Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona

After two years, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, the world’s most important IoT congress, opened its doors again and eco and some member companies were able to present themselves on site as part of the NRW pavilion. The core topics of the congress included: 5G, as a comprehensive focus in all areas, Health Care, and smart cities as an omnipresent topic, with exciting developments and innovations.

In this context, eco was also able to once again present the study “The Smart City Market in Germany: 2021-2026”. Christian Pereira, Managing Director at grandcentrix, provided exciting insights on the topic of “Gamechanger Narrowband IoT for the Smart City”, and Dr. Bettina Horster, eco’s IoT CG Leader, gave a presentation on the topic of “Process Innovation in Elderly Care through IoT and 5G” on the large MWC stage.

Security in the IoT: IoT security labels, vulnerabilities, gateways – How can new standards help?

With the development of the IT security label and the opening up of further product categories for certification, security in the IoT continued to play a central role in 2022 and was a lively topic of discussion, especially at our cross-competence group event (IoT CG and Security CG). Participants agreed that voluntary certification of IoT devices by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) will not be sufficient in the long term. Mandatory standards, monitoring capabilities, tiered models depending on the product and use case, and greater user awareness are needed.

IoT business trends: Gamechanger connectivity – Connectivity as an essential building block of the IoT

In the IoT, everything is connected. Various transmission technologies create the basis for this. “IoT and connectivity are closely linked and many examples show that this makes sense”, says Dr. Bettina Horster, Leader of the IoT CG. Together with Dr. Bettina Horster, eco and its member companies addressed precisely this close relationship in the IoT Business Trends.

A clear picture emerged of how indispensable connectivity is for IoT projects in all areas. Various connectivity standards and options for connecting devices with each other were addressed and it was shown which standards are suitable for which areas. Another important point discussed was the aspect of security on the occasion of connecting IoT devices.

Data centres as an integrative element of sustainable smart city/building solutions

At the cross-competence group event “IoT CG/ Data Centre CG: Data Centres as an Integrative Element of Sustainable Smart City and Smart Building Solutions” – an event which was jointly implemented with ABB and its subsidiary Busch-Jaeger Elektro GmbH – eco launched the discussion on the topic of smart ecosystems with various experts from the IoT and data centre environment. It became clear how important data centres are for IoT projects in all areas and especially for applications in the smart city. Topics that were discussed included not only the smart city market in Germany and the German data centre market in a European comparison, but also sustainable solutions for Industry 4.0 and the data centre industry.

Executive Smart City Roundtables in Hamburg and Munich – Sustainable infrastructure as a central basis for smart city development

In 2022, eco was also able to implement its Smart City Roundtable format in further cities. The starting point for the Executive Roundtables was the study “The Smart City Market in Germany: 2021-2026”, published by eco. The content of the roundtables was adapted to the respective challenges of the cities in which eco hosted the format in order to engage in a targeted exchange with local politics, society and economy.

“Innovative and connected mobility solutions as the basis for the smart city of Munich” was the motto of the meeting between representatives from politics, the economy and society. Together with eco Chair of the Board Oliver J. Süme and Bavarian Minister of State for Digital Affairs Judith Gerlach, they discussed Munich’s urban challenges and how the increasing number of inhabitants can be on the move with innovative mobility solutions.