A not-for-profit group consisting of Australian businesses, researchers and government agencies aims to ensure Australia receives the benefits of the IoT.
The Internet of Things Alliance Australia (IoTAA) has grown out of an IoT think tank created by Communications Alliance in 2015, with the aim of shaping the regulatory and collaborative framework to ensure IoT-related benefits for Australian industry and the economy. It brings together over 100 organisations, some of which are said to include the ACCC, ACMA, CSIRO, Communications and PM’s departments and NBN Co as well as telecommunications companies Telstra and Optus. IT companies such as IBM, Intel, Huawei and Ericsson as also said to be involved.
A report released by Communications Alliance in 2015 – Enabling the Internet of Things for Australia – estimated the IoT could have a potential economic impact in Australia of $116 billion by 2025, however this would depend on the nation receiving opportunities to be a market leader. According to the report, Australia is already behind other nations, however it has the opportunity to contribute to the IoT ecosystem with the deployment of the NBN, high penetration of 2G, 3G and 4G mobile coverage, a strong research sector and a strong robotics sector.
The IoTAA currently has six focus areas: spectrum availability and management, network resilience, industry verticals, data sharing and privacy, and IoT startups.