to get a view of what’s doable primarily based on their measurement, primarily based on their wants. And once they do the KPI undertaking, they usually gather 130 information factors, they perceive their weak spot and their power, they usually perceive the areas that they should give attention to primarily based on their priorities. For some cities, air pollution is an issue. After which primarily based on the info they gather by way of this journey of the usual, then they see how they’ll deploy sure measures within the metropolis to handle air pollution. Others have large visitors issues or non optimum or suboptimal public transportation system. So for example, in Switzerland, they optimized the general public transportation system primarily based on the cell cell presence of the shoppers. And it’s absolutely nameless. And the best way that they collected the info from the telecom operators is that they see the focus of individuals in a bus cease within the morning and the way a lot individuals must journey to get to the bus cease and primarily based on that, they rearranged the place the bus stops and the prepare stops are positioned, and that will increase fluidity, the move of individuals and the effectivity of flowing individuals by way of the town and reduces visitors jam and reduces the necessity to take your automotive or use different technique of transportation.
So these are some examples on how as a result of every metropolis is totally different, as soon as they gather the info, they’ll give attention to the realm that’s most fascinating to them. And this database of case research that we’ve with 200 cities permits a menu of cities to match and distinction their wants with what has been achieved earlier than.
– [Ryan] It makes quite a lot of sense how that works. And I believe what’s fascinating, too is simply the character of the expertise that’s now obtainable to make sensible metropolis adoption extra real looking than ever earlier than. However I wished to pivot actual fast to speaking about standardization since you introduced that up earlier than. Are you able to inform us extra simply typically talking what it means once we’re speaking about standardization and why it’s so essential for the IoT trade?
– [Bilel] Standardization is essential for a variety of causes. One is interoperability. So once you purchase an answer from one vendor, you’re not locked in as a metropolis.
You should buy totally different tools from totally different distributors, and you place them collectively so long as they adhere and comply to the usual. You may create many various options. So it’s Lego blocks. So interoperability is the important thing first step. After which the opposite, as a result of the neighborhood is so numerous once you create a normal between firms and governments and researchers within the college, the content material of the usual is sort of wealthy and worldwide. In that sense, you will have that assurance that when you deploy the usual, most of the points that might be uncovered have been uncovered by the committee. After which some nations use it as voluntarily as a part of their regulation. So that they regulate, for instance, the best way {that a} sensible metropolis might be deployed primarily based on these worldwide requirements.
So these are a few of the advantages of utilizing requirements. And, and the explanation how, the method on find out how to get to them is sort of open, inclusive, multi stakeholder. That they’re normally of fairly top quality in order that the distributors and operators of the implementation can depend on.
– [Ryan] And what are the challenges that lots, that sort of align with standardization? It feels just like the panorama might be complicated at instances. So simply how does that each one play in?
– [Bilel] Yeah, the problem is the panorama is sort of huge, particularly relating to IoT. There are such a lot of units. Some are extra, have extra capability than others. Some are smarter than others. And there are various requirements growth organizations of international consortium.
So what we’ve been making an attempt to do within the ITU is to harmonize these requirements which might be broadly deployed by the trade and make them worldwide. For instance, there’s a bunch referred to as one and two M that creates a software program layer to interconnect units to the companies and functions, and we’ve adopted that as a part of the ITU customary to make it straightforward for each firm all over the world to make use of that customary. So yeah, the problem of range in IoT and the identification of IoT can also be, as a result of in case you’re utilizing a cell phone, you’re utilizing, you need 64 quantity, which is the phone quantity allotted by the ITU to the nations after which from the nations to the operators, the customers and the operator can determine that cellphone system uniquely. Whenever you use IoT units with totally different identifiers, it turns into difficult for the operator to determine precisely the system linked to the community. So if it’s misbehaving or inflicting some safety points, it’s not straightforward to firewall the community in opposition to it. And so what we’ve been seeing in ITU is a surge of latest members becoming a member of us to get these phone numbers for use for M2M and IoT identification on the mobile community. And lots of instances, they’re not utilized in one single nation. They’re utilized in a number of nation as a result of the system is roaming. And when the system is utilized in a number of nations, the ITU is the regulator that assigns the code straight. We don’t assign a rustic code of any specific nation, however we assign what’s referred to as a shared code, shared nation code. And there’s a enormous rise in that for automotive trade, for WiFi hotspots which might be used internationally. Many new functions.
– [Ryan] Yeah, it’s at all times been an fascinating sort of half, piece of simply all of this once we speak about standardization. We talked to a variety of different individuals previously nearly sort of areas they focus in, however it looks as if it’s an enormous driver in adoption or serving to with adoption for the sensible cities. Is that fairly correct?
– [Bilel] Completely. They allow the ecosystem.
– [Ryan] Actually optimistic about the way forward for not simply IoT basically, however simply options changing into extra of the factor that’s driving the trade ahead. So I believe previously, it’s at all times been expertise has been the middle of conversations. However now I believe we’re beginning to see so many extra functions of the expertise in the actual world. And particularly in sensible cities. And like we talked about already, you deploy one resolution, different cities see it, they usually begin to get and curious and wish to deploy as nicely. So I believe the truth that we’re beginning to see all of this come collectively and actually produce actual life options is an enormous deal.
And the very last thing I wished ask you earlier than we wrap up right here is with the group targeted proper now, going into 2024, what are some key initiatives that you just all have or are targeted on? What does the outlook seem like going into subsequent yr that we needs to be being attentive to and possibly be enthusiastic about?
– [Bilel] Yeah, I believe the usage of synthetic intelligence to assist cities handle higher is an enormous space of focus. And now that we’ve the IoT units producing information, and we’ve information facilities accumulating this information, now we are able to use AI and machine studying to assist predict congestion factors to assist cope with street security within the context of a metropolis to essentially assist the town supervisor do quite a lot of prediction earlier than issues occur or enable the sensible, the town supervisor to raised handle the town.
So the outlook goes to be increasingly more use of synthetic intelligence, and we additionally see much more acceleration to the digital transformation total as a result of the IoT units are an enabler to the digital transformation, whether or not it’s within the transportation sector, within the banking sector, within the well being sector and so forth. So throughout all of the sectors, the digital transformation is sort of a lot, enabled by IoT and the info that comes from IoT and therefore the usage of AI and machine studying will change into increasingly more doable now that we’ve the info collected.
– [Ryan] Actually recognize you taking the time to come back on right here as a result of I believe subjects we talked about are very related proper now. The work you all are doing is unbelievable. Very excited that we had the possibility to talk. Going to be being attentive to all of the totally different initiatives that you just all are targeted on and simply sensible cities basically. I believe quite a lot of the individuals hearken to this are curious of simply how issues have been going within the area and the place probably the most alternative is, the place the challenges nonetheless lie even with the maturity of expertise, the discount in value, the elevated standardization like we’re speaking about.
So, I actually recognize you approaching and shedding gentle on quite a lot of this. It’s been a unbelievable dialog.
– [Bilel] Thanks very a lot, Ryan. We stay up for working with you sooner or later as new and newer applied sciences come on board, just like the Metaverse and others.
– [Ryan] Completely. Yeah. We’d love to seek out extra methods to do content material collectively and recognize the time and stay up for having you again.
– [Bilel] Thanks.