Interesting to read in this morning's Financial Review that Vodafone Australia have moved into the IoT space. We can discount them as being one of the telco's Dave referred to in the Business Insider article earlier in the week.
Vodafone Hutchison Australia will launch a new network designed to enable millions of devices to connect to the so-called Internet of Things.
After completing its first in-field trial in the first half of 2016, Vodafone is launching its narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology commercially across Melbourne in November. Selected areas of Sydney and Melbourne will be added to the network in December and the rest of the country will be rolled out next year.
The technology is designed to connect with devices and applications that do not require frequent transmission of data back to a central office, such as water and power meters, smart bins, cars and alarms. In some cases batteries in connected devices can run for more than 10 years on a single charge. Narrowband IoT is designed to be low-cost, have extended battery life and reach into remote areas.
"One of the key benefits for organisations; costs for serving their needs will drop dramatically," Vodafone executive general manager of enterprise Stuart Kelly told The Australian Financial Review.
Mr Kelly said as more devices roll out, services will become cheaper with fewer people needed in the field thanks to long battery lives. Industry forecasts suggest the chipsets for NB-IoT could fall to less than $5.
"Typically a customer would purchase a module, which comes with a chipset pre-installed. The module would then be placed into the modem," Mr Kelly.
"Costs for modules vary according to a range of factors such as the supplier of the module, quantity needed, functionality required and timeframe in which the modules are needed. We work with customers individually when it comes to scoping out a solution, including pricing, that best suits their needs.
"We've got a lot of customers who've been talking to us for a while. It's interesting to look at the pipeline that we have, it's very large and very varied."
Underground assets
Vodafone estimates the NB-IoT signal can penetrate, on average, two-to-three walls, helping the monitoring of underground assets. Vodafone is also working with Optus and Huawei on a trial of NB-IoT with South East Water through its water and sewer networks.
"NB-IoT offers customers a range of benefits including greater power efficiency, with devices able to run on batteries for 10 years or more on a single charge," Mr Kelly said.
"This means there is less need for investment in hardware and resources relating to sourcing and replacing batteries. The result is increased longevity for assets, reducing the need for site visits while devices are being used in the field."
The telco is working with ASX-listed CCP Technologies to provide smart IoT sensors for temperature measurement for fridges. Restaurants and hospitality businesses need to check temperatures regularly to make sure food is properly stored.
"Adding NB-IoT to our suite of connectivity options is an exciting move for CCP," CCP chief executive Michael White said.
"Vodafone has already achieved fantastic results with NB-IoT and we are looking forward to working together on a trial."
Mr Kelly said, based on the telco's conversations with manufacturers, NB-IoT devices are increasing in number.
"Australians will see a huge variety of products, services and applications enabled by NB-IoT over the coming years as more carriers, vendors, utilities and commercial organisations roll out and harness the benefits of this new way of connecting devices," he said.
"This will enable society to become smarter and more efficient, massively benefiting the general public as well as businesses."
