Quectel Wireless has published a whitepaper shedding light on the positive contributions of IoT technology to society and the environment.

Titled “Why IoT Technology is a Force for Good”, the publication explores the transformative role of IoT in fostering a safer, healthier and more sustainable society.

With the number of IoT connected devices forecast by the GSMA to double between 2021 and 2030 to 37 billion, device OEMs are increasingly embracing IoT as a tool for driving digital transformation and generating significant benefits for the world.

More than 7000 Quectel customers across the globe are changing various industries and enhancing efficiency, safety, sustainability and overall quality of life by integrating IoT technologies into their devices. IoT-enabled devices offer enhanced connectivity, allowing for seamless data exchange and real-time insights. This helps businesses optimise their operations, streamline processes, and improve safety and resource management.

In sectors such as healthcare, IoT-enabled medical devices enhance patient monitoring and enable remote healthcare services, improving access to quality care and empowering individuals to manage their health more effectively.

Additionally, the adoption of IoT devices promotes sustainability by enabling energy-efficient systems and smart grids, reducing environmental impact. As device OEMs continue to embrace IoT technologies, the world stands to benefit from improved productivity, greater convenience and a more sustainable future.

The white paper reveals how an optimised approach to design, development, distribution and manufacturing is enabling IoT products to have a positive impact while reducing energy consumption, environmental impacts and costs for the end user. Critically, intelligent development means the cost of technologies and components has reduced, democratising access to innovation and enabling it to be applied to use cases that previously would have remained unviable.

“We’re delighted to publish our new whitepaper that explores why IoT technology is a force for good,” said Norbert Muhrer, president of Quectel Wireless. “The paper’s references to a wide range of use cases highlight the profound influence of the IoT and the sheer variety of projects it enables. This abundance of examples underscores both the significant impact IoT is currently making and the diverse applications it supports. The outcomes experienced by citizens, patients and students demonstrate how IoT is protecting our environment, safeguarding our children and elderly, and following through on its promise to help build a smarter world.”

The concurrent advances in wireless connectivity, storage, and computing and battery technology have revolutionised the capabilities of IoT and further helped position IoT technologies to support society and improve everyone’s lives. Examples traverse the globe and take in multiple industries; the paper highlights use cases with transformative effects.

One example was the use of IoT technologies to power Controlant’s cold chain-as-a-service offering which was adopted by Pfizer to support the delivery of the Pfizer-Biontech Covid-19 vaccine. Controlant’s thermal shipping box used Quectel’s EG25-G module which supports all LTE, UMTS, HSPA+, Edge, GPRS and GSM bands and all global navigation satellite systems (GNSS).

The paper reveals a raft of IoT for good use cases including IoT enablement of patient care in Australia, optimisation of crop yields in Brazil, reduction of environmental impacts on waste collection routes in Emea, and reduced wastage of battery resources in Europe. Other applications the paper explores that benefit humans include in mine safety, connected EVs and initiatives to bridge the digital divide.

The paper goes on to highlight how successful IoT for good initiatives rely on a robust, global ecosystem of vendors to drive innovation and ensure R&D can deliver capabilities at affordable costs. The paper reports that the IoT ecosystem is increasingly diverse and can support the needs of the hyperscale marketplace as developers move forward into the next wave of transformative innovation.