Three UK strengthens Internet of Things with Low Power Wide Area capability
- Three UK to support Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) across its network
- LPWA enables Three UK to service deep coverage, low power needs of the Massive IoT market
- Realtime data provided by IoT networks will enable utility companies to improve service, enhance billing accuracy and reduce carbon emissions
- Three’s enterprise offer set to expand to full provision of IoT technologies
Three UK and CKH Innovations Opportunities Development (CKH IOD, a unit of CK Hutchison’s telecom division) are piloting a Low Power Wide Area network (LPWA), which is the first step in a nationwide network roll out that will support mass deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
LPWA networks – made up of Narrowband IoT and LTE-M technologies – provide a cost-effective way to wirelessly connect IoT devices which monitor and control everything from key infrastructure to smart buttons. Sectors such as energy, logistics, building management, and transport can be digitally transformed by LPWA technologies.
IoT devices used in these sectors are generally deployed on a massive scale. Often, the devices need to be placed in difficult environments for wireless (or wired) connections. LPWA technology solves this connectivity challenge in three ways: it covers a large area; the radio signal penetrates deep inside buildings and underground, where infrastructure IoT devices are often placed; and low-energy NB-IoT devices can last 5 or more years in the field. LPWA devices can operate without a fixed power source, meaning they can remain in situ and maintenance free for long periods.
The Three UK LPWA pilot network has been set up at the Integrated Transport Electricity Gas Research Laboratory in Gateshead UK (InTEGReL). The lab is a collaboration between Northern Gas Networks, Newcastle University, Northern Powergrid, Northumbrian Water and Siemens.
The LPWA at InTEGReL will enable researchers to deploy wireless devices throughout the experimental energy network to identify problems and gather performance data. In a live environment, LPWA technology helps energy companies improve service reliability, detect faults, make customer billing more accurate and lower carbon emissions.
Three UK’s Wholesale division currently provides IoT connectivity to partners such as ARM, Arkessa, AT&T, Wireless Logic and Mobius. These partnerships allow Three to target IoT industry verticals including retail, transport, logistics, infrastructure and utilities. The LPWA network enables Three Wholesale to extend the portfolio of services that it offers and work with a range of customers on new use cases which require low bandwidth and wide coverage.
Three UK will draw on extensive LPWA experience CKH IOD has acquired with other CK Hutchison telecoms companies – Three Austria, Sweden and Hong Kong. In Austria, for example, LPWA technology is used by a range of companies in energy, transport, logistics and building management to track assets and monitor energy usage. Three Sweden were the first mobile network in Sweden to launch narrow-band IoT services nationally and are actively partnering with Utility providers on smart-metering applications.
Darren King, Head of Business Development at Three Wholesale said: “The launch of our LPWA pilot is an exciting development for Three UK, giving our Enterprise customers access to a broader range of services. The low power, long battery life and excellent reach of LPWA technology has great potential to support companies in any industry where companies need continuous information from their infrastructure in order to optimise service. We expect that we will be able to start offering LPWA services to a range of industries over the next few years, as we extend the sectors we offer the service in.”
Matthew Little, Innovation, Information and Improvement Director, Northern Gas Networks, said: “LPWA offers huge potential for the gas industry. Real-time data from our infrastructure flowing into advanced data analytics models will allow us to take fast, agile and even pre-emptive action to deliver outstanding customer value whilst maintaining the highest level of resilience, which will be more important than ever as we transition to a low carbon energy network.
Our industry needs new technologies such as this to support our ambitions to decarbonise gas systems, through projects such as H21 to transition to hydrogen for heat and meet the UK Net Zero target by 2050.”
Nigel Watson, CIO Northumbria Water, said LPWA will be an enabler for the delivery of the company’s strategic objectives. “We recognise the power of innovative technologies to enhance what we’re already doing. IoT is a key tool for us to detect and proactively respond to the impacts of climate change,” he said. “We’re excited to be involved in the LPWA IoT test bed and look forward to the learnings it will provide.”
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1https://www.gsma.com/iot/long-term-evolution-machine-type-communication-lte-mtc-cat-m1/
