UK must ride the Internet of Things wave, urges digital minister

Ed Vaizey touts the importance of this new IT sector for the future of the country

The UK government wants this country to be at the forefront of the Internet of Things revolution, as it sees this emerging market as key to the nation's digital future.

Digital minister Ed Vaizey said the government is watching the Internet of Things closely as it will have a huge impact and it wants to make sure it is well placed to benefit from this growth.

"This is a government that is looking to the future. We are thinking hard about where the next opportunity lies, and the challenges," he said at the Huawei Ultra Broadband Forum event, attended by V3.

"We see a massive opportunity for the Internet of Things and we want the UK to be at the forefront of that revolution. It is the next technology wave - we don't know what the applications will be - but we know it's the next wave."

Vaizey also said that a report was due later this year from the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Mark Walport on how the government can make sure the UK is "a great place to invest in the Internet of Things".

Vaizey urged foreign businesses to recognise that the UK is a haven for technology innovations and has the right environment in which to invest and grow."

"People in this country tend to be early adopters of technology and it's worth noting that," he said.

"We have a good skills base and are always looking to renew that - we are the first country to put coding on the national curriculum - so the UK remains a great place to do digital business."

Vaizey also touted the ongoing work around 5G as further proof of the government's commitment to new tecnhnology innovations. On Monday Vaizey announced that the government has provided another £60,000 to the Spectrum Policy Forum to help it research areas of spectrum such as 5G and WiFi.

The comments echo similar statements made by former government science minister David Willetts, who said on Monday that 5G networks will be a driving force behind the Internet of Things.