London, May 16, 2014: The United Kingdom (UK) is one country where the Internet of Things (IoT) market has been growing at a comparatively steady pace. Perhaps, wth an eye on that, the communications infrastructure and media services company Arqiva, and SIGFOX, a pioneer in cost-effective, energy-efficient IoT connectivity, today announced that Arqiva will build and run a national IoT network, using SIGFOX technology. Initially, the network will cover 10 cities. The network will connect the UK to the SIGFOX global IoT network, and according to the two companies, “will unlock substantial economic benefits and support innovative new services for smarter homes and cities.”
The French company SIGFOX’s ultra-narrowband technology is suited to connecting objects over long distances where a long battery life and low cost are required. By becoming the SIGFOX Network Operator in the UK, Arqiva has strengthened its position as a leading provider of machine-to-machine connectivity services.
SIGFOX claims to be the first and only company providing global cellular connectivity for the IoT, fully dedicated to low-throughput communications. In February this year, The Internet Of All Things had reported on SIGFOX being deployed across Spain on the Abertis Telecom infrastructure, thus connecting that nation to the SIGFOX global network, already available in France, the Netherlands and Russia
According to Wendy McMillan, Managing Director of Smartmetering and Machine-to-Machine Solutions, Arqiva, “Our smart metering communications service, connecting 10 million homes using long-range radio technology, will be one of the UK’s largest machine-to-machine deployments.
“Our partnership with SIGFOX, and the new dedicated Internet of Things network we are building, will provide nationwide low-power connectivity for the first time. Low-power consumption allows batteries and equipment to last longer, avoiding the cost and inconvenience of replacing devices.”
The new arrangement is expected to strengthen Arqiva’s Position as a Leading Provider of Machine-to-Machine Connectivity Services.
Explaining its entry into the UK market, Rodolphe Baronnet-Frugès, Vice-president of network and business development at SIGFOX said the country had an active, fast-growing IoT market, and the new arrangement would help SIGFOX to establish a global cellular network dedicated to the IoT.
The first ten UK cities to come under the network are: Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester & Sheffield.
Image Credit: SIGFOX/Arqiva
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