The NB-IoT network is active in 20 locations across the European country
Dutch operator Vodafone Netherlands has activated its NB-IoT network in 20 locations across the country.
The new NB-IoT network is already operational in nine cities across the Netherlands. The new technology had already been introduced at VodafoneZiggo offices in Maastricht, Utrecht and Amsterdam. The network is now also active in several locations in the cities of Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Hilversum, Den Bosch, Groningen, Delft and Schiphol.
Vodafone is working with a number of companies to enable users to take advantage of this new technology. The mobile operator is collaborating with Mic-O-Data, a technology company specialized in smart waste management. With Dual Inventive, Vodafone is working on a smart train track monitoring system based on NB-IoT.
Vodafone also recently conducted the first successful test using LTE-M technology. The technology will enable the Dutch telco to broaden its IoT portfolio for customers.
In October last year, rival operator T-Mobile Netherlands had launched its NB-IoT network in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven and the area surrounding Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
The telco, fully owned by German telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, had announced plans to expand the network during 2017. A number of firms have already announced plans to tap into the network, including indoor climate control firm Itho Daalderop, railway maintenance specialist Dual Inventive and sensor maker Smartsensors.
Considered a low-power wide-area network technology, NB-IoT is seen as a key component in machine-to-machine communication for IoT. The technology runs on existing operator networks in licensed spectrum to support IoT devices, and is optimized for applications with low bandwidth requirements, such as smart parking, smart metering or smart waste management.
Ingenu deploys IoT network in Nigeria to focus on oil and gas industry
In other IoT news, U.S. IoT connectivity firm Ingenu has announced the deployment of its Internet of Things (IoT) network in Nigeria.
The U.S firm has partnered with Upland Global Wireless Technology for this deployment in the African nation.
The IoT network, powered by Ingenu’s Random Phase Multiple Access (RPMA) technology, will serve Nigeria’s population of approximately 184 million, providing reliable connectivity for IoT/M2M applications including, oil and gas, smart city, smart grid, agriculture and asset tracking.
The Nigerian Machine Network rollout has begun in Lagos, and will continue through the Niger Delta, initially monitoring key oil and gas assets in the petroleum-rich region of the country. The remainder of the network rollout is due for completion by late 2017, Ingenu said.
