M2M Regulation

Issues

Machina Resarch identifed the following themes

Permanent roaming

The ability to offer services globally is a critical one for supporting many vertical sectors including automotive and consumer electronics. Regulatory prohibition of permanent roaming will fundamentally influence how connectivity is provided.

National roaming

The ability to make use of multiple networks within a territory will be useful for many M2M and IoT applications. However, regulatory positions vary with some countries prohibiting the use of national roaming.

Spectrum licensing

Technology choices for delivering M2M and IoT services may depend on what, how, and how much, spectrum is made available. The availability of White Space might have an influence of how M2M/IoT evolves, while there are licensing issues related to the use of alternative technologies such as Low Power Wide Area (LPWA).

Numbering

Several regulators have opted to allocate a dedicated number range for M2M. We examine the pros and cons of doing so.

Data sovereignty

Different countries have starkly different rules about how data needs to be managed, for instance restrictions on whether the data can leave the country.

Data privacy

There have been some very high-profile instances of regulation relating to personal data (e.g. the ‘right to be forgotten’ in the EU). Many of these issues relating to personal data privacy will have implications also for M2M and IoT.

Other regulatory issues: There are a number of other regulatory issues, including subscriber registration and taxation that will have an impact on M2M and IoT.