The Internet of things (IoT) and connected objects are already fairly prevalent in everyday life. The IoT is predicted to include nearly 26 billion devices and represent a market value in the EU exceeding one trillion euros by 2020. Our houses and cars are becoming ‘smarter’, public infrastructure and transport are more connected and businesses are already producing and making use of innovative products. Some claim that we are currently only witnessing a small fragment of what hyper-connected societies might look like in the not-too-distant future. By offering a unified communications platform for the IoT, 5G will be a catalyst for IoT growth. As China sees 5G as its first chance to lead wireless technology development on a global scale, it is also essential for the EU to understand the implications on its market competitiveness, privacy, and security.

What could fully connected IoT societies look like in the future? How can we be sure that connected devices are safe and trustworthy? How will the EU ensure its competitive edge in these emerging technologies? These are some of the questions that this event sought to address. This Policy Dialogue was the third event in the EPC’s Disruptive Technologies Series, supported by Dell, which studies the opportunities and challenges of emerging technologies for businesses and society, and its implications for EU policies.

Speakers included: Pascal Coppens, entrepreneur and advisor, nexxworks, Danny Krieger, Senior Networking Consultant, Dell EMC, Ingrid Reynaert, Business Group Leader, Smart Cities, Agoria, Peter Wintlev-Jensen, Senior Programme Manager, DG Connect, European Commission, Kees van der Klauw, Chairman, Alliance for the Internet of Things Innovation.