Asia-Pacific is at the forefront of Internet of Things (IoT) adoption, with revenue from the technology expected to hit US$386 billion in 2025, according to research firm GSMA Intelligence.
Global IoT revenue could quadruple to $1.1 trillion in 2025, driven by government promotion and strong industrial IoT connection growth, said the firm.
The number of global IoT connections is also forecast to rise to 25 billion by 2025.
Mobile IoT technology, such as NB-IoT (narrowband IoT) and LTE-M (long-term evolution for machines), will become a significant factor pushing IoT technologies forward.
As of May, 11 mobile IoT commercial networks have been launched globally, with Asia-Pacific leading the revolution, followed by the US and Europe.
Abel Deng, deputy managing director of Huawei Technologies (Thailand), said IoT has become an important engine for digital transformation and produced good social and economic values, especially in Thailand, which is one of the promising IoT adoption markets in the region.
Thailand is a major country in this region to adopt NB-IoT. There are 50 NB-IoT networks deployed in 40 industries globally.
"We are focusing on three main categories based on Thailand 4.0 policy. They are Smart City, Smart Industry and Smart Life," said Mr Deng.
He was speaking in the Thailand IoT Industry Summit, held in Bangkok on Wednesday. The event was hosted by the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa), Quectel and Huawei.
The event also released a white paper that outlines the framework of the country's IoT technology, ecosystem and application, which would guide the development of IoT startups and stimulate the digital economy.
According to the white paper, the focused category of IoT for Thailand's smart city application would include smart-street lighting, smart water meters, smart electricity meters, smart parking, smart smoke detectors, trash bin monitoring and manhole cover monitoring.
Regarding smart industry applications, the focus would be on smart agriculture, connected cows, cold chain tracking and logistics tracking. As for smart life, it would include motor tracking, human tracking and smart locks.
The white paper is designed to help promote five new S-curve industries in line with the government's Thailand 4.0 policy, comprising digital economy, robotics and automation, aviation and logistics, biofuels and biochemical, and a medical hub.
Mr Deng said there will be rising demand for IoT technology in all industries.
In aviation and logistics, for example, IoT will be used in maritime and aviation freight, warehousing and delivery. Specific applications include the real-time tracking of shipments, warehouse-capacity optimisation, asset maintenance, route optimisation and delivery.
IoT, Mr Deng said, would also be deployed in the medical industry.
IoT-linked telemedicine monitoring would be used to assist patients, including giving remote consultations and surveillance of patients' conditions.
Ajarin Pattanapanchai, permanent secretary of digital economy and society, said telecom operators Advanced Info Service and True Corporation have rolled out their NB-IoT across the country.