The Internet of Things: Key Applications and Protocols

14

The ETSI M2M Architecture

14.1 Introduction to ETSI TC M2M

At present, there are about 50 to 70 billion “machines” in the world, about 1% of which are connected to a communication network. There is obviously an enormous growth potential for M2M, but the transition from current midscale M2M applications (about 500 000 devices) to the next level (applications managing tens of millions of devices) will require new standards.

While current M2M standards address the transport level, and client to server communication protocols, the future “Internet of Things” will require a system-level architecture:

• Enabling application developers to focus on functionality, not lower-level tasks like network access control, authentication or routing;
• Enabling any application to read or control any sensor, under control of a horizontal security framework;
• Providing network-based services, such as data publication and subscription.

In order to achieve these goals, common functions and network elements need to be identified and standardized at part of the M2M infrastructure: the ETSI M2M technical committee was created in January 2009 at the request of many telecom operators to create a standard system-level architecture for mass-scale M2M. ETSI TC M2M does not address one domain in particular; on the contrary, its ambition is to become the common backbone of all mass-scale M2M applications. The following domains are explicitly covered:

• Security/serenity: surveillance applications, alarms, object/people ...