The European digital cellular group GSMA´s Mobile IoT Initiative1 has taken off with the launch of multiple commercial rollouts of Low Power, Wide Area (LPWA) solutions by several of the world´s mobile operators including AT&T, China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, Deutsche Telekom (DT), Verizon and Vodafone, the group said.
China Mobile and China Unicom have launched NB-IoT across several key cities with China Telecom launching NB-IoT networks across the country. Vodafone has also launched NB-IoT in Spain and the Netherlands. DT has launched in several cities in Germany and nationwide in the Netherlands.
AT&T and Verizon have previously announced nationwide launches of LTE-M technology. In addition to these deployments, the GSMA also announced that its Mobile IoT Innovators programme, which is designed to encourage the development of new LPWA solutions, has reached over 500 members, underscoring the growth of the wider IoT ecosystem.
Mobile operators are enhancing their licensed cellular networks with NB-IoT and LTE-M technologies, which utilise globally agreed 3GPP standards to scale the Internet of Things. These new Mobile IoT networks are designed to support mass-market IoT applications such as smart meters, environmental sensors and consumer electronics, that are low cost, use low data rates, require long battery lives and often operate in remote locations. Both technologies will be further evolved in 3GPP´s Release 15.
At the GSMA Innovation City, located in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) in Hall W3 at Mobile World Congress Shanghai, the GSMA will demonstrate how Mobile IoT technologies are supporting the mobile industry´s leadership role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.
