The UAE was elected as the head of a new research committee for the Internet of Things (IoT) that was formed during a recent meeting of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva.

The group focus is on implementing the Internet of Things to smart cities and communities in order to meet the needs of standardization of the IoT technologies.

This will be achieved by creating a single platform combining engineers and experts from industry, telecom operators, ITU Member States and concerned organizations, to exchange visuals, examine the challenges and solutions while coming up with recommendations and unified global standards in this field.

The United Arab Emirates was nominated for the presidency of the committee, with Nasser Al Marzouqi, representative of the UAE at the ITU as the chairman of the committee.

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Japan, Spain, South Korea, Argentina, Italy, and China were all nominated as vice-chairmen of the Committee, reflecting the great interest by ITU Member States in the work of the new research committee.

Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, UAE TRA (Telecom Regulatory Authority) director general said: “The concept of the Internet of Things, machine to machine communication, and big data analysis as part of the important issues that will affect vital sectors including health, education, transport and other sectors. As such, it will be one of the most important pillars of the shift to smart and sustainable cities.”

“The UAE’s presence at this high-profile international forum is an embodiment of the support the UAE leadership provides towards national excellence in all fields. And it reflects the competence and strength of national expertise and confirms that it is truly deserving of trust and appreciation of other members of the ITU,” he added.

Al Marzouqi said: “The technology networks of the Internet of Things will improve our understanding of how the modern cities are facilitated and managed, providing a lot of opportunities to increase efficiency.”

 

"With participants representing many stakeholders in the ICT field, the new research committee will have an active role in the advancement of converting existing systems to high-efficiency systems, helping to bridge the digital divide and to increase global communication and the transition to smart sustainable cities,” he added.

The name of the new research committee which is the 20th research committee in the field of telecommunication standardization is "Internet of Things and its applications, including smart cities and communities".

It is expected that the application of the Internet of Things’ technology will lead to the interconnecting of an estimated 50 billion devices to the web by 2020. This will affect almost all aspects of daily life The Internet of Things will contribute to the convergence between the industrial, public utilities, health care and transport industries amongst many other industries that represent the pillars of Internet of Things’ technologies and its various applications. – TradeArabia News Service