There is a worry among some commentators that as technology companies look to capitalise on the IoT's potential, the emergence of various de facto standards could end up holding back the market's development.
The IoT certainly needs standards so that it doesn't become dominated by a few large companies who lock customers into a proprietary standard, or silo. But when IoT connectivity solutions can be split up into the Physical/Link Layer or the Network/Transport Layer and, finally, the Application Layer, the proliferation of standards is not just possible, but also probable.
In the Physical/Link Layer, the battle has moved to low power, with ZigBee becoming dominant. At the Network/Transport Layer, various standards are competing and muddying the water for IoT and Smart Home device developers.
The Application Layer is the most complex as it covers so many devices. At present, it is hard to see what the real requirements will end up being.
The Zigbee 'Cluster Library', the Apple Home Kit, the Open Interconnect Consortium and the AllSeen Alliance, amongst others, are vying with one another as they seek to define standards or to provide leadership.
For some, this should be seen as normal market evolution, helping to decide what standards are working, what standards are not and where additional effort is needed.
Others worry that the rise of multiple standards and standards bodies, despite their best intentions, could result in a confused and fragmented market, especially when further new initiatives can be expected over the coming months.
We have to hope, therefore, that rather than a battle royale, co-operation will be the order of the day, especially for those companies looking to reap the benefits of the IoT.
The sooner this complex issue is sorted out, the better it will be for everyone – big companies, service providers as well as the myriad of device and system developers.
