Huawei (pronounced ‘wah-way’) makes really nice phones, we already know that i.e. the firm’s P9 device has two Leica lenses camera and takes images that rival any SLR. But there is more to the Huawei stack than the nice shiny shiny, the firm has an expansive networking communications business that now wants to lay down a few ground rules for IoT engineering.
Why systematic metrics matters
The firm has this month released the mobile communications industry’s first ‘systematic metrics’ for the ‘connection experience’ of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. So let’s have that in non-techie non-marketing language shall we?
Huawei has released an industry-level set of fixed and agreed measurements to grade how well IoT devices are able to connect to the networks (mainly cloud computing based Internet driven networks) that they rely upon to share the data that they help to capture through the monitoring sensors that they are built with.
But why bother?
Known as the ‘Things Coverage’ methodology, this set of standards includes an approach to evaluating the quality of an IoT network. So that way we will know how well the data in the IoT network is a) being captured b) being communicated onwards and ultimately c) being stored.
This is intended to be a set of quantitative standards to serve as reference for the entire IoT ecosystem, from telecom operators and device makers to users. So yes, you could complain about your IoT-enabled video doorbell not being up to service quality as an individual user if its performance doesn’t meet Huawei’s grading.
Using the Things Coverage methodology, operators will be able to roll out targeted IoT services across their existing mobile broadband networks, while maintaining low cost of operations. After service provisioning, Things Coverage also gives standards for monitoring data traffic and energy consumption to ensure that service quality remains at the required level, and more services can be deployed as the IoT network grows.
According to the firm, “Huawei is committed to collaborating with more operators and vertical industry partners to develop a comprehensive system for evaluating IoT networks and a planning standard for network construction. Solutions and open approaches to IoT planning will help operators make more informed investment decisions. Efficient networks will mean faster growth for the IoT.”
A need for IoT standards
The Internet of Things is growing fast and is set to change every facet of our lives, obviously. Also obvious is the lack of standards that the IoT has been created with given its global footprint and the fact that it is kind of ‘just happening’ in terms of the way it is growing.
The responsibility for more standards in the IoT comes down to everyone from telecom operators to major IT vendors in their device production. Huawei’s moves here may not be seen as all-encompassing enough to drive total industry adoption, but the firm’s size and swagger do arguably put it in a good position to lay down quantitative standards of this kind.