Spark connects one million things to smart networks across Aotearoa

More Tsunami gates, livestock, electricity and water meters, taxis, pumpkins grown in school veggie gardens, fire and smoke detectors, and pharmacy refrigerators are just some of the one million ‘things’ now connected through Spark New Zealand’s IoT (Internet of Things) networks.

The one million milestone cements Spark as one of New Zealand’s largest IoT provider and demonstrates the momentum behind adoption – with connections growing over 20% since just the end of June 2022.

Described as ‘the skin of the planet’, IoT enables businesses to monitor things in the natural and physical worlds around them – collecting data that can then be analysed and used to inform decision making.

This makes IoT a natural enabler of initiatives that improve efficiency, reduce costs and the use of natural resources, and enable businesses to become more productive and sustainable through technology.

Last week Spark and sustainability firm thinkstep-anz launched new research which showed that digital technology could help reduce 7.2 million tonnes of emissions at 2030. To put this reduction into context, New Zealand need to reduce emissions by 17.0 million tonnes to meet its Emissions Budget at 2030 – meaning digital technology, inclusive of IoT, can help deliver the equivalent of 42% of the reductions we need to achieve over this period.

Spark IoT Lead Michele Wong says that in an environment where businesses are trying to reduce costs in the face of sustained inflation, while transitioning to a lower-carbon future, IoT is an
effective problem solver.

“The exciting thing about IoT is the breadth of business problems it can help solve. We have sensors in Bottle Lake Forest helping to detect fires, a data buoy taking salinity readings for Westpac Mussels Farm to reduce operational costs and emissions, and connected fridges monitoring optimal temperatures to protect COVID vaccines.

“We built our first IoT-specific network, LoRaWAN, back in 2018, and started co-creating with customers like Mainfreight on tracking their high-value containers. We then launched our Cat-M1 network in
2019, which reaches over 99% of the New Zealand population, and in July 2022 we activated our new NB-IoT network providing nearly 85% population coverage.

“Each of these different networks cater to different business use cases depending on bandwidth and coverage needs. So whether businesses need to deliver data in real time or they are needing long-life devices our networks will be able to service the tailored business needs.

“The rubber is really hitting the road now for IoT, with solutions in place across multiple sectors – including energy, industry, property, transport, food, forestry, and agriculture. We know more and more
assets will become connected, and more businesses will see the benefits of IoT as it turns simple data into real insights and tangible business outcomes,” says Wong.