Future Connected Devices will enable cleaner, safer cities, more effective personal and public transport, better utilisation of scarce natural resources and tailored healthcare.

These devices will include the smartphones and tablets that are already ubiquitous in the developed world and a vast array of sensors, controllers and actuators that will form part of the emerging Internet of Things.

There has been great innovation in wireless connectivity for future connected devices, but no single standard will serve all applications. Short range, long range, cellular and even satellite systems will all have a part to play in these future connected devices. A state of the art is yet to emerge and we can expect further connectivity options to be brought to market.

More pressing in the short term is cost. ‘Things’ carry real marginal costs, of production, distribution, commissioning and maintenance. Deployment at scale requires a business case, but connectivity introduces new degrees of freedom to make this possible.

Process automation and system optimisation are possible at a larger scale and with greater effect than ever before, offering new scope for operational efficiency. Product-as-a-service and the sharing economy offer benefits to all participants in the value net. And connected devices provide new ways of managing compliance and enforcement to improve service delivery in both the public and private sectors.

The future connected devices winners will be those who marry technology and business model innovation. Attend the Cambridge Wireless Future Connected Devices session to find out how UK companies are delivering the devices, services and businesses of the future.