According to McKinsey & Company, the value of IoT applications is expected to reach $3.9-11.1 trillion, which shows the increasing number of connected devices. Taiwan’s connected consumer electronics industry has to break free from conventional equipment, redefine applications in smart home and connected technologies, and adopt more international technical standards in order to capture trillions of business opportunities while taking on IoT challenges.
For Taiwanese players to achieve a leading position in the consumer electronics industry, which cannot be done overnight or by a single unit alone, government’s guidance and support are indispensable. Under the auspices of the Industrial Development Bureau, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Institute for Information Industry (III) has extended its network of connections in international smart home market. The Showcase for International Certifications of Smart Home End-Devices was jointly organized by the III and the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) on November 7th in the hope that Taiwan’s soft power can be enhanced with a comprehensive vision.
“The III has been in contact with the Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC) since 2014. As a member of the OIC with in-depth knowledge of this organization, the top priority of the III is to guide domestic consumer electronics industry to tap into the smart end-device market,” said Dr. Hsien-Tang Ko, Senior Director at the Industry Development Augmentation Division of the III. The OIC and the AllSeen Alliance have announced their decision to merge under the name of Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) this year. Meanwhile, Allion Labs, which the III has been in close contact with, has undergone several rounds of prudent audits and became the first authorized lab in Taiwan which offers OCF testing and certification. According to Dr. Matthew Perry, President of OCF, this shows that Taiwanese vendors have been connected to the international community thanks to the efforts made by the III. Of course, certification is only a start. The endeavor made by the III has drawn much attention nationwide, which catalyzed VIA Technologies to send their products to be tested at Allion Labs, making VIA Technologies the first domestic company to participate in the certification program in Asia.
In addition to test labs, the participants of the showcase event included D-Link, ECS Elitegroup, Pegatron, Acer, etc. Attaching vital importance to Taiwan’s influence and market share in Asia, the OCF hosted its general assembly in Taiwan, where it announced the merge with the AllSeen Alliance. The OCF took this opportunity to understand the competitive edge of Taiwanese businesses better, with whom it forges onwards towards the shared goal.
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