Operators deploying LPWA technology include AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom and Chinese telcos
The deployment of LPWA solutions is starting to gain traction with the recent developments by some leading operators including AT&T, China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, Deutsche Telekom (DT), Verizon and Vodafone, according to the GSMA.
U.K.-based telco Vodafone has launched NB-IoT in Spain and the Netherlands, while German operator Deutsche Telekom has launched in several cities in Germany and nationwide in the Netherlands. U.S telcos AT&T and Verizon have previously announced nationwide launches of LTE-M technology.
The GSMA also announced that its Mobile IoT Innovators program, which is designed to encourage the development of new LPWA solutions, has reached over 500 members.
“The Mobile IoT initiative encouraged the market to adopt licensed LPWA networks and we are now seeing this work come to fruition with multiple commercial deployments around the world, as well as the availability of hundreds of different applications and solutions,” said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA. “It is clear that the market sees the benefit of adopting solutions that offer flexibility, security, lower costs, and cover all use cases, and we look forward to seeing other operators follow in the near future.”
The GSMA said that these new Mobile IoT networks are designed to support mass-market IoT applications such as smart meters, environmental sensors and consumer electronics, that are low cost, use low data rates, require long battery lives and often operate in remote locations.
According to research firm Gartner, China is set to be one of the leading LPWA markets, accounting for 486 million of the estimated 3.1 billion connections globally by 2025. The Asian country is also leading in terms of Mobile IoT deployments. China Mobile has launched NB-IoT networks in several key cities including Yingtan and China Unicom has rolled-out NB-IoT networks in Shanghai, as well as the main urban areas in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Fuzhou, for a number of different solutions across smart parking, smart fire sensors and smart meters. China Telecom has also announced the roll-out of nationwide NB-IoT networks.
The GSMA also said that 215 Chinese companies are currently developing new solutions based on Mobile IoT technology. Solutions include smart parking, pet tracking, asset tracking and smart agriculture, among others.
