San Ramon, March 29, 2022: The Internet of Things (IoT) is a top IT priority for global organisations for the next 12 months. But while the vast majority (92 percent) agree that they need to invest in IoT technologies in order to remain competitive, IT complexity and proven RoI are creating challenges. Delays and budget cuts due to the global pandemic have also had a more recent impact on project implementation.
These are the findings of a new report – The Journey to IoT Maturity – launched today by Wi-SUN Alliance, a global member-based association made up of industry-leading companies driving the adoption of interoperable wireless solutions for use in smart cities, smart utilities and other IoT and industrial IoT applications. The report, based on interviews with IT decision-makers (mostly c-suite and senior management) at UK and US organisations across a range of industries, including energy, utilities, government, construction, technology and telecoms, is the follow-up to Wi-SUN’s 2017 IoT study.
Overall, plans to roll out smart initiatives have grown in the last five years. Security and surveillance is the most likely IoT use case to be rolled out, with 87 percent of respondents very likely or definitely planning to deploy the technology in the next 12-18 months, up from 77 percent in 2017. This is followed by distribution automation (82 percent up from 74 percent in 2017) and advanced meter infrastructure (80 percent up from 68 percent in 2017).
Smart parking (77 percent) has seen the biggest rise since 2017 (up from 57 percent), along with traffic lights and controls (76 percent up from 58 percent), noise and air sensors (79 percent up from 62 percent) and electric vehicle charging (79 percent up from 66 percent). Street lighting, which enables smart cities to control energy use and costs while maintaining citizen safety and security, grew 72 percent up from 61 percent in 2017.