Smart street lights that can be controlled from a remote location, parking meters that give advance alerts about vacant slots to approaching vehicles and power meters that do not require manual reading for billing purpose could soon become a reality.
The Centre, on Tuesday, announced a roadmap to make such use of technology under a reference document called ‘National telecom machine-to-machine roadmap’.
The roadmap is aimed at provide broad guidance on developing machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. Specifics related to policy issues including numbering plan , spectrum availability, formulation of service provider registration process and guidelines for know your customer will be spelt out subsequently.
But to do this at national level, there is a need for a common platform so that all involved- telecom companies, manufacturers of these devices, chip makers and utility companies work on the same standards.
“M2M communications will impact every aspect of life of a common man and result in substantial and tangible social and economic benefits to consumers, businesses, citizens and government,” Communications and IT Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said.
Key for govt projects Speaking at the ‘Smart infrastructure: Supporting policies and regulations for M2M communications’ conference here, Prasad said that M2M is going to be the key enabler for the government vision of ‘Digital India’, “Make in India’ and proposed smart cities in the country. “Adoption of M2M-based applications in areas like healthcare, tele-education, smart grid, smart building and smart city, have enormous potential to boost the socio-economic development of the country,” he said.
He also said the government cannot do such projects alone and private players have to be part of it.