SoftBank takes the internet out of IoT
SoftBank has completed the “world’s first” connection test in a commercial environment for NIDD (non-IP data delivery), meaning users can transmit data to internet of things (IoT) devices without allocating an IP address.
With the test done, the bank says it will solicit service providers and launch experimental services in a commercial environment.
How it works
With the introduction of NIDD technology for narrowband IoT, SoftBank aims to introduce and commercialise devices tailored to various businesses and fields – such as crime prevention and social infrastructure.
SoftBank rolled out some big-name quotes – e.g. Microsoft Japan, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Japan and Qualcomm Europe – to support this latest development.
Tadashi Okazaki, head of solution architect, AWS Japan, says absolute security for IoT devices itself is “strongly in demand” and with the implementation of NIDD technology it expects to “accelerate the popularisation of IoT technology”.
Okazaki adds: “Low power consumption is one of the characteristics of NIDD technology. Therefore, we hope to solve the long-discussed controversy of IoT devices’ high-power consumption.”
The bank says by not using an internet protocol in transmission, the risk of being subjected to a malicious attack targeting an IoT device is “low, making it possible to build a highly secure network”.
SoftBank explains that through the elimination of the data such as header information additionally required in conventional data communications, the electric power needed for communication is reduced and, in addition to “extending battery life, a broader area can be covered”.
Furthermore, by enabling connection on a closed network with IoT platforms provided by service providers and with external application servers, it is “possible to build a highly secure network from end to end”.
This development offers plenty of potential… and speculation.
However, back in January, paytech firm Dynamics teamed up with Sprint, a subsidiary of SoftBank, to launch the Wallet Card, a battery-powered, IoT-connected payment card.
And as you may recall from 2016, Softbank bought mobile chip designer ARM in a £24.3 billion IoT bet.
