Under the agreement, Telstra will soon launch Arduino’s new IoT developer board in the Australian market
Telstra has signed a partnership with open source hardware and software ecosystem company Arduino aimed at boosting internet of things growth in Australia.
Under the terms of the agreement, Telstra will soon launch the new Arduino MKR NB 1500 IoT developer board in Australia. It supports narrowband IoT and LTE Cat M1 networks and is specifically designed to enable rapid development, field trials and deployments of cellular connected devices, the carrier said.
The Arduino MKR NB 1500 board will be available to purchase in early 2019 from Telstra and will include a M2M SIM via the Telstra Developer Portal, Telstra added.
“As Arduino’s exclusive telco partner in Australia our alliance integrates Telstra’s Cat M1 and NB-IoT network investments with Arduino’s world leading ecosystem to connect developers, startups, students and experimenters in creation and exploration of IoT innovations,” Telstra’s CTO Håkan Eriksson, said.
He added that Telstra has more than three million square kilometers of Cat M1 coverage across Australia, and that the carrier rolled out NB-IoT coverage earlier this year in major Australian cities and many of the country’s regional towns.
Through this partnership, Telstra said, its extended mobility and network coverage are accessible to developers to enable them to create IoT solutions for both on-the-go and stationary use cases.
“Our partnership with Arduino brings to life hardware that enables quicker and simpler on-boarding of devices. Paired with our IoT connectivity and reach, you can now build and embed sensors to enable devices to collect, send and even act autonomously on data they acquire from their surrounding environments or one another,” Eriksson added.
The Australian telco is also focusing on 5G trials to pave the way for a future commercial launch. In February, Telstra opened a 5G innovation center in the Gold Coast region. Telstra said the main aim of the new 5G center will be to test next-generation technologies to support the early commercial deployment of 5G mobile services in Australia. Telstra has said it aims to launch commercial 5G services in Australia in 2019.
Telstra said it would work with Ericsson on key 5G technologies including massive multiple-input multiple-output (massive MIMO), adaptive beamforming and beam tracking, and OFDM-based waveforms in its Gold Coast center.
