Business telecom service provider Kordia together with partner Thinxtra have announced that the deployment of a dedicated new Internet of Things (IoT) network being established in New Zealand had officially passed the halfway mark.
The opening of a major new site in Hamilton last week pushed the outdoor coverage of the network to 50 per cent of New Zealand’s population, said a press note.
The network also racked up an unofficial world record for the greatest distance over which data has transmitted on a SIGFOX IoT network to date, with data sent 212 kilometres between a Kordia site in North Canterbury and another in Wellington.
“The transmission surpassed a previous distance record of 195 kilometres, which occurred between the Pyrenean Mountains and Toulouse in France”, said Aaron Olphert, Kordia’s Chief Technology Officer.
Darren Robinson, who heads global sales and marketing at cornerstone investor Rakon, said the go-live of Hamilton was a significant milestone which further validates the Kiwi tech company’s decision to invest with Thinxtra.
“The IoT has the potential to revolutionise these industries and turbocharge the contribution they make to New Zealand’s economy, and we are delighted to play our part in realising that potential.”
“Right now the SIGFOX IoT network is deployed in four major cities reaching 50 per cent of the population. We have the biggest IoT coverage available in New Zealand and with the rollout well ahead of schedule, in around 14 months the entire country will be covered,” added Aaron.
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.
In addition to Hamilton, the network was available in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. It will be deployed in Dunedin, Palmerston North, Tauranga, New Plymouth, Whangarei, Napier and Hastings in the coming months.
SIGFOX networks are designed and built specifically for the IoT. As a dedicated wireless network, it provides the infrastructure to connect millions of low-energy industrial objects (which can include water meters, environmental sensors and tracking applications) which need low-cost connectivity and emit small amounts of data.
With this infrastructure in place, New Zealand companies could start deploying IoT applications.
Loic Barancourt, CEO of Thinxtra, SIGFOX Network Operator (SNO) for New Zealand and Australia, said SIGFOX was an international standard, which meant the network was fully compatible with other deployments around the world.
Image Credit: Kordia