The Orange Labs research team announced the launch of three new initiatives, named Plug’in, Thing’in, and Home’in, aiming to create a closer collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders in the fields of 5G connectivity, IoT and smart services for the home.

Under an integrated and open research approach, Plug’in will offer 5G researchers a platform for software development and live testing with a focus on four main areas, including the transformation of networks based on software and the management of energy consumption.

Thing’in will look at how connected devices can interact with each other in the so called Web of Things. In particular, it will aim to develop the tools needed to categorise connected objects, and design the search engine that will crawl the Web of Things under a defined rights management and access control system.

The main objective of Home’in will be to develop new smart services in an experimental live environment, focusing on the integration of devices serving as a voice-controlled personal assistant or ‘digital butler’.