With the announcement of a new partnership with Thinxtra, business telecommunications provider Kordia is set to introduce a platform which will allow New Zealand
enterprises and local Government to progress from talking about the Internet of Things (IoT), to the widespread deployment of IoT solutions.
In terms of the partnership, Kordia is Thinxtra’s preferred partner for the deployment of a SigFox network and has Official Channel Partner status to resell connections and solutions on this network. Thinxtra is ANZ exclusive SIGFOX Network Operator.
Kordia CTO Aaron Olphert explains that SIGFOX technology enables the low- power & low-cost connectivity which brings IoT to life.
“Effective IoT solutions depend on at least two foundational elements: low power consumption sensors (Things) which can be placed anywhere, and low-cost connectivity which allows hundreds of millions of those sensors to be connected.”
Standard telecommunications networks and devices, continues Olphert, are too energy-intensive, lack the necessary coverage and are not economically feasible to enable large-scale IoT implementations.
“IoT is supposed to enable the massive deployment of sensors on just about anything: live-stock, shipping pallets, street lights, gates, personal safety devices, a water meter, you name it. While theoretically possible, what’s held the IoT back is that traditional communications devices and networks make this impossible owing to costs, limitations in network coverage and the power draw of sensors which requires an electricity source,” Olphert explains.
As an ultra-low energy network, SIGFOX provides the connectivity which enables small, inexpensive devices to communicate; the network is being rolled out globally, with Thinxtra established as the SIGFOX Network Operator responsible for the Australian and New Zealand territories. The necessary equipment for the SIGFOX network will be co-located on Kordia’s existing sites across New Zealand.
Thinxtra CEO Loic Barancourt says that as a provider of business-grade telecommunications solutions, Kordia was the obvious choice of partner. “Kordia has the appropriate infrastructure in place to allow the rapid extension of the SIGFOX LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) network across New Zealand. Coverage is essential, as it sets the scene for practical IoT deployments without the limitations of restricted network access,” he explains.
Loic Barancourt adds that Kordia’s existing client base can be expected to deploy IoT solutions now that it has access to the SIGFOX network.
Olphert adds to that, noting that the ability to develop IoT solutions on a globally standardised network will provide access to international markets for New Zealand’s innovators. “This is a positive development for local technology companies and, more broadly speaking, the country itself to access large export markets. An IoT solution developed here, which relies on SIGFOX, will work anywhere else.”
SIGFOX network coverage is live in many European countries and major US cities. SIGFOX deploys the network by assigning exclusive distributor agreements for territories.
