Yes, we all have heard about the Internet. No, Al Gore it did not invent it all; rather, its first originations, believe it or not, occurred back in the 1950s. This is when just a few mainframe computers were networked together, in a very simple peer to peer networking topology. In this set up, only data packets were transferred from one computer to another (this is, in general, how computers “talk” with one another). It was not until the U.S. Department of Defense in the late 1960s awarded the “APRANET” contract that the first true research and development into the Internet actually occurred.
This research was designed to create the first true Internet networking protocol, known today as the “Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol” or TCP/IP, for short. Once this protocol was born, the first true e-mail message was then actually sent. This was sent by Professor Leonard Kleinrock from his workstation to the servers at the Stanford Research Institute.
From that point on, the Internet has grown and proliferated to the point that we can send messages and shop online directly from our Smartphones. Truth be told, this is just the beginning. There is another, secondary revolution to the Internet which is about to take place. This is known as the “Internet of Things,” or IoT.
Specifically, it can be defined as, “. . . the network of physical objects or “things” embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity, which enables these objects to collect and exchange data.” (SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_Things) The ultimate goal of IoT is to elevate the individual benefits gained from Internet usage to a more public level. In other words, the objective is to have the ability to connect computers to physical objects in the outside world.
In order to capitalize on this great market potential, the telecom industry is sure to jump onboard, as we are the most dependent upon them for Internet and other forms of wireless connectivity. In fact, it is also believed that the IoT will not just extend itself to the public sector, but it will also become a driver for growth, as well as in the personal space, especially when it comes to “smart” products.
Consider some of these statistics:
• IoT, as it relates to smart products, will have a market size of at least 11,000,000 residential subscribers in the United States alone.
• At the present time, at least 18% of United States households own a Smart Product of some type.
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