KDDI-owned IoT connectivity provider Soracom, flush from an injection of new funds from Hitachi and Sony Group, has launched a new platform to allow IoT developers to connect devices using Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and satellite connectivity, as well as low-power wide-area (LPWA) cellular technologies, including NB-IoT and LTE-M, as well as the non-cellular LPWA standard Sigfox.
Support for this “blended” IoT connectivity is available via its new Soracom Arc platform, a successor to its Soracom Air platform, which only allowed cellular IoT connectivity. Soracom Air provides support for Sigfox, also; the Japan-based company supplied IoT modules into a major deal, handled by UnaBiz and KYOCERA, for 850 Sigfox-based smart meters with NICIGAS. The new Soracom Arc platform supports Sigfox, as well.
A statement said of the new release: “This unique blended connectivity lets users mix multiple connectivity technologies while controlling their entire network through a single, unified management platform, making leading-edge IoT networking capability available to a wider array of industry solutions.”
The Arc platform provides IoT developers secure access to Soracom’s suite of 17 network and application services, including cloud integration, private networking, data optimization, secure remote access, and on-demand packet capture. It provides “fluid connectivity and elegant failover”, the company said. The platform also affords accelerated prototyping, secure communication, and zero-touch provisioning, the company said.
“As existing deployments expand, Arc helps reduce common challenges associated with introducing new connectivity options. Likewise, Arc allows devices to offload data transfer from cellular to Wi-Fi when in range, while maintaining cloud integrations.
Kenta Yasukawa, co-founder and chief technology officer at Soracom, said: “Soracom already supported cellular and LPWA connections. The ability to access Soracom services over Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or satellite dramatically expands the range of options available to those creating new IoT experiences. Now, anyone developing IoT solutions, anywhere in the world, can experience the deep set of features within the Soracom toolkit and start building amazing technology that could truly lead to a more connected world.”
Soracom claims to “power” three million IoT devices worldwide, via its Soracom Air platform, supporting a combination of cellular IoT and Sigfox. It has added a million devices, it claims, for three years running; the figure was two million a year ago, and a million in 2019.
