U.K.-based telco giant says 85% of its base stations upgradeable via software update.
Vodafone on Tuesday talked up the narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard, claiming that it stands to be the fastest deployment of a new technology it has ever undertaken.
In the final stages of standardisation by the 3GPP, NB-IoT can provide coverage to hard-to-reach places, supporting two-way communication with large numbers of low throughput, low cost devices that consume very little power. It uses licensed spectrum, which holds the promise of assured reliability and quality.
"A large proportion of our network hardware only requires a software upgrade to support the technology, which means the job of getting it ready for widespread NB-IoT deployments can be completed extremely quickly," said Luke Ibbetson, director of R&D at Vodafone and chair of the NB-IoT Forum, in a blog post.
"We estimate that 85% of our base stations will be able to support NB-IoT with a straightforward software upgrade; however, in some markets, such as the Netherlands, the figure rises to 95%," he said.
Vodafone has conducted trials of pre-standard NB-IoT in Turkey and Spain, where it is being used in car parks to direct drivers to available parking spaces. In Spain, NB-IoT is also being used to connect to hard-to-reach water meters.
Recent field trials by Vodafone Australia revealed that NB-IoT signals could penetrate up to three double-brick walls, demonstrating the potential for communication with IoT devices in basements and underground carparks.
"We've already started the process of upgrading our core and radio network and we expect to launch services across Vodafone markets during 2017," Ibbetson said. "While there is still work to do, we believe it could be one of the fastest rollouts of new technology that we’ve ever completed."
Meanwhile, in a separate statement on Tuesday, Vodafone announced it has won an IoT deal with Ekso Bionics, which provides exoskeletons that help to rehabilitate victims of stroke and spinal cord injuries.
Under the contract, Vodafone will equip Ekso Bionics products with its global IoT SIM and provide connectivity services that will ensure reliable access to diagnostics and patient data, helping to improve the experience for wearers.
"With Vodafone IoT technology, we can monitor how our exoskeletons are performing in real time, providing therapists with data on how the patients' rehabilitation is progressing," said Thomas Looby, CEO of Ekso Bionics.
totaltele.com Nick Wood |
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