Special Content: Best Global Stories of Narrow Band-IoT Deployment – Part 2

NB-IoT is all about enabling widespread IoT and this is where this technology is going to play a critical role in terms of powering 5G networks.

NB-IoT is a technology designed to take IoT from niche to mainstream. A number of segments such as Critical Communications can utilize the power of NB-IoT and harness robust connectivity, while delivering more value to end customers.

5G promises even further IoT enhancements in the form of narrowband 5G, meshing, mission-critical control, not to mention the addition of network slicing for flexible use case support.

In the near-term, enhanced mobile broadband use cases will dominate early 5G interests. NB-IoT provides a foundation for future-ready IoT deployments by enterprise and telecoms, delivering scalable IoT capabilities while providing a path towards evolution to 5G-based IoT.

We are presenting some of the best global stories on NB-IoT deployments:

Digital Transformation: Jio Taps Samsung to Deploy NB-IoT Network in India

Samsung is all set to supply Reliance Jio with equipment to boost LTE network coverage and capacity, and deploy a next-generation cellular IoT network.

Reliance Jio Infocomm and Samsung Electronics have announced their continued partnership to bring LTE coverage to 99 percent of the Indian population and significantly improve network capacity across the country. Adding to the joint effort is the deployment of a nationwide cellular IoT network.

It has not been long since Jio brought a radical digital revolution to India. Now, the company is ready to pave the way for a fully digital India, in which IoT will reach every corner of the country’s society and economy. The IoT network, the first of its kind in the country, will support a variety of consumer and enterprise use cases such as vehicle tracking, smart appliances, smart metering, security, surveillance and more.

“Making sure that everyone benefits from mobile broadband that is both available and affordable to all is our top priority. We will once again partner with Samsung to offer a suite of innovative services for all users,” said Jyotindra Thacker, President of Reliance Jio Infocomm.

“We are delighted to contribute to Jio’s success story and rapid growth. We have been striving to offer the best experience possible to all users at Jio. Jio’s LTE network will unlock the potential of IoT and promise a much more convenient and safe environment for users,” said Youngky Kim, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.

The NB-IoT service not only utilizes the existing spectrum held by Jio, but is also enabled by a simple software upgrade of the already installed base stations. Further deployed is the new and dedicated Cellular IoT virtualized core. The commercial NB-IoT network successfully established by Jio and Samsung in Mumbai in February 2018 will soon impact other parts of the country with new and compelling use cases.

The agreement represents another phase of collaboration between the two companies, in which the targeted outcomes are faster internet access for users across India, as well as the generation of unexplored services and business models for enterprises.

ZTE, velcom Initiate First NB-IoT Commercial Deployment in Belarus

ZTE Corporation, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, and velcom, a branch of A1 Telekom Austria Group, have announced the deployment of the first scaled commercial Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) network in Belarus.

The network was deployed in Minsk city first and then in other regions accordingly as scheduled. So far, velcom has verified smart metering and smart city solutions in the network.

The cooperation of NB-IoT between velcom and ZTE has started since the end of last year. In April’s Tibo exhibition, the end-to-end gas metering service demo has been successfully demonstrated. Following that, more lab tests and field tests were carried out.

velcom has highly appreciated ZTE’s commitment in this market. “We are very excited that, with ZTE, we have provided abundant services to our customers. Within the project, we installed equipment that will allow us to implement NB-IoT technology. This is an incredible breakthrough in the field of telecommunications, and we are happy to complete it together. We are sincerely glad to have such a partnership and looking forward to further cooperation.” said Christian Laque, CTO of velcom.

Pu Yingchun, Vice President of ZTE and General Manager of FDD Products, said: “ZTE is very proud to work with velcom to release the first NB-IoT commercial deployment overseas. The achievement signifies ZTE’s capabilities of providing operators with the smooth evolution solution towards 5G.”

velcom is one of the leading mobile operators in Belarus dedicated to providing customers with the cutting-edge communication services. It started its 3G network rollouts in March 2010. In February 2016, velcom was the first to launch UMTS-900 throughout the whole country, bringing dramatic coverage extension and high mobile data quality.

NB-IoT Deployment: Huawei, Nextek and Quectel to Drive IoT Expansion in the Middle East

Huawei has signed an agreement with two global companies to promote the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and build a IoT ecosystem in the Middle East: Nextek Solutions, a global IT & software provider and integrator, and Quectel, a supplier of wireless modules. The two entities will cooperate with Huawei to build Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) solutions that target the needs of regional organizations.

In the Middle East, the Internet of Things is being driven by Smart Cities. Governments from this region have made smart city expansion a key goal of their national agendas, leading to the deployment of innovative projects that stand as a reference for smart city development worldwide.

The Smart City Center of Excellence in Dubai acts as a platform for industry leaders to share their knowledge and collaborate to keep progressing the field.

“Huawei believes that the key to driving Smart City development in the region is to create an ecosystem of partners and vendors working together to co-create solutions that precisely target the needs of their respective vertical sector,” says Su Wang, Vice President of Marketing, Huawei Middle East. “We are eager to work with partners like Nextek and Quectel to drive IoT development and commercialization in the region. Through joint investments and collaboration between manufacturers, operators, ICT providers, application software developers, research institutes, and even governments, the pace of growth of IoT will keep accelerating.”

“Nextek is very eager to cooperate with Huawei for IoT and Smart Cities project in the Middle East and globally. We understand the local markets very well and the need for IoT solutions for various verticals. Nextek is well positioned to contribute as a software provider and integrator,” said Karim Rahemtulla, Managing Director of Nextek.

“As one of the first NB-IoT module manufacturers in the world, Quectel is willing to explore the Middle East market together with partners across the industrial chain including operators, local IoT device vendors and distributors to contribute to the smart city vision in the Middle East region,” said Doron Zhang, Senior Vice President of Quectel.

Huawei has been active in IoT development across the Middle East, collaborating with Etisalat to launch the first successful trial of Smart Parking in the region. Huawei partners with Jeddah Municipality to implement groundbreaking smart city solution in the region. Zain has already deployed IoT solutions in KSA with the help of Huawei, aimed at ensuring a better life for its citizens.

In order to accelerate the development of the IoT industry and enrich the ecosystem, Huawei has deployed its Hosting Center that serves as a secure platform for operators in the region. Huawei’s OpenLab in Dubai provides regional partners with a platform to test and customize a variety of technologies to target the vertical sectors most relevant to the Middle East, particularly Public Safety, Smart Cities, Transportation, Education, and Oil & Gas.