The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the biggest technology buzzwords at the moment, alongside machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and bring your own device (BYOD). IoT will increasingly come to the fore during the rest of 2015, and by the end of the decade it will be measured in trillions of connected devices.

This is according to Derick Roberts, CEO of TruTeq Devices, the specialist wireless company which provides wireless connectivity solutions to all market sectors ranging from agricultural, security, automation and control, wireless industrial Internet and connectivity to utility metering and switching environments.

“The Internet of Things (IoT) is making it possible to connect anything and everything to the Internet, something that is boosting innovation, competition and productivity. While some people still battle to define it, it is an invisible but powerful technology,” says Roberts.

At the 2014 International CES visitors and technology enthusiasts got the chance to see all kinds of devices being connected. This included toothbrushes, cookware and clothing – all of which used specialised sensors to become “smart” technology.

“The IoT is about connecting literally every device – including toothbrushes.”

This might sound like it’s out of a Star Trek movie, with calls for “Scotty beam me up”, but IoT is here – and it is here to stay, connecting devices and “things” that, until recently, could not be connected.

“It might smack of space age innovation, but with this technology, old-fashioned, or analogue devices are able to increasingly connect, via smart sensors, over a network and share data. This connectivity can embrace – and interconnect – household appliances, toys – and even cars,” says Roberts.

“Frankly, this technology is growing so rapidly that it is hard to predict whether the IoT market will be measured in millions, billions – or even trillions – over the next few years. The way more and more devices are being connected, it may be possible to start talking in trillions by the end of this decade.

“But, when all is says and done, the IoT marketplace is definitely one of the fastest growing and, as IoT sensors become increasingly commonplace, we will be expecting virtually any device or product to be linked. The IoT will undoubtedly become ubiquitous and we will need to nail down the idea of spectrum usage and how this is made available, managed, and paid for,” says Roberts.