Livia Rosu, HomeGrid Forum Marketing Chair
Last month was a very exciting month for HomeGrid Forum, with some big announcements and great speaking opportunities at key industry events, including Total Telecom Congress at the Business Design Centre in London, UK.
The event was filled with discussions looking ahead to the smart world of the future and the opportunities that the Internet of Things (IoT) is bringing to a range of industries. During the event, I was given the opportunity to moderate the ‘Industry 4.0: enabling Smart Factory connectivity’ discussion panel and took part in the ‘Building the cities of the future’ panel. The event featured more than 1,000 attendees and over 250 speakers across eight streams, with one thing in common – a buzz of excitement for the technology of tomorrow!
During the ‘Industry 4.0: enabling Smart Factory connectivity’ discussion panel, I joined service providers from around the world to discuss the role of private cellular networks and machine-to-machine (M2M) technology in the future, as well as how to optimise business models that will unlock industrial IoT and build custom platforms that engage with key verticals. The discussion was very interesting and examined how service providers can operate effectively in a fragmented market.
Looking ahead to the future was a common theme throughout the event, particularly during the ‘Building the cities of the future’ panel where we discussed the acceleration of products and services on the road to the smart city. As part of the discussion we also explored the role of the smart home in the smart city, where energy efficiency, security and convenience can all be improved due to the introduction of intelligent, connected devices.
As if the event wasn’t action-packed enough already, I ended the two days with the honor of presenting an award at the prestigious World Communication Awards. HomeGrid Forum also tasted success at the awards ceremony, as our very own Barbara Stark, Chair of the HomeGrid Forum, took home the Woman in Telecoms 2019 Award. As Chair of the HomeGrid Forum, Barbara has played an influential role in the adoption of G.hn technology and the award is testament to the longstanding commitment that she has shown to the HomeGrid Forum and the industry. Congratulations Barbara, we look forward to seeing where you steer HomeGrid Forum and the industry in the future!