Telenor’s IoT Chief Foresees Resurgence in Innovation, Expects a Surge in the IoT Market

– It increased quite substantially in the beginning, then it had a period of a plateau. But in recent years, we’ve noticed a significant increase. There’s momentum, and customers are rapidly increasing their deployment, Niklas Agerhem said in the latest episode of Consid’s Digital Influencer Podcast.

The connected home revolutionized both the technology and appliance markets in the mid-2000s. After a significant technological leap, there is often a certain recession where obstacles arise, including legislative challenges.

– Sometimes it’s challenging to see where you are, but we are right in the midst of such a powerful revolution and increase. We’ve had GDPR, regulations, and things like that to navigate through, and it’s a somewhat turbulent environment. We’ve also gone through a component situation – or we are actually still in it – and security will be an important issue, says Niklas Agerhem.

He is involved in driving Telenor’s IoT initiatives and services through Complete and Connect. Instead of developing their own IoT products, the companies assist others in connecting their devices to mobile networks worldwide.

– With IoT Complete, we provide a broader service and take greater responsibility for sending data from your product, which you may have as an industrial manufacturer, to a cloud service. You can focus on the core part, Nikals explains, highlighting the differences between the companies.

– We see many companies where, at the moment, they may not want to invest in the software development and hardware development required. In that case, you can get started with IoT Complete quickly – within a few weeks instead of starting a heavy technology project.

The coming years are indeed interesting for IoT. By 2025, Telia expects 99 percent of Sweden to have 5G networks. Niklas Agerhem likens it to a highway.

– We have cars on the highway, and if there are more and more cars, you have to build a wider highway. 5G will be a broader highway for IoT.

Another factor is sustainability. Being able to connect products remotely will, in turn, reduce travel. Speaking of travel, it’s the industry where Agerhem sees the greatest potential and development right now.

– The automotive industry has been leading, and it will continue; there are different legal requirements that drive it. Also, historically, the connection of all electricity meters has been such a driving force, but now it’s a lot of the general industrial companies that are on a strong upward trajectory.

The Digital Influencer Podcast is released on Thursdays and is available wherever podcasts are found.