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Dedicated IoT networks to go live in Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain during first quarter of 2017.
Vodafone on Wednesday announced that it will begin launching its narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) networks in major European markets during the first quarter of 2017.
The first networks will go live in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain, the telco said, followed by other markets throughout the year. Vodafone aims to roll out NB-IoT across its entire footprint by 2020.
Vodafone is a vocal proponent of NB-IoT, a low-power, wide-area (LPWA) networking technology that uses licensed spectrum to provide two-way communication over long distances and in hard-to-reach locations. It can support huge numbers of cheap, low throughput devices that consume very little power. It was standardised by 3GPP in June as part of its work on LTE Release 13.
Last week, Vodafone completed its first NB-IoT trial on a commercial network. Vodafone Spain connected a sensor buried in a parking space within the Vodafone Plaza in Madrid. A smartphone app was able to display whether or not the space was occupied.
Earlier this year, Vodafone Australia also carried out NB-IoT trials at live sites in central and suburban Melbourne.
"The questions of battery life and deep in-building penetration have now been answered by NB-IoT," said Vodafone’s IoT director Ivo Rook, in a statement on Wednesday.
"The low cost of the modules means we can expect a new wave of connected devices and soaring market demand," he said. "Vodafone’s world-leading expertise and experience in IoT will prove invaluable in shaping this exciting market."
