IoT Diversity & Security Take Center Stage at Mobile World Congress 2017

Barcelona, Spain

At Mobile World Congress 2017, the rapid evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) was showcased across a spectrum of connectivity options—from legacy protocols like Bluetooth and Zigbee to cellular standards such as NB‑IoT and LTE‑M, and to LPWANs like Sigfox and LoRa. While this diversity can raise concerns about device compatibility, operator support, and ecosystem fragmentation, the conference underscored that the sheer volume of current and emerging use cases creates ample opportunity for all players to coexist.

Explore the latest MWCA updates below.

LoRa Alliance

LoRa Alliance, comprising over 400 companies, champions a low‑power, wide‑area technology that delivers bi‑directional data at roughly 0.2–1 kbps. At MWC, members spotlighted passive roaming across multiple networks, enabling LoRaWAN operators to collaborate for seamless coverage and more efficient traffic management.

Alliance Chairman Geoff Mulligan emphasized the value of collaboration: “The foundation of the Alliance is built on cooperation, and our diverse member ecosystem—from end‑device manufacturers to service providers—offers comprehensive insight into real‑world IoT use cases. This insight allows the LoRaWAN specification to evolve with the functionality and features that matter most. Adding roaming demonstrates the power of this collaboration in action and ensures LoRaWAN can deliver global coverage.”

Learn more about the Link Labs LoRa Solution: Symphony Link

LTE‑M

While LoRa Alliance pushes for global roaming, AT&T—leveraging its successful Digital Life smart‑home portfolio and connected‑car services—has accelerated nationwide LTE‑M rollout. LTE‑M, a 3GPP‑standard cellular IoT technology with peak throughput near 100 kbps, operates on licensed spectrum, features affordable chips, and includes a core‑level power‑saving mode that can extend battery life to a decade in some deployments.

See the Link Labs LTE‑M Pilot Project

Last year AT&T tested its LTE‑M network at a research facility in San Ramon, California, and has now identified the end of Q2 as its target for nationwide coverage. After the U.S. is covered, AT&T plans to expand the reach of LTE‑M across its network footprint in Mexico. Ahead of MWC, the carrier’s SVP of IoT Chris Penrose said deployment plans are tracking “ahead of schedule. We’re seeing real momentum for LTE‑M that will let us connect more endpoints than ever before.”

Sigfox

To meet enterprise demands for flexible connectivity, Telefónica has partnered with French LPWAN provider Sigfox, which operates on unlicensed spectrum using proprietary protocols. The global telco—active across Europe and Latin America and planning NB‑IoT deployments with Huawei—announced a major deal to integrate Sigfox’s low‑power technology into its IoT platform, demonstrating operators’ commitment to diverse access solutions. Sigfox CEO Ludovic Le Moan noted, “This partnership is a true testament to the mass IoT opportunity already in play. Our customers are creating new use cases that blend cellular and Sigfox connectivity, delivering powerful IoT solutions.”

5G – IoT

Looking ahead, 5G promises to unify diverse access technologies under a single air interface, leveraging virtualization and software‑defined networking to provision application‑specific data pipelines on demand—a concept known as network slicing. Companies like Affine Networks, pioneers in virtualized evolved packet cores with over 50 deployments, are adapting their core VEPC technology for IoT. While initially tailored for NB‑IoT, its modular design can incorporate LoRa, Sigfox, and other protocols. Because the architecture centralizes the control plane while distributing the user plane, network slicing is already operational. Angela Whiteford, VP of product management and marketing at Affine, said, “Virtualized networks give operators a cost‑effective path to deliver IoT connectivity. We’re now adding service delivery capabilities and support for emerging access standards as part of an end‑to‑end solution that enables operators to manage every aspect of a profitable IoT service.”

Security

Security dominated conversations at MWC 2017. AT&T SVP of IoT Chris Penrose told RCR Wireless News that “security is the top concern for anyone considering IoT.” Market research by Markets & Markets projects the IoT security market to expand from $7.9 billion in 2016 to nearly $37 billion by 2021, driven by heightened security worries around critical infrastructure—utilities, smart grids, manufacturing—and stricter regulatory compliance.

Gemalto, a global leader in IoT security, coined the phrase “Internet of Trusted Things.” The Dutch firm emphasizes advanced encryption and identity‑management solutions. At MWC, Gemalto highlighted the role of secure IoT in smart‑city initiatives, which integrate water and power management, traffic control, public safety, and environmental monitoring into a single, resilient network.

Gemalto’s M2M marketing head Manfred Kube explained that “for a smart city to function, the underlying infrastructure must be intelligent and secure. For example, a street‑lighting system requires a robust, encrypted link between lamps and a central control hub. Any single weak point can compromise the entire system. Architects of critical infrastructure—whether for car parks, traffic management, or waste disposal—must adopt a holistic, security‑first mindset.”

Cyber‑security firm Avast conducted a field study during MWC, scanning IoT devices across Barcelona and Spain. The audit uncovered over 5 million vulnerable smart devices, including more than 150,000 hackable webcams and over 79,000 vulnerable smart kettles and coffee machines.

Avast CEO Vince Steckler presented these findings, noting: “If webcams are set to livestream, they become an open gateway for hackers to spy on attendees, students, workers, or citizens. Beyond privacy risks, malicious actors could hijack insecure webcams, coffee machines, or smart TVs, turning them into bot‑net nodes that launch coordinated attacks on servers and bring major websites offline. Future threats may also involve harvesting personal data, including credit‑card information, from unsuspecting IoT users.”

Security luminary Eugene Kaspersky, chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, warned that legacy IT systems cannot keep pace with modern cyber‑threats. “We still rely on 40‑year‑old concepts that predate cybercrime. The solution is to build new systems rooted in secure software and architecture. My vision is an unhackable world—where a connected car, for example, remains secure. We must redesign to create a safe, controlled environment for all connected devices.”

In his keynote, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son highlighted a recent incident where an engineer hacked 1.2 million cameras during a lunch break, and he showcased footage of a driver losing control of a connected vehicle. “This illustrates the danger,” he said. “We must exercise extreme caution. While we ship numerous ARM chips, past iterations were not fully secure. We are rapidly enhancing security across our ecosystem, ensuring that every element of society stays protected.”