Toshiba Corp. said Tuesday it will launch a consortium with some 100 companies in Japan to develop new services using connected devices and ultrafast next-generation networks.
"We need to create a world where not just one particular company holds on to data but (several companies) collaborate," Toshiba Corporate Vice President Taro Shimada told a news conference in Tokyo, calling for collaboration on "internet of things" technologies.
SoftBank Corp., utility Tokyo Gas Co., and major electronics makers Kyocera Corp. and Denso Corp. are among the firms expected to participate, Toshiba said.
Internet of things services can range from industrial machines at a factory transmitting data about the production process and household appliances controlled remotely by smartphones to wearable devices equipped with sensors tracking and sending information about the human body.
Toshiba itself has started a service called "ifLink" for smartphones that enables people to connect with home appliances or motion sensor devices.
Toshiba aims to launch the consortium, named "ifLink Open Community," in the fiscal year starting in April 2020.
Internet of things services are expected to expand further in the future with the launch of ultrafast 5G mobile communications networks next year in Japan.