Diving deeper into the young IoT sector, Xfinity Home, Comcast’s smart home/security unit, has become a member of the Internet of Things Consortium (IoTC).
The IoTC isn’t a technical standards body, but is rather an association/trade group that provides a business-focused forum for large and small companies that are in the industry.
Examples of other IoTC members include Verizon, ADT, Fox, The Weather Company, Greenwave Systems, MasterCard, Cox Communications, Nielsen, T-Mobile, LG Electronics, Turner, and August, the maker of smart locks that has been integrated into Comcast’s Xfinity Home platform, and Stringify (an IoT automation startup that was acquired by Comcast earlier this year).
RELATED: Comcast Buys Stringify
Two Comcast execs are also joining IoTC as advisors -- Daniel Herscovici, GM and SVP of Xfinity Home; and Sridhar Solur, SVP of product and development for Xfinity Home.
Solur said a trade group such as the IoTC is important in part because it can take on the role of “self-regulation” in this early phase of the market while also putting large companies and startups on a platform dedicated to helping them grow their businesses.
The formation of trade groups such as the IoTC “is especially important for new industries,” he said.
“We’re still in the first few innings of what this industry will become, how large it will be, and how we will affect consumer experiences,” Herscovici said.
He said it’s important for a company like Comcast, which is focused on providing an underlying, cohesive platform with Xfinity Home that can be combined with third-party smart home products such as locks, doorbells, and garage door openers.
RELATED: Comcast’s Xfinity Home Lights Up More Device Partners
“It's important for us to work with these point solution providers to figure out how to go to market in the most compelling way,” Herscovici
Xfinity Home, which has about 1 million subscribers, is currently the lead for Comcast at the IoTC, but the company is also involved in several other IoT-facing activities. Its MachineQ unit, for example is focused on enterprise Internet of Things services.
RELATED: Comcast IoT Unit Heads Into a Dozen More Markets
In addition to the consumer side of the sector, the IoTC will also be working in other areas that include security, smart cities and B2B solutions.
“As we see how these working groups get formed, we will pull in the appropriate leaders from within Comcast to participate as needed,” Herscovici said.
