BT has opened a new NB-IoT network in the UK to serve the smart cities space, alongside utilities, construction, and logistics services. The firm claims 97 percent population outdoor coverage for the new infrastructure, which rides on its EE-branded LTE network in the 1800MHz band. The service is available to private enterprise and public sector customers. It said the build was a “multi-million-pound” exercise, and built upon its “ongoing IoT investments”.
Street lighting and water sensors are flagged as likely solutions to attach to NB-IoT. It also listed cross-sector “use cases that include monitoring and optimising energy use, storage, and distribution”, and made specific mention of the agricultural sector as well. BT noted previous NB-IoT trials to monitor “haystack temperature and prevent fire risks, as well as safekeeping of livestock through gate sensors”.
UK rival Vodafone has been offering NB-IoT for some years. Virgin Media O2 has been selling LTE-M, a higher-bandwidth IoT sister technology to NB-IoT, and has since announced the launch and expansion of NB-IoT services too. Both low-power wide-area (LPWA) cellular-based IoT technologies, like non-cellular LPWA technologies LoRaWAN and Sigfox, are geared for battery-powered monitoring and tracking devices – to “automate many processes that currently require manual oversight or direct involvement”, said BT.
The group’s Division X business, part of the product division within BT Business, is already offering eSIMs and IoT roaming SIMs for UK businesses.
Chris Keone, managing director of Division X, said: “Growing numbers of businesses are beginning to realise the benefits of IoT applications. Our NB-IoT network opens up a wide range of solutions for monitors, sensors, and other smart devices. Whether it’s building the smart cities of the future or reducing carbon emissions, our network provides the reliability and efficiency [customers] need.”
