Low power wide area solutions in licensed spectrum (Mobile IoT) have long been discussed in the industry, seeing the technology’s potential to connect billions of new devices making up the Internet of Things. These technologies have emerged to serve a diverse range of vertical industries and applications that use low data rates, require long battery lives, are low cost, and often operate in remote and hard to reach locations.
With a range of pilots already happening around the world and with a number of operators expected to announce plans for global rollouts, it’s anticipated that 2017 will be the year when commercial Mobile IoT networks take off. Not surprisingly, licensed spectrum LPWA was also a key topic at Mobile World Congress 2017: the benefits and opportunities for the industry were heavily discussed at the GSMA Global Mobile IoT Summit as well as the main conference, and were highlighted in countless demonstrations in the exhibition areas across all halls.
The below list of Mobile IoT demonstrations at Mobile World Congress 2017 gives a small glimpse into the potential of licensed spectrum LPWA, the amount of industries it can positively impact and how it could transform everyday business operations as much as consumers’ everyday lives.
LTE-M & NB-IoT | Development kits: AT&T, Huawei, Intel, Quectel, Sierra Wireless, u-blox
LTE-M | RM2: connected shipping pallet (GSMA Mobile IoT Innovators Showcase winner)
LTE-M | AT&T: smart shelving
LTE-M | Ericsson: fleet management, tool management, smart building
LTE-M | Gemalto: connected street light
LTE-M | Oberthur Technologies: connected shoe
LTE-M | Sequans: IoT devices using the Monarch LTE-M chip
LTE-M | SummitTech: connected living hub
LTE-M | Telefonica: smart metering
LTE-M | Telefonica, Itron: Industrial sensors and safety monitoring
LTE-M | Telefonica, Wellness Telecom: connected waste management
NB-IoT | Veolia: smart waste management (GSMA Mobile IoT Innovators Showcase winner)
NB-IoT | Hisense: air conditioning unit (GSMA Mobile IoT Innovators Showcase runner-up)
NB-IoT | CMCC, Ericsson, Intel: connected factory
NB-IoT | CMCC: smart wearables
NB-IoT | Deutsche Telekom: connected beehive
NB-IoT | Ericsson: connected factory
NB-IoT | KT: IoT safety jacket
NB-IoT | Giesecke & Devrient: smart mining, smart environment and smart lighting
NB-IoT | HappyOrNot: customer satisfaction terminal
NB-IoT | Huawei: smart parking
NB-IoT | Huawei: connected weather station
NB-IoT | Nokia: smart gas meter
NB-IoT | Spirent Communications: network simulator for NB-IoT devices
NB-IoT | Telefonica: connected digital shield, e.g. manhole cover protection, intruder detection
NB-IoT | Telefonica: lost and found tracker
NB-IoT | Telefonica: smart bottle monitoring fill levels
NB-IoT | Vodafone, University of St. Andrews, Huawei: Internet of the Seas – connected seal tracking
NB-IoT | Vodafone: IoT geolocation
NB-IoT | Vodafone: stock management
NB-IoT | Vodafone: smart water metering