IoT Will Be Huge, but it Requires Lots of Infrastructure Construction, PCIA Chief Says

Rights-of-way issues and finding affordable fronthaul and backhaul remain the biggest concerns of communications infrastructure companies, PCIA President Jonathan Adelstein said Tuesday at the group’s HetNet (heterogeneous networks) Expo in Los Angeles. The IoT is expected to add $1.7 trillion to the world economy and connect more than 50 billion “things” by 2020, Adelstein said, according to a news release. “PCIA continues working closely at the federal, state, and local levels of government to address all obstacles in an effort to streamline wireless deployments,” he said. Regulation is moving in the right direction, said Adelstein, a former FCC commissioner. The FCC has agreed to exclude some facilities from the federal environmental and historic review process and recognizes that “subjecting a small cell facility to excessively burdensome regulatory processes makes little sense,” he said. “With investments taking place on both the vendor and carrier sides, HetNet opportunities are opening up. From smart city ventures, in-building and hospitals, to public safety mandates and mid-tier market opportunities -- it’s now at the point where many wireless businesses are probably searching for the right opportunities to pursue.”