India's first IoT centre launched in Bengaluru with five startups

Bengaluru: Five startups have been chosen to be part of India's first centre for excellence in Internet of Things (IoT), the segment where sensors in devices such as a smartphone or a smoke detector talk to each other and share data using the internet.

The startups Wireless Controls, Uncanny Vision, LightMetrics, ThingsCloud and SAAR Microsystems have been chosen for the first CoE in Bengaluru.

"The growth of IT in the world has followed certain conventional patterns. I will be the happiest if your extraordinary potential propels products that truly become products and used across the world. Healthcare, education and agriculture should be the priority areas wherein give long benefits to people of India, " said Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for IT and Electronics.

The centre, which can house 40 startups, is jointly set up by software industry grouping National Association of Software and Service Company (NASSCOM), Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY) and Education and Research Network (ERNET).

Internet of Things (IoT) is described for devices that have sensors which talk to and share information to other devices over the internet.

"If a new initiative comes from Karnataka why should it not be replicated in the rest of the country. All these products on the smart phone or the phones should be available in local languages as well," said Prasad.

The IoT centre, which allows startups to build a prototype and test them, will focus on building solutions for applications such as agriculture, automobile, telecom, healthcare and consumer goods.

"IoT is one of the high growth potential areas in the IT sector. With the growing number of IoT based startups in the Indian market, it becomes imperative to create an enabling ecosystem to help evolve this space, empowering companies to build technologies that provide global solutions," Ajay Kumar, additional secretary, Department of Electronics and Information Technology, (DeitY) said.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.