In the expanding universe called the Internet of Things, even garbage bins will be networked together wirelessly. That way, a central console — perhaps one that’s monitored automatically — can know whether a bin has been overturned or is full.
It’s the kind of information that a trash collection company or a city sanitation department would highly value, preventing expensive and time-consuming trips by truck drivers to monitor the mounting trash.
AT&T has been working in recent years to capitalize on just such innovations, and now boasts it has 23 million different devices connected to its network — everything from automobiles to wheelchairs to home thermostats.
