Telenor to set up a physical LPWA experimental network and provide free development kits to startups, students and developers for testing.
Norwegian telecommunications group Telenor Group unveiled an experimental internet of things offering in Norway, dubbed Telenor Start IoT. The service is set to be available for free to Norwegian entrepreneurs and students, the Nordic telco said.
Telenor said it plans set up a physical low-power wide area experimental network, a back-end system and provide development kits to startups, students and developers for testing and experimentation purposes over a five-year period. The network offering may also include 2G, 3G, LTE and narrowband-IoT support.
Telenor said the pilot network will initially be rolled out in Trondheim, Tromsø and Oslo beginning May 1. Network infrastructure will be accessible through the Start IoT developer site, which will contain documentation on the devices, connectivity, the backend, development kits, startup guides and user forums.
“By providing cost-free access to next-generation IoT infrastructure, we provide Norwegian startups and students with the ability to develop and rapidly prototype new IoT products and services,” said Telenor Group President and CEO Sigve Brekke, in a statement. “This is part of a broad initiative from Telenor to drive growth in the use of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT and big data in Norway.”
Study ranks connected pallets as a promising application enabled by LPWA technologies
In related news, a new report from European IoT analyst firm Berg Insight ranks connected pallets as the most promising greenfield application enabled by the new wave of cellular and noncellular LPWA technologies.
“With an average sales price of $10 per unit for regular pallets, the cost of adding connectivity can be justified by increasing efficiency in many logistics operations,” explained Tobias Ryberg, senior analyst at Berg Insight, in a statement. “The ability to track pallets can also contribute to extending their lifespan which is currently around two years.”
Ryberg added that connected pallets are being evaluated by several large industry players with some initial large-scale deployments expected.
