Tech giants create IoT standard

Technology heavyweights Intel and Samsung announced Tuesday they would work with other companies to establish an open-source standard for connecting billions of devices to one another and to the Internet.

Known as the Open Interconnect Consortium, the group aims to develop a software platform that can wirelessly connect items in and around the home with a network, commonly referred to as the "Internet of Things," or IoT.

The idea behind the consortium is that companies contribute manpower and share intellectual property, the result being software that is made available to any company looking to make its products interconnected.

An intelligent home

Eventually, experts believe hundreds of billions of household appliances, automobiles and portable devices will be connected to the Internet.

They see a future where users can, for instance, remotely receive a message when the laundry is done and many other things.

But they also say that the market will not reach its full potential until all devices are able to be seamlessly connected with one another.

Competing standards

The consortium's founding does not mark the first time that big tech companies have tried to establish an industry-wide standard for devices to interoperate.

Tuesday's announcement came seven months after the founding of the AllSeen Alliance, which has more than 50 members, including Microsoft and Cisco, and is led by Intel's rival, Qualcomm.

That effort saw Qualcomm develop software for connecting devices, called AllJoyn, that is already in use in TVs from Korea's LG.

A number of major industry players have rolled out technology in recent months capable of linking smart devices in the home. Apple has introduced its HomeKit, based on its iOS software, and Google has acquired Nest, a company that develops smart thermostat systems.

cjc/hg (dpa, Samsung)