AI-generated summary
In 2021, the growth of Internet of Things (IoT) applications will be driven primarily by sectors such as online healthcare, smart offices, remote asset monitoring, and geolocation services, according to Forrester’s report “Predictions 2021: Technology Diversity Drives IoT Growth.” Despite advances, the connectivity of IoT devices remains fragmented and lacks universal standards, with interoperability continuing to be a major challenge. Although 5G technology was anticipated to solve many IoT issues, the high cost of 5G microprocessors compared to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth chips makes widespread adoption costly. Therefore, IoT solutions must carefully balance quality, bandwidth, and power requirements to optimize performance while minimizing expenses.
In healthcare, the focus is on integrating connected devices for remote patient monitoring, enabling clinicians to access vital metrics like heart rate and lung function in real time, which improves triage and reduces unnecessary travel. The report highlights that healthcare-related IoT use cases are expected to double in 2021 compared to the previous year. For those interested in the technical aspects and future directions of IoT and wireless connectivity technologies such as 5G, Bluetooth 5.0, and Wi-Fi 6, additional resources and expert insights from leaders in digital health and IoT are available through specialized programs and forums.
Internet of Things (IoT) trends in 2021 will focus on covering solutions to fundamental problems in the wake of the pandemic, such as health and safety
In 2021, demand for new Internet of Things (IoT) applications, technologies, and solutions will be driven by online healthcare, smart offices, remote asset monitoring, and geolocation services, according to the report “Predictions 2021: Technology Diversity Drives IoT Growth” published by Forrester.
The connectivity of IoT devices to the cloud will continue to be varied and, still, lacking standards, with one of the biggest obstacles to IoT being the lack of interoperability. While 5G had been seen as the ultimate solution to many IoT application challenges, the cost of microprocessors for 5G-powered IoT devices is an order of magnitude higher than the cost of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth chips .
IoT solutions have to take into account aspects such as the necessary quality, bandwidth, or emission power to implement the best solution with the lowest possible price.
For more information on what the latest versions of wireless connectivity technologies (5G, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6) bring, you can read “Telecommunications as a basic tool for innovation“, content that is part of our Akademia program.
Regarding Health, at this time the most pressing problem, efforts will be directed to include in Digital Health solutions, connected devices that allow remote monitoring of patients. These devices can provide clinicians with metrics on, for example, heart rate, temperature, or lung function, allowing triage decisions to be made almost immediately and without the need for unnecessary patient travel. According to the aforementioned report, IoT use cases for healthcare will double in 2021 compared to 2020.
If you want to know more about IoT, how it works, where it is applied and where the future will go, we invite you to read our trend from the Future Trends Forum “Internet of Things“, where world experts such as Neil Gershenfeld, Director of the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms or Joseph C. Kvedar, expert in Digital Health and President of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) participated.
Vicepresidente en Connected Health
