US telecom operator AT&T has revealed strategies to deploy its LTE-M network for boosting revenue from Internet of Things (IoT) in America — in the second quarter of 2017.
AT&T is also planning to launch LTE-M network in Mexico by the end of the year.
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The roll out will support a North American footprint across the AT&T 4G LTE network in the U.S. and Mexico. AT&T’s 4G LTE network covers nearly 400 million people in the U.S. and Mexico.
AT&T in a statement said that it has done pilot of AT&T LTE-M Low-Power Wide-Area network at AT&T Labs in San Ramon, California by switching on North America’s first LTE-M enabled site in October.
LTE-M will be the catalyst for large-scale IoT deployments.
Benefits from LTE-M network
# Lower device costs
# Longer battery life of up to 10 years)
# Better coverage underground and deep inside buildings
# Module size — as small as 1/6 the size of current modules.
“We’re on track to support LTE-M devices across commercial network in the U.S. and Mexico ahead of schedule,” said Chris Penrose, President, Internet of Things Solutions, AT&T.
AT&T is testing LTE-M network and chipset technology in:
# Smart water meters with Capstone Metering
# Smart pallets with RM2
# Smart beverage fountains with PepsiCo
# Consumer devices with Samsung
# Shipping container monitoring with Xirgo Technologies
# Connected vehicles and fleet & asset management with CalAmp
# Home security and automation with Telular
“Seeing our devices live in the field shows our vision is quickly becoming reality. Our combined work has proven we have a technology that can cause real improvement in the logistics services industry,” said John Walsh, CEO of RM2.
