WIREDGOV

By the end of the decade, it is estimated that up to 50 billion devices will be wirelessly connected to the internet. One of the key drivers for this increase will be Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications, which will be used to link devices together over the internet.

This will go beyond smartphones and tablets, and connect everything from wearable health monitors, through to electricity grids, roads and railway networks. The technology has the potential to deliver some very significant benefits to society.

The PDF below includes four different M2M case studies in the areas of agriculture, power, health and transport to help illustrate how the technology might work in practice; the benefits they could deliver; and a timeframe for when they could become a reality.

M2M case studies