Passive IoT: a step closer to the vision of ubiquitous IoT

The vision of ubiquitous sensing for IoT is not unattainable, at least when it comes to lower data rate applications. This is what passive (or ambient) IoT promises to deliver thanks to its advantages in terms of form factor, energy efficiency and cost. Passive IoT refers to the soon-to-be-specified IoT technology, which comprises sensors that will be smaller and cheaper compared to previous generations of IoT(e.g. NB-IoT, LTE-M). They will also be greener, as they will typically be powered through energy harvesting. Early forms of passive IoT can already be found in commercial applications. This report explores the development and commercialisation activity of passive IoT and provides a glimpse into future applications.