How regulator's and Telco's are holding up the Internet of Things

Well, I got quite a few reactions on my work on Machine to Machine communications. Some of it was critical and deserves a reaction. Many people however are also very positive. Bill St. Arnaud has referred to me multiple times now on his blog. Telco2 has invited me to speak in London on November 9-10. The Apple and Gemalto rumor stimulated me quite a bit more to finish the piece below. BTW I think Steve should talk to me.


I'll go through the criticism point by point. It starts of with that M2M is overrated and who really wants this. The next section is, that I misunderstood technology or misidentified solutions. Then a short intermezzo to explain that even if technology was a solution, it wouldn't solve all and then I lay all the blame on regulators. To get some background, flip through the presentation

Management Summary of Onderzoek Flexibel Gebruik van MNC's

View more presentations from Raindeer.

BTW the spicy title is because it seems I get better response to spicy titles than to none spicy titles. Fear sells and I happen to know some regulators read this blog, so this may give them reason to forward the blog.

Where do we use M2M?

There are many ways of doing machine to machine communication. Much of it is already done in Scada systems and generally uses wired networks. One of these may be analysis systems for hundreds of thousands of sensors in chemical plants. All of this is wired communication. However unlike chemical plants most systems don't sit nicely in one place, they either move or are too distributed.

Update: Dutch regulator OPTA threatens hotels offering internet to guests

Update: 28-10: Hotels aren't telecomproviders the OPTA has confirmed. It had approached 15 organisations. Only 3 organisations who delivered ISP services to multiple hotels were asked for extra information. Hotels, conference centers and installation companies who install hardware were not deemed telecommunications providers.

Update 14-10: Only 10 hotel. chains were asked. If some of them route their own internet traffic, ie have an AS number and routable traffic, then it may be that they do have to register. But it's a big if. See Webwereld, where I perform as a pundit

Just when I was writing a longer blogpost on the outdated distinction between public and private telecoms networks (related to M2M), here comes the Dutch regulator OPTA with a reason why we should have some form distinction. OPTA is of the opinion, after a public network complained, that hotels are offering a public network if they are offering internet to their guests. This means these hotels have to register with OPTA and pay 250 euro a year. What I find shocking is that OPTA isn't able to conclude by itself that the complaining public network was completely and utterly wrong. I also wonder why McDonalds wasn't mentioned as a major infringer.