The Things Conference
September 23-24, Amsterdam
Attendance: >2,000 professionals from more than 80 countries
The 8th Annual The Things Conference took place recently in Amsterdam. The event, always the place to be to discover the latest developments in the LoRaWAN world, this year broadened its scope to incorporate a wider range of IoT technologies. Perhaps representing the maturity of the market and pervasiveness of IoT devices and deployments, there were fewer splashy technology announcements; however, the message was clear about the opportunities still available for innovators, even in this busy space.
Also clear was the progress being made in the connected solution market, and how it is happening, vertical by vertical. Allen Proithis, CEO of Capstone Partners, a strategic advisory firm focused on mobile communications networks, IoT, edge computing, and AI applications, shared his views, saying, “The Things Conference this year was full of old-fashioned IoT energy! It is often challenging to recognize the incredible progress from one perspective, as IoT encompasses thousands of industries and use cases.”
The expanded agenda attracted a larger audience of around 2,000 industry professionals, higher than the predicted 1,500. The opening keynote celebrated ‘the IoT technologies that were developed over the last two decades coming together and finding their niche’. It explored the potential for solutions that can bring together a fragmented supplier market. RCR Wireless reported these are ‘required to stitch constrained low-margin solutions together from disparate low-maintenance parts for sub-segments within sub-segments’.
James Blackman was quoted in an RCR Wireless article as saying, “A niche within a niche within a niche – was the message, at the top of the agenda, at The Things Conference in Amsterdam this week (September 23 and 24). It is both the problem with IoT, and also the solution – about how to reach this mythical promised land of ‘massive IoT’, where the whole planet is patched with sensors, and everyone makes money, and maybe the world is better for it. Of course, it won’t just happen suddenly, if at all.”
Other keynotes focused on topics such as the integration of Edge AI into existing LoRaWAN systems, and the Edge AI use cases in IoT, as well as the Non Terrestrial Networks using LoRaWAN protocol and the integration of satellite technology in cutting-edge IoT solutions.
Attention was on the increased regulatory scrutiny being placed on the IoT ecosystem through new cybersecurity rules, such as the Radio Equipment Directive (RED), which came into force in August, requiring connected devices to comply with strengthened data privacy and fraud prevention regulations. There were also discussions about the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), which focuses on increasing device security across the entire lifecycle. A panel discussed the potential impact on development practices, supply chain expectations, and collaboration.
While most provisions within the CRA won’t become applicable until 2027, some reporting requirements must be in place sooner. That means opportunities for those who can help companies navigate the new rules and maintain compliance. These could be some of the biggest future headline-grabbers.
While The Things Conference has always attracted businesses that position themselves as domain leaders rather than generalists, it’s clear that there is now potential for horizontal players in the orchestration, security, and compliance fields to succeed in delivering a common infrastructure from which the many specialist IoT vendors can benefit.
News from The Things Conference
“A niche within a niche” – how IoT came to terms with the hype (finally) RCR Wireless News, September 24, 2025
The Things Conference 2025: A Decade of Growth and a Shift Toward Diversity in IoT WWW.DISK91.COM, September 24, 2025
The Things Conference 2025 – Stories and pictures! – TTN Events / The Things Conference – The Things Network