Critical Requirements for Sustainable Deployment of IoT Systems in Nigeria

Abstract

The Internet of Things is finding innovative and interesting applications. Currently, it is being applied in transportation, healthcare delivery, agriculture, security surveillance, smart manufacturing. It has resulted to the development of smart cities, manufacturing, grid etc. The IoT nodes may collect sensitive personal information or become surface for cyberattacks, hence suitable policies and regulations need to be enacted at the global and national levels to ensure benefit realization and safe use. This paper reviewed already established IoT standards and best practices by notable organizations such as the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications, the GSM Association, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, International Telecommunication Union, International Standards Organization, European Telecommunication Standards Institute etc. The regulation of IoT applications and systems is more challenging than existing ICT because of the complexity of numerous interactions involved in any Internet of Things ecosystem. The IoT regulatory efforts so far in USA, India and European Union were examined although standardization efforts are still ongoing. From the study, the critical requirements for a sustainable deployment of IoT systems; government support, appropriate spectrum allocation, connectivity, adaptability, security, privacy and trust were identified. A robust IoT Policy and Regulatory framework for Nigeria was proposed and a multi-sectoral collaboration was recommended for full development and implementation of the policy and regulatory framework.