Nokia looks to support customer-led testing prior to investment in an IoT solution
As internet of things (IoT) companies look to help enterprise and industrial interests get a better grasp on how IoT fits into creating positive business value, segments including manufacturing, supply chain logistics and power generation and distribution are emerging as early leaders. Data derived from connected sensors can essentially provide the organizations with the informational and analytic capabilities needed to optimize process efficiencies and conduct predictive maintenance that minimizes downtime.
Specific to the power utility industry, Nokia sees it as a high-growth vertical and is working with numerous partners on various IoT projects. One partner is French power utility EDF, which is working with the vendor to trial low-power, wide-area networking for “critical operations. The two companies will engage in a comprehensive testing regime, among the first of its kind in the industry, exploring the capabilities of LPWA technologies to support real-world industrial applications.”
EDF researchers are working at a Nokia device-testing lab where they can access carrier-grade infrastructure to better test how IoT devices, chipsets and modules will behave on a commercial network. In terms of access networks, the group is testing NB-IoT and LTE- as well as other “largely unlicensed IoT technologies.”
Head of IT Systems with EDF’s R&D division said IoT can impact positive change across the companies businesses “from power generation to marketing. As the R&D engine of the EDF Group, it is our responsibility to characterize the objects, their connectivity, their integration into IoT platforms and the related end-to-end cybersecurity properties.”
Nokia Head of Global Enterprise and Public Sector business Matthieu Bourguignon acknowledged that while “The use of IoT devices in industrial networks is in its infancy…it is critical that our customers can evaluate now the various technologies before making substantial investments.”
