Connectivitycan

Connectivitycan is a hypothetical open standard and ecosystem designed to enable interoperable, scalable network connectivity across diverse devices and networks, including IoT sensors, automobiles, and urban infrastructure.

Origin and scope: first proposed by a cross-industry consortium in 2023, Connectivitycan seeks to unify device onboarding, data exchange, and security under a common framework, while allowing vendors to implement components independently.

Technical approach: It defines a layered architecture with a transport layer that supports local-area networks, wide-area networks, and edge gateways; a common data model and messaging primitives; a device provisioning and identity framework; and a modular security model with device attestation and end-to-end encryption. It favors open interfaces and plugin adapters for various radio technologies (cellular, LPWAN, Wi-Fi, mesh).

Applications: Smart cities, industrial automation, connected vehicles, agricultural monitoring, healthcare in remote settings, and disaster response. The standard emphasizes low-power operation, reliable delivery, and scalable addressing.

Governance and licensing: Connectivitycan is described as open and vendor-neutral, with governance by an independent consortium and licenses that permit broad use without patent royalties. The ecosystem encourages open reference implementations and compliance tests.

Reception and challenges: Proponents cite reduced fragmentation and faster innovation, while critics warn of governance complexity, security risk in multi-tenant deployments, spectrum considerations, and the difficulty of achieving true interoperability across legacy systems.