NB IoT technologies, which enable devices to communicate to each other and the cloud on their own specially designed networks, are growing quickly across the globe. NB IoT means better security, better efficiency, better battery life, and better reliability for smart locks and provide more cost-effective connections than existing Wi-Fi broadband networks.
Because NB IoT is only a software upgrade on the existing cellular network, cities can access NB IoT after the update in only a matter of hours. A perfect example to show how efficiently NB IoT can be installed is one by Vodafone in January 2017. In only three hours, Vodafone was able to provide NB IoT access to the city of Valencia, Spain, a city with a population of over 800,000.
In the last couple of months, the big telecommunications companies have been ramping up their trials, investments, and rollouts for NB IoT. Recently Vodafone, Telefonica, AT&T, China Mobile, and Deutsche Telekom, have switched on NB IoT networks in the countries they operate in. For example China Mobile and AT&T have announced that both China and the United States will be respectively covered by the end of June 2017. Just in the last month at least five companies have announced new trials, or completed part or entire country rollouts.
It’s an exciting times for IoT technologies and NB IoT in particular. Two weeks ago a report was published by a large market research firm that indicated that NB IoT will soon take a 90% share of the new IoT networks market. In addition, the combined value of the current companies rolling out NB IoT is $578 billion USD with 78 countries currently earmarked for the roll-outs in the next year and half.
For more information on the available NB IoT markets, click here.