A group of frontline Technology companies have joined to establish a consortium that will seek common standards for gadgets, reports Reuters. This is in line with the trend in the Internet of Things. The companies joining hands will be Samsung Electronics, Intel Corp and Dell. Qualcomm and LG Electronics will be backing them from outside.

Improving interoperability

This new grouping primarily wants to improve interoperability and define connectivity for billions of devices coming under the Internet of Things (IoT).

The common communications framework will work around industry standard technologies and make possible wireless connections and intelligent managing of the flow of information among various devices, regardless of form, operating system or service provider.

Immediate Priority

At the moment OIC has focus on smart home and smart office scenarios. Remotely controlling appliances and notifications with a smartphone and interactive displays in office meeting rooms will come up in the first phase. Later on IoT systems will embrace automotive, health, and industrial applications.

Individual Contribution

Under the OIC member companies will contribute the software and engineering resources to develop the protocol specifications to hasten open source implementation and certification program for accelerating the IoT.

The OIC specifications will have to offer a range of connectivity solutions, utilising the existing and emerging wireless standards and then making it compatible with a variety of operating systems.

This will ensure OIC specifications to design products intelligently, reliably and securely so that seamless exchange of information is possible under changing conditions in power and bandwidth.

OIC Code

The first OIC open source code specific requirements will be for smart home and office solutions. The specifications will pave way for easy remote controlling of smart home appliances.

Consumer solutions

Commenting on the formation of the consortium, Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation said the OIC is a proof that open source is fuelling innovation. With the support of OIC there will be a fostering and open environment to support billions of connected devices that are coming online.