BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) has an enviable expertise in the Internet of Things (IoT) field and the company has integrated its QNX technology in the automobiles among other devices even before people actually came in terms with this now trending phrase, according to Financial Post. Huge Tech players are dedicating their resources in interconnecting the cars, watches and even fridges together.
BlackBerry focusing on IoT
The Canadian smartphone maker is planning to collect data from the increasing number of internet connected devices that will release by the end of this year.
Alec Saunders, BlackBerry vice-president of QNX Cloud, thinks that the target is to get an edge over other players that are flooding the space. Saunders said that although many people casually speak the term Internet of Things, only few understand what they are really referring to.
“So being able to rise above that and demonstrate the value that we have to our customers is a really important thing we need to be able to do over the next 12 months,” Saunders believes.
Previously, BlackBerry chief executive John Chen said that tapping the “Internet of Things” is at the core of the company’s turnaround. In May, the Canadian firm announced series of initiatives codenamed “Project Ion,” focusing on connecting everyday Internet-connected things to wireless networks.
Also, recently, BlackBerry initiated a private beta testing of the cloud, whose final version is expected to hit the market by December, according to Saunders.
IoT offers huge potential
Interconnected devices are enabling customers and businesses to manage their devices easily through the internet along with gathering useful data that can be compressed. Not just BlackBerry, but every dominating player in the space is ready to give a try to Internet of Things.
Interconnected smart device has a wide scope, and in Canada the number of Inter-connected devices will triple, in the next four years, as per IDC Canada. The IDC Canada noted that in Canada the number of smart connected devices will surge from 28 million in 2013 to 114 million units by 2018. Additionally, an increase in the spending over Internet of Things will supposedly grow 30% from $5.6 million last year to $21 billion in 2018, which surpasses the 19% growth rate all over the globe, according to Tony Olvet, group vice-president of research at IDC Canada.
Cisco system anticipates that around 10 billion things have been connected to the Internet and is expected to rise over 50 billion globally in the coming 10 years or so with more than 95% of those expected to be consumer-centric devices.
