Steve Griffith, Industry Director, Transportation Division, NEMA

The Internet of Things (IoT) wave was evident more than ever at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held this month in Las Vegas where more than 4,500 exhibitors showcased their latest tech innovations. The impact of 5G across the industry was evident throughout the conference. From transportation, virtual reality, sports technology, and digital health, 5G is a game changer.

How does this affect the industries into which NEMA and MITA Members sell their products and systems? The overarching goal of NEMA IoT activities is to create strong, awareness and analysis of IoT issues that afford our Members the necessary insights to provide devices to consumers with extensive options and capabilities by:

• Leading and defining common approaches to Standardization, architecture development, and code-writing
• Enacting government policies and regulations that permit and encourage technical innovations and the markets for them
• Developing a common understanding of leverageable business cases through economic analyses and education
• Enabling connectivity, defining and simplifying interoperability, and safeguarding privacy and cybersecurity in electrotechnical and medical imaging products.

At CES 2019, I moderated the panel, Navigating Regional and Global Policies for IoT Consumer Markets. Deploying IoT in multiple countries or regions presents challenges to buyers and suppliers alike. During the panel, we discussed how international trade policies like GDPR, and industry regulation, may inhibit opportunities for global IoT devices, networks, and services.

During the session, panelists discussed common issues such as cybersecurity, data privacy, interoperability, and energy impacts (such as stand-by-power).  These issues are core to many of our recent activities related to the IoT, including:

• NEMA whitepaper, Standby Power of Connected Devices and the Internet of Things, exploring the conflict between limitations on what is commonly referred to as standby power and the potential services and benefits of connected devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
• NEMA whitepaper, Cyber Hygiene Best Practices, identifying a set of industry best practices and guidelines for electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers to help raise their level of cybersecurity sophistication within their manufacturing facilities
• A NEMA Members-only report analyzing the legal barriers facing electrical product and system manufacturers related to accessing and using data generated or collected by their equipment

Viewpoints also discussed:

• Policy approaches that work well around the world such as the European Cybersecurity Act
• The increasing convergence as a result of 5G between the digital sector and a range of different vertical industries
• The challenges associated with attempting to regulate emerging industries such as drones.
• How consumer and commercial IoT deployments may require different approaches in regards to policies

An overarching theme of the discussion was the need to leverage and build upon existing business cases and collaborate across entities and organization both within the government and the private sector.

NEMA and its Member companies are crucial players in this ever-expanding IoT marketplace as evidenced by NEMA’s interactive, online IoT Handbook that provides actionable information related to the use of specific IoT protocols, communication technologies, and Standards within industrial, commercial, and residential markets.