UK wants to become "global leader" in IoT

A new report outlines ways the government can help drive growth in IoT over the next 10 years

The UK wants to become a global leader in the Internet of Things (IoT) according to a government report released yesterday.

The report, which highlighted ways to achieve this goal, stated the "government needs to foster and promote a clear aspiration and vision for the IoT".

The report also stated that the UK government has a "leadership role to play in delivering the vision and should set ambitions high".

There are eight areas for action the government should address to help foster growth in IoT, the report said: commissioning, spectrum and networks, standards, skills and research, data, regulation and legislation, trust and co-ordination.

"Achieving this vision [of becoming a global leader] will deliver significant economic and societal benefits over the next 10 years. IoT creates enormous opportunities for the private sector and government should do only what government needs to do," the report stated.

In a written note at the start of the report, Prime Minister David Cameron wrote: "As this review rightly makes clear, this is not the time to get carried away with potential.

"Delivering on this opportunity will require a lot more hard work, creativity and leadership. The UK government, working with business, the research community and the public, stands ready to provide it. We are on the brink of a new industrial revolution. I want the UK to lead it."

The IoT trend is set to explode over the coming years, with Gartner predicting that there will be 4.9 billion connected things in use by 2015, and that the number of connected things will jump to 25 billion by 2020.