Converged connectivity. The tipping point for IoT.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has been a hot topic for decades. But the dream of the connected fridge that orders its own goods remains elusive. IoT has promised a lot, but many ideas have remained at the proof-of-concept stage and gone no further.

What exactly is preventing this technology with so much potential from truly breaking through to mainstream ubiquity? With two big events – IoT Tech Expo Europe and Connected Britain – taking place simultaneously as you read this, converged connectivity is on the cusp, like smartphones were 15 years ago.

Foresight from the foremost leaders.

Welcome to the first edition of FORE, Dusted’s new editorial series spotlighting the foresight from the foremost voices shaping business and innovation. Each issue brings a candid conversation with a sector leader, distilled into four actionable insights at the end every decision-maker can put to work. These are Dusted’s four to the fore.

At Dusted, we’ve spent years working with ambitious businesses across IoT, connectivity and wireless infrastructure. We’ve seen first-hand the opportunities — and the barriers — that define this space. FORE is how we open that conversation up, amplifying insider knowledge and framing it in a way leaders across industries can use.

In this article by Tech Writer James Morris, he talks to Philippe Chiu, Co-founder and CEO of UnaBiz, pinpointing the developments that can unlock IoT at scale and what that could mean for our everyday lives.

The potential of converged connectivity IoT.

Networked computing devices have been with us for well over 50 years. With IoT, the big difference is scale, with everyday physical objects collecting and sending data automatically. For this to reach its full potential, however, a few criteria must be met. The devices need to have a low power consumption, so they can function independently of the grid using batteries for an extended period. They also need strong network connectivity. And they need both these things at an extremely low cost, so IoT can be integrated everywhere.

Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LPWANs) have helped push this dream forward. Technologies like Sigfox 0G, LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network), and NarrowBand-IoT (NB-IoT) are at the forefront, each with distinct advantages and recent advancements. Sigfox 0G offers extremely low cost, while LoRaWAN majors on reliable bidirectional connectivity. NB-IoT leverages existing mobile networks to simplify deployment.

In other words, the technological foundation is there. Chiu says:

He believes that the costs have been too high, with many even quite simple devices costing as much as €150 as recently as 2016. His company, UnaBiz, has leveraged the benefits of Sigfox 0G to reduce that fifteenfold to just €10.

Chiu argues that the promise of IoT should be progressed via three steps, which he calls “SOS: secure, open, scale.” Security has been a headline concern after a series of high-profile cyber breaches, such as the Mirai botnet attack in 2016. Openness is important to provide the technological compatibility needed to deliver the final goal of Scale.

No one-size-fits-all for IoT.

However, no single technology will deliver on its own. Hence, this idea of converged connectivity, where all types of data come together via a shared network. Chiu believes that this means there is no one-size-fits-all network technology. There are a plethora of technology options, such as Sigfox, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, Mioty or Wirepas, but the customers just want their problems solved. For IoT to become ubiquitous, the underlying technology should be immaterial, so long as it delivers the data.

A great example of this comes from how energy companies are starting to engage with IoT. Smart meters are rolling out in many countries, delivering greater visibility both for customers and businesses. One of UnaBiz’s largest clients has an installed base of around 1.7 million devices. Nicigas is one of the fastest-growing LP Gas (liquefied petroleum gas) retailers in Japan. The company found that the Sigfox 0G network in its initial smart meter design from UnaBiz only covered 85% of its locations. So UnaBiz developed an additional device that uses Cat M1, a lightweight version of 4G, which covers all locations. Otherwise, it functions in the same way.

However, the Cat M1 meter reader is three times the price of the Sigfox-based one. So Nicigas specifies the latter as standard, only switching to the more expensive option if there are connectivity problems. The result is ubiquitous, converged data delivery, but not through the application of a single technology. In this case, two technologies were used, but it could be three or four.

Limiting the losses in logistics.

Logistics has been another early industrial benefactor of IoT. For example, DHL in Germany, like many logistics companies, uses “roll cages” (tall trolleys with cage sides) to aggregate packages going towards the same general direction. These cages need to be tracked accurately through warehouses and beyond. Bar codes have provided a cheap solution, but this requires someone to scan them and won’t track a roll cage that has gone missing. UnaBiz’s solution has been to add an IoT tracker that transmits locations automatically, so it is not dependent on humans.

Some logistics require more than just location, however. Glass is fragile and easily broken in transit, so it’s useful for a tracker to also collect and transmit data about impacts. That way, the responsibility for damage can be accurately apportioned for insurance purposes to whoever had custody at the time. Meat supply chains can ensure that products are kept at the correct low temperature throughout delivery, often known as cold chain monitoring.

Smart tags, the foundations of ubiquity.

These are all industrial business-to-business applications, however. To impact our lives fundamentally, IoT technology needs to take a quantum leap downwards in cost. Smart tags offer this possibility. UnaBiz has just released a smart tag the size and thickness of a regular adhesive goods label. “Inside is everything you need to trace a parcel, box, or container for the next 2-3 months,” says Chiu “It includes a non-lithium battery, and has Sigfox 0G inside with a very inexpensive chip. The form factor is small, but it can send a signal that is the same level as any regular Sigfox-based device, up to 40km.”

Not only is this smart tag thin, it’s also ten times cheaper than previous Sigfox devices - under $10. The potential for this is immense, with hundreds of millions of assets that could benefit from the greater security active tracking can provide. “Companies are usually willing to pay around 10% of the cost of an asset for a tracker,” says Chiu. “If you follow that logic, roll cages cost around $300, so they can put a $30 tracker on top of it. But what about a wooden pallet? It costs between $10 and $20. A company would only pay $1-2 to track it. But there are tens or hundreds of millions of wooden pallets in use.”

These smart tags don’t deliver pinpoint locational accuracy. Sigfox-based tags can be tracked with a resolution of 800m to 2km in urban areas and 5 to 10km in rural locations. But a GPS-enabled “Unit Tag” offers a 50m resolution. Putting one of these alongside a group of smart tags and adding cloud AI enhances their resolution to that of the Unit Tag. UnaBiz uses software called Atlas Sparks to achieve this. The cloud service on top of the hardware is what truly releases the potential of IoT.

One of the most worrying statistics in the logistics industry is just how many things go missing. Chiu says it can be as high as 20%, although the usually agreed figure is 10%. Either way, that’s a huge number of items. Delivery companies factor this wastage into their pricing. When your Amazon delivery person leaves a package at your front door, rings the bell, and drives away, the company has calculated that the number of items lost or stolen is outweighed by the cost saving of no customer interaction.

That’s not a great outcome if you happen to have that limited edition Labubu you’ve been waiting for stolen before you can get to your front door. But cheap IoT smart tags offer a solution. If every parcel above a certain value had its own automatic tracking device, many fewer of them would go missing. As Chiu tells us:

The radio attributes of Sigfox 0G also mean it’s hard to jam, making this technology ideal for theft-tracking applications.

Many people now drop an Apple AirTag into their bags to keep track of them. Not only is that expensive, but it also relies on nearby iPhones for location data. Currently, checked bags in airports are tracked with barcode labels, and only some airlines let customers have access to tracking information. A cheap adhesive smart tag, such as UnaBiz’s, could provide a lot more granular visibility of mislaid bags or luggage location in transit.

Towards IoT “Sensor as a Service”

For IoT to become truly ubiquitous, the right technology should be applied for any given context. But if costs are low enough, hardware functionality could be included even if it isn’t immediately used. Then features could be turned on remotely on demand. Users could pay a subscription fee and enable features immediately, and those features could then be taken away when the subscription expires.

“It's almost like sensor as a service,” says Chiu. Active, self-tracking sensors could be built into everything. Your bike could have this built in (some expensive or municipal e-bikes already do), your bags and suitcases could, or individual components in a manufacturing supply chain. “If it's inexpensive and there already, it will take a fraction of a second to enable it and buy the tracking service for the next 12 months. That's the type of experience we really would like to enable.”

Of course, location isn’t the only information a low-cost smart tag could deliver. Temperature, pressure, humidity, and motion could also be supplied, or status data from an attached device, vastly widening the possibilities. Chiu concludes:

Dusted’s four to the fore.

1. Convergence is king.

The market is fragmented with competing IoT standards. But customers don’t care about the underlying technology. They care about having their business problem solved reliably and completely. Enterprises that adopt converged connectivity gain resilience and unlock new service models, which is crucial for utilities, logistics and customer functions.

Brand implication:

Convergence flips the conversation. It’s no longer about the elegance of your protocol or the superiority of your stack. It’s about proving you can take complexity away and deliver outcomes that matter. The brands that win will sell that certainty, framing value in terms of resilience, visibility and new revenue potential for their customers and their customers’ customers. Get that right, and convergence becomes not just a technical advantage but a brand differentiator.

2. True impact comes from hardware cost collapse.

Massive price reductions, such as smart tags for under €10, enable entirely new service categories for IoT, such as tracking wooden pallets, luggage checked at airports, retail packaging, or bikes. This can open new revenue streams and service guarantees. Like AI, low-cost converged connectivity is the tipping point that pushes IoT into the mainstream, creating opportunities across both B2B and B2C.

Brand implication:

The value is no longer in margin per device, but in the scale of adoption and the services unlocked by ubiquity. Future-facing brands will position themselves as category leaders by using affordability to amplify their vision and expand their purpose, turning once niche innovations into everyday essentials that redefine industries.

3. Cloud intelligence is a complete game-changer.

On their own, low-cost sensors may not deliver the sharpest resolution. But multiplied by the millions and connected through AI-powered cloud services, they unlock predictive intelligence at scale. Insurers, fleet managers and retailers can move from reacting to problems to preventing them, reducing claims, cutting costs and lifting customer satisfaction.

Brand implication:

The shift is bigger than the product. The value isn’t in the sensor itself, but rather the data it generates. It’s a commercial leap. You’re no longer defined by the devices you make, but by the insight you provide.

It’s a change in proposition. And when that shifts, so does your audience. Suddenly, the conversation isn’t only with procurement or IT, but with strategy, risk and operations leaders looking for competitive advantage. Redefining the offer means redefining who and how you’re targeting. And reshaping your brand story and experience to connect with them.

4. Greater asset visibility means greater accountability.

Being able to prove custody and the location of incidents across the supply chain builds trust. It also enables businesses that guarantee reliability to charge a premium and strengthen their brand purpose around supply chain transparency.

Brand implication:

This turns accountability into a product in its own right. Visibility becomes a proof point that justifies premiums and strengthens brand purpose around reliability and transparency. Trust is then a competitive edge. With ubiquitous, converged connectivity, IoT brands can hardwire accountability into the way their products and services perform, delivering demonstrable trust as a tangible part of the user experience, and elevating their market position from utility to guarantee.

Contributor information.

This article was written by James Morris, based on a conversation with Philippe Chiu, CEO and Co-founder of UnaBiz.

About Dr James Morris:

Dr James Morris has worked as a technology journalist for over 25 years, including spending nine years on the staff of market-leading computer magazine PC Pro, the last five of which were as the publication’s editor. He specialises in enterprise-grade software and hardware, with a particular focus on content creation. He has contributed to many high-profile publications, including Forbes, WIRED and Fortune. Find out more about him here.

About Philippe Chiu:

Philippe Chiu is the CEO and Co-founder of UnaBiz, a global Massive IoT service provider and integrator. Philippe has also served as UnaBiz Taiwan’s Managing Director since the incorporation of the company, and then as Group CTO. Find out more about him here.

For more information about UnaBiz, check out their website here.