A number of big industry names, including Microsoft, Samsung and Intel, team up to form the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF), an entity with plans to create unified Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. IoT is expected to drive the future of the connected home.

Other OCF founding members include Cisco, Electrolux, General Electrics, ARRIS and CableLabs. Their mission is “unlocking the massive opportunity of the future global IoT segment, accelerate industry innovation and help all developers and companies create solutions that map to a single, open IoT interoperability specification.”

As a successor to Open Interconect Consortium (OIC), the OCF will work on all levels — silicon, software, platform and finished goods — to bring together all connected devices (be it appliances, phones, PCs or industrial equipment), regardless of vendor, OS, chipset or transport, under a single set of open standards.

Such a goal is worthy enough, even if the OCF lacks a number of notable industry players (some of whom are pursuing other standards with other partners). But the clout of the likes of Microsoft, Intel and Samsung might bring about a chance to united the diverse standards that plague connected home.

For more information, go here.