Internet of Things: Opportunities and Challenges in the Industry 4.0 Era

Head of the Information Technology Expertise Group, School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (STEI)-ITB Prof. Suhono S. Supangkat.

BANDUNG, itb.ac.id - Indonesia needs to prepare itself for the industrial revolution 4.0 era. Not only the government, the role of universities such as the Bandung Institute of Technology is also very necessary in technological development. For this reason, the Smart Platform in Making Indonesia 4.0 Seminar was held at the West Hall of ITB, Jalan Ganesha no. 10 Bandung, last Wednesday (12/7/2018).

The event was filled with a Digital Innovation Talk talk show with the theme "IoT development as an Enabler, Ecosystem and The Role of IoT Innovation Lab" with speakers Mochamad Hadiyana as Director of Standardization SDPPI Kominfo, Muhammad Neil el Himam as Director of ICT Infrastructure Facilitation Bekraf, Eko Yulianto - Director of Electronics and Telematics Industry Ministry of Industry and Hendra Sumiarsa as Head of Buss Dev. IoT & Smart City Indosat Ooredo.

Present representing the Minister of Industry, I Gusti Putu Suryawirawan as Special Staff to the Minister of Industry for Investment and Inter-Institutional Relations explained that the Ministry of Industry has designed Making Indonesia 4.0 as an integrated roadmap to implement a number of strategies in entering the Industry 4.0 era.

To achieve this goal, this collaborative effort requires the involvement of several stakeholders, from government institutions, associations and industry players, to academics. "Internet penetration in Indonesia is already massive. Of Indonesia's total population of 262 million, 143.26 million are already internet users. This figure continues to increase compared to the previous year," he said.

The Ministry of Industry has summarized various sectors that have the potential to excel in the changes of industry 4.0, including the first food and beverage sector which is predicted to become a major food and beverage force in ASEAN, the second textile and fashion sector which will become a leading functional clothing producer, the third automotive sector becoming a leading player in ICE and EV exports, the fourth in the chemical sector by becoming a leading player in the biochemical industry, and the fifth electronics sector by developing the capabilities of domestic industrial players.

Meanwhile, he explained that the IoT market will target communications technology, smart cards, fiber optics, solar panels, lighting (energy saving), and digital television. He said the government will encourage these sectors to compete in the 4.0 era.

The event was a collaboration between ITB and PT. Indosat Ooredo which aims to develop the ecosystem in the field of Internet of Things (IoT). Head of the Information Engineering Expertise Group, School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (STEI)-ITB Prof. Suhono S. Supangkat, said that as an engineering college ITB must prepare itself well to be able to contribute in the 4.0 era. "ITB has several faculties and schools that are related to IoT development because IoT has entered almost all sectors of life," he said in his speech.

Indosat Ooredoo Regional Accounts Group Head Fuli Humaeroh said that in the near future Indosat will establish an IoT laboratory at ITB. Through this Lab, it is hoped that it will become a shared facility for students, academics, industry, practitioners, SMEs and creative economy actors in developing and building a strong IoT system. "Smart platforms are important because the success of making Indonesia 4.0 requires an intelligent technology platform that works effectively and collaboratively," he said.

The programs implemented in the IoT lab are expected to be more than just theoretical and conceptual. The results must be applicable and high-quality in the field.

IoT is a crucial platform in supporting Indonesia 4.0. The potential of IoT is believed to be enormous and is a future business. The existence of an IoT lab is crucial and determines the success of IoT implementation. "Not just for this campus, but for Indonesia," he said. The IoT lab will soon be launched at ITB.