T-Mobile has completed Narrowband IoT field tests on a live commercial network in North America – in association with chipset major Qualcomm and telecom equipment maker Ericsson.
Narrowband IoT network for IoT services uses very small amounts of dedicated spectrum to carry data with efficiency and performance.
Number of connected devices will grow from 8.3 billion this year to 20.4 billion by 2020 worldwide, according to technology research firm Gartner.
Verizon in March 2017 launched its LTE Cat-M1 IoT network, which spans 2.4 million square miles, making it the nationwide network of its kind in the U.S.
The IoT network built by Verizon is designed for narrowband LTE applications and is one of three LPWA technologies—the other two being NB-IoT and EC-GSM IoT.
ABI Research recently said in a note that Verizon Wireless is integrating its nationwide mobile network with its ThingSpace IoT Platform. Verizon aims to capitalize on the shift from CDMA-based IoT solutions to cloud-based technologies, while also expanding its solutions beyond the maturing mobile market.
“By investing in Narrowband IoT, we’re ensuring our customers will be able to bring their products to market faster with better performance, vastly improved battery life and big cost savings,” said Neville Ray, chief technology officer for T-Mobile.
T-Mobile conducted the field tests across multiple sites on live commercial LTE network in Las Vegas and used 200 KHz of T-Mobile’s AWS spectrum.
Vieri Vanghi, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies; and Fredrik Jejdling, head of Business Area Networks at Ericsson were part of the live trials.
T-Mobile IoT and smart city
T-Mobile and Las Vegas announced a partnership to deploy IoT technology throughout the city — including Narrowband IoT.
IoT projects in Las Vegas
Flood Abatement: Flood and storm drainage sensors will provide early warning and fault detection for Las Vegas residents.
Smart City Lighting: T-Mobile will power the City’s LED lighting within a single compact device.
Environmental Monitoring: Sensors placed atop existing smart city light poles will continuously monitor temperature, humidity and environmental gases.
“The Las Vegas Innovation District was created to bring the most exciting emerging technologies right to our doorstep,” said Michael Sherwood, director of Technology and Innovation at the City of Las Vegas.
T-Mobile customers won’t have to wait for Narrowband IoT to power their connected devices. T-Mobile helps IoT customers bring devices to market through low-cost IoT Access packs on certified Cat-1 modules.
Baburajan K
