The era of the Internet of Things might be a step closer to reality. Korea may be able to commercialize locally developed machine-to-machine communication technology by next year can be enabled within a radius of one kilometer.

The state-run Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) said it obtained a standard from the Institute of Electrical Electronics Engineers for the newly developed wireless telecommunications technology.

“The new chip will diversify occasions of IoT services by enabling communications between materials far away. It will connect smart devices with not just home appliances, but also safety and security measures in industrial areas,” said Choi Sang-sung, senior researcher at the institute.

This new communication technology is much more advanced than the commonly used “ZigBee” technology, which enables communication only within 100 meters.

The institute also unveiled the first locally developed telecommunications chip that can be installed within every machine and exchange communication signals between machines.

When the chip is installed in power estimation devices that use a smart grid, a live-tracking technology on electricity use, the process of collecting power use statistics, analyzing and predicting future use will be automated.

When these two become commercialized, the institute predicts Korea will be able to save money that previously was spent on foreign standard license.

BY KIM JI-YOON [jiyoon.kim@joongang.co.kr]