Telecom network maker Ericsson today announced its agreement with Orange and Intel for Internet of Things (IoT) trial with EC-GSM-IoT.
Ericsson, Orange and Intel have conducted extended coverage trial for Internet of Things (IoT) using EC-GSM-IoT (Extended Coverage-GSM-IoT).
Trial shows improved indoor coverage and shows that investments can be optimized through new software deployment on top of existing cellular networks.
EC-GSM-IoT will be shown during MWC 2016 on the Ericsson booth as part of its smart agriculture and connected vineyards use case demo.
EC-GSM-IoT (formerly EC-EGPRS) technology enables new capabilities of existing cellular networks for LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) IoT applications. EC-GSM-IoT can be activated through new software deployed over a very large GSM footprint, adding more coverage to serve IoT devices.
The EC-GSM-IoT trial was conducted in Paris from November 2015 to February 2016, using the 900 MHz band. Coverage extension of 20 dB beyond GSM coverage was reached, showing a seven-fold improvement in the range of low-rate applications.
It showed the ability to reach challenging locations such as deep indoor basements, where many smart meters are installed, or remote areas in which sensors are deployed for agriculture or infrastructure monitoring use cases. The live trial demonstrated excellent performances and proved the full coexistence of such devices with legacy mobile devices.
Alain Maloberti, SVP of Orange Labs Networks, said: “The results of this trial represent a significant step forward for the industry. It demonstrates the viability and cost effectiveness of the technology, and paves the way for us to help the IoT ecosystem develop.”
Arun Bansal, head of Business Unit Radio, Ericsson, said: “Cellular LPWA solution allows operators to optimize their existing infrastructure with new software deployment.”
Asha Keddy, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Next Generation and Standards Group Intel, said: “Improved indoor coverage is key when it comes to IoT, so we are very pleased with the results achieved during the trial. We are in a position to help our customers meet their IoT solution requirements.”
Cellular networks optimized for IoT will be operational in 2017.
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