2. 32
Chapter 1
Mega trend: everything
and everyone connected
We are on our way to a world where everything and
everyone is interconnected. An era with completely
new data flows which will provide us with an astonishing
amount of useful information, provided it is combined
smartly and interpreted well. Information which, in
principle, will be available to everyone at all times,
as people will be able to instantly read in data safely
via tablets, mobile phones and wearables, such as
Internet-connected watches.
MORE SERVICE, HIGHER SPEED, FEWER COSTS
In the era of Internet of Things, we have more and
more data at our disposal. We can obtain, access,
compare and enrich data at practically any location.
By combining this data we create useful information.
Management information that helps us take the right
decisions. Yet also information that can be automatically
converted into logical follow-up actions. The customer
– both companies and consumers – stands to gain
most in this mega trend.
Thanks to IoT solutions, we can look forward to
making better decisions, enjoying more service,
increased speed in processes and often also fewer
costs. This gain does of course only apply if the new
applications meet the strict requirements in the field
of privacy and data security.
Internet of Things
The connection of machines and people with the Internet
does not mean anything in itself. The Internet of Things
is only given meaning the moment that people start
using these connections smartly, in a way that improves
the quality of our lives. If people add value, the Internet
of Things will offer unprecedented opportunities to
change the manner in which we work and live and to
improve this. That is how KPN interprets the Internet of
Things. IoT by KPN is aimed at Internet connections for
machines and people. KPN does this on the basis of
strict requirements in the field of privacy and security.
This enables the customer to use IoT safely and reliably,
without any concerns.
We all stand at the eve of a data revolution. Machines, vehicles and
ultimately also people are more and more packed with sensors that
can communicate with everyone and everything, thanks to the
Internet. The era of the Internet of Things (IoT) has in fact only just
started. At the same time developments continue at mind-boggling
speeds. Expectations are that, in 2020, approx. 25 billions devices
will be connected to each other across the globe. And it is around
that same time that every private individual will have approx. 50 IP
addresses, as predicted by the reputable consultancy agency Gartner.
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advantages for maintenance planning. This also benefits
the travelling public. An app will tell them what carriage
still has seats, where the quiet zone is and whether the
toilet is occupied.
CONNECTIVITY IS THE DECISIVE FACTOR
There are multiple ways of making a company, city or
industry smart. Yet in all cases there is a single pre
condition that must be met, regardless. No matter the
quality of the devices, sensors and follow-up actions,
the entire organisation will only function if those smart
devices, machines and applications are interconnected
via the Internet, i.e. if there is actual ‘connectivity’.
Additional challenge: Seamless Connectivity
The Internet of Things hinges on connectivity. Everyone
wants devices to be connected to the Internet. But that
is not enough: today’s list of wishes and demands goes
EVERYTHING IS SMART
All feasible sectors are taking their first steps to make all
processes smart. The advantages of the Internet of
Things are attractive. It seems as if everyone is busy
making their services, projects and processes smart. It
has long been thought that automation in and around
the house (home automation) would be the major kick-
starter. An attractive IoT future image has been portrayed
to us in this field for years. Accounts of sensors that tell
us that you have run out of vegetables, that the ham has
passed its sell-by-date or that the medicine cabinet is
running low on supplies. Today IoT solutions in the
United States have become reasonably common in terms
of safety in and around the home. It is not uncommon
for the garage doors to open automatically if the cameras
at the gate pick up the arrival of the resident. Yet the real
push for IoT solutions does not come from the private
domain, but from businesses and industries.
Intelligent Plants, Smart Cities
People in a large variety of industries are
thinking of new and smart solutions, made
possible by the Internet of Things. For example,
concepts are introduced for Intelligent Plants:
plants that, thanks to smart sensors and smart programming
become self-learning and error-free. The plant of the
future will think for itself, correct itself and continuously
improve itself. A lot of attention is also paid to Smart
Cities – cities where the accumulated data of various
devices help to e.g. discharge waste in the smartest
possible way. In a smart city, CCTV in a square can
immediately issue an alert to the police the moment it
picks up excessive screaming or, as a worst-case scenario,
when shots are fired. In the same smart city, sensors can
also detect that certain bikes have been stationary for a
prolonged period of time – a signal to remove these
abandoned bikes. And if someone is getting stressed
finding a parking space? He or she will be pointed to free
parking spaces by an app.
Smart infrastructure
These days, thanks to a wide range of devices
and sensors, we also have the disposal of
real time data on water levels, water pollution,
radioactivity and dioxin levels when managing
infrastructure. The same applies for situations near dikes,
visibility on navigational routes and road traffic measure-
ments. Combining data creates opportunities to improve
traffic management. Organisations such as the Directorate-
General for Public Works and Water Management think
about ways of using ICT to always provide people and
vehicles with the exact information they need to keep
going. The possibilities of doing so are growing fast thanks
to the fast increase in digital means of communication
along the road network. The current 4G technology
creates a wide range of opportunities to communicate
with road users better, faster and more directly.
Smart Logistics, Smart Transport
In the logistics industry, IoT solutions are
already creating innovation. The Internet of
Things makes transparency possible in the
logistics chain. The opportunities that arise
for sharing data quickly and safely help to optimise
processes, reduce costs and commit customers. The rule
here: the more information we share, the more relevant
data is created. For example, trip schedule systems can
be linked up with the travel time forecast tables. Thanks
to IoT applications, new opportunities are created to
optimise the load factor and optimise available driving
hours – the never-ending challenge for every carrier and
logistics planner.
(Public) transport too is becoming increasingly smart.
For example, in the case of Smart Transport, trains are
linked up via the Internet. This offers major advantages
in the fields of inspection and maintenance. Inspections
can be carried out remotely. Sensors on the rails provide
continuous real-time insight, creating a wide range of
much further already. Entrepreneurs and end-users want
more than connectivity alone. They also want convenience
and ease-of-use in the form of Seamless Connectivity.
If at all possible, connectivity must be automatic and
unnoticed (seamless). Just as is the case when using your
smartphone in private surroundings. The smartphone will
automatically switch to Wi-Fi when at home. And outside
the home, the smartphone automatically switches to e.g.
4G. It is that ease-of-use and convenience that customers
now also demand from other IoT solutions.
4. 6 7
Chapter 2
Connectivity: choices and
problem-solving approaches
How do you make a choice for a safe, smart and cost-
effective Internet connection? Questions you need to ask
yourself:
1. Cost-efficient: how do you ensure that your devices
and sensors are at all times connected to the Internet
as reliably and cost-effectively as possible?
2. Convenience and ease-of-use: how do you connect
different forms of connectivity in a way that the
customer does not even notice, thereby creating
convenience and ease-of-use in this field?
3. Choice of connectivity: how do you make the best
connectivity choice from the endless list of technolo
gical solutions?
4. Local or non-local: do you opt for a local solution
or a solution in which you e.g. ride along with an
established public infrastructure?
5. Managing: once you have opted for a certain
connectivity solution, how do you best manage it
from an operations point of view?
6. Security: what are the consequences in terms of
the security requirements if critical or, on the other
hand, public data is accessed? And what impact
does the choice for a local or non-local solution
have on security?
THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR TECHNOLOGY
There are many technical possibilities to organise
connectivity well. The diversity of solutions is high.
The playing field is enormous. Currently creators of IoT
solutions can opt from 30 to 40 different technologies,
varying from cable and mobile networks such as 2G, 3G
and 4G to Bluetooth and LoRa. 4G makes it possible to
use gateways with other wireless connections such as
Wi-Fi or ZigBee. And some technologies can even be
combined. Take a lamppost for instance; LoRa is used for
the lighting, yet if you want to mount a video camera to
the lamppost, the video is best run on a 4G network.
When realising connectivity, developers and providers
must subject each request to a critical review as to
which type of connectivity and what combinations of
connectivity are most suitable. Every situation requires its
own unique application, depending on the environment
where the application is deployed and the distribution
and business model. In addition, the matter of local or
non-local is one of the first choices that must be made
when organising connectivity. Do you opt for a local or
non-local connectivity solution? In any case, both
instances use both short and long distance connectivity.
Local solution:
affordable in theory, costly in practice?
In numerous situations, a local solution is the best and
quickest route to connectivity. A technology such as Wi-Fi
for instance, is highly suitable the moment a plant e.g.
wants to unite a wide range of local data traffic via
Everyone engaged in IoT wants his devices and sensors to be
connected to the Internet reliably and cost-effectively, at any desired
time. Entrepreneurs also want this to be offered ‘unnoticed’; the
end-user should not be inconvenienced by it. Hence the question for
developers and suppliers is; connectivity: how do you do that and
how do you organise it?
thousands of sensors. Local solutions are, in principle,
affordable and can largely be set up without help.
These advantages can at the same work against you.
Managing things yourself can lead to a waste of time,
energy and costs. Hence non-local connectivity is often
a more efficient choice.
INTERNET OF THINGS: LONG LIVE THE SIM CARD
Today all machines, devices and applications can be
connected with each other via the Internet. This connectivity
can be realised in different ways. In the year 2015, the
SIM card is the carrier of every IoT solution. With the
SIM card as carrier, devices can send their data to other
devices via mobile networks such as 2G, 3G and 4G.
Impulse for many sectors
The moment people start linking up data of devices
to smart follow-up actions, a range of improvements
and automation options manifests itself. We can see
this across the board, in a wide range of industries.
The cleaning industry, for instance. Cleaning corporate
premises is a daily activity that requires a lot of time and
energy. One of the major players in the industry entered
into dialogue with a system integration specialist and
KPN, as KPN, partly thanks to the use of SIM cards, can
ensure that their equipment is in fact connected. The end
result: the cleaning company will be working with
cleaning equipment that, from now on, will be measuring
a wide range of criteria, such as bacteria, humidity, light
and oxygen. This enables the company to offer its
customers an additional service on the basis of real,
measurable data.
The best example: Connected Car
The possibilities offered by the SIM card in 2015 for
practical IoT solutions are numerous. A textbook example
for IoT is the Connected Car. No matter how interesting
and important developments in other industries are,
practically all experts agree that, in the years to come, the
automotive industry will provide the largest impulse in
terms of Internet of Things solutions. The developments
in this sector at the same time clarify the scope of the
added value of such applications in numerous areas.
Electronics already account for a considerable part of
the make-up of modern cars. And this trend continues
unabatedly. The car of the future is entirely connected,
packed with devices and sensors that measure a wide
range of data and that share these data with other
devices. The car of the future measures and monitors
itself and shares data with other parties involved. Not
only does this make the car safer and more economically,
it ultimately makes it cheaper too. For example, the
driver does not need to go the repair shop for every
minor problem. For example, the software of the Connected
Car can be reset remotely. Many updates can also be
done automatically. The car itself indicates when it is time
for periodic servicing.
The fact that cars register more and more data with the
ability to quickly and easily share this date with other
devices via a SIM card creates interesting results in
sometimes unexpected areas. The Connected Car for
example leads to new forms of insurance. In the near
future, the level of car insurance and risk profile will no
longer be based on classic criteria such as age and claims
history. Partly thanks to IoT communication, the premium
will be calculated on the basis of driving style, acceleration
speeds, braking and driving in traffic jams. The car
registers a person’s driving style and this has a direct
impact on the insurance. The User-Based Insurance
concept is already booming in the United Kingdom.
The Connected Car also has consequences in the legal
field. In the near future, cars can be seen fitted with a
black box. This makes it possible to read out relevant
data following a collision or accident. Did the driver have
his lights on? Was there sufficient windshield washer
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fluid? Was the driver wearing his seatbelt? Was the driver
making a call at the time of the accident? What level was
the radio volume at? Such combined data – generated
through mobile Internet and the use of SIM cards – will
start playing an increasingly important role in assigning
fault in accidents. They also offer possibilities in the field
of prevention. Partly thanks to data analyses, it will be
possible to develop smart applications that prevent
hazardous situations from occurring altogether.
The SIM card of the future
Current SIM cards – the basis for IoT solutions – are
still manufactured and supplied separately, i.e. separately
from the device they are intended for. This is set to
change. SIM cards are more and more becoming an
integrated part of devices; the ‘Embedded SIM’.
This means that the SIM card is built in during the
production process of the device. Subsequently, the SIM
card can be activated locally in any country. These SIMs
offer many advantages for the IoT industry: they can
be produced cheaper, are vibration-resistant and the
small format suits the growing IoT market well. This is
interesting for e.g. car manufacturers. They can install
the SIM card in the car when it is still in the plant, at a
single location and on a single production line.
No meaning means no improvement
The SIM thus has many applications that serve as a basis
for solutions to connect people and machines. Yet this
form of connectivity too can only be given meaning
within IoT the moment people start using the connections
in a meaningful manner and start adding value to it.
This offers the Internet of Things unprecedented
opportunities to change the manner in which we work
and live and to improve this.
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Chapter 3
Our specific services
LARGE-SCALE DATA TRAFFIC ACROSS
MOBILE NETWORKS
IoT applications are and continue to be widespread.
The use of SIM cards in combination with the Internet
is a great way to interconnect machines, devices and
applications. With the arrival of built-in SIMs that can
be set globally, the possibilities for the years to come
are set to only increase further.
M2M World Alliance: reliable and
cost-effective cover across the globe
In its IoT solutions, KPN sets itself apart from other
providers in more than one way, as a partner of M2M
World Alliance for example. This global alliance ensures
that customers with outlets across their national borders
can take advantage of local rates throughout, without
having to enter into separate contracts for this with the
different M2M providers. Thanks to the World Alliance,
customers enjoy local access to the Internet and reliable
coverage via the best local operators. Particularly in the
event of high data consumption the costs can be kept
relatively low as KPN, within that same alliance, has
entered into agreements across the globe with providers
such as Telefonica in Spain and Rogers in Canada.
These agreements ensure that SIM cards in machines and
devices automatically switch to the local profile of the
country in which they are active. This solution can thus
prevent high roaming costs and offer possibilities to be
active in countries such as Brazil and Canada where, e.g.,
permanent roaming is not permitted.
In addition, KPN is co-founder of the LoRa Alliance,
a global partnership in which telecommunication
operators, product manufacturers and hardware
developers have joined forces. The joint objective is
to develop a global standard for LoRa.
LORA: NEW NETWORK TECHNOLOGY
FOR LOW FREQUENCY CONNECTIVITY
Energy efficient, long-distance connection
with the Internet
LoRa stands for Long Range: the technology enables
devices that use little power and data to connect to the
Internet from a long distance. The process is highly
energy-efficient, as LoRa works on a call-off basis. The
device only sends and receives data at a few, predefined
moments. For that reason devices no longer need
enormous batteries to maintain a continuous connection.
Examples include an application such as intelligent street
lighting (lighting adjusted to the volume of traffic) or
waste bins that issue an alert when they are full. In such
situations a low-frequency connection suffices. The
device only needs to be able to issue a signal or receive a
command – e.g. on/off – intermittently. Thank to LoRa,
KPN can also offer this type of low-frequency connectivity.
Example: car park management
When dealing with larger car parks, managers often
want to know how many spaces are still available and
where these spaces are located. With this knowledge,
they can establish better traffic flow and higher occupancy
rates. Yet in all probability this is not the best solution.
A local network needs to be maintained, requiring time
and energy. An IoT solution requires a relatively large,
costly battery. In this case, LoRa would be the most
cost-effective, as well as the most reliable connectivity
solution. For example, it is possible to install a magnet
or infra-red sensor underneath every parking space
which, via LoRa, is read out by a parking management
system. Additional advantage of the LoRa technology:
an accumulator or wiring is not needed. After all, the
battery lasts up to 15 years. In addition, reliability
increases. LoRa applications are wireless. This limits
wear and maintenance.
Do you have any questions?
Would you like to receive further information on the
connectivity solutions by KPN? If so, visit kpn.com/iot or
call the KPN business unit for the Internet of Things, free
of charge: (+31) (0)88 660 10 34. We are open Mondays
to Fridays from 9am to 5pm.
KPN IoT establishes smart connections between
man and machines and does this on the basis of strict
requirements in the field of privacy and security.
Contact
KPN Internet of Things
Maanplein 55
2516 CK The Hague
Telephone: (+31)(0)88 - 660 10 34
iot@kpn.com
Website: www.kpn.com/iot
KPN provides nationwide coverage through the most reliable network of the Netherlands.
This enables KPN to offer a variety of connectivity solutions throughout. To date,
two types of connectivity have been developed that are pinned on this national infra-
structure: M2M connectivity (2G, 3G and 4G) and LoRa. Both types of connectivity are
particularly suitable for situations in which developers and providers of IoT solutions
are unable and unwilling to handle data traffic locally. They are also suitable for situations
in which no existing, local infrastructure is available.
