Telenor Myanmar, Ericsson test NB-IoT technology in Myanmar

Telenor Myanmar, in partnership with Ericsson, has become the first operator in Myanmar to carry out a successful trial of Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology on its LTE network.

The successful trial was conducted in Mandalay in early November with a scope to test and highlight the NB-IoT capability of the Telenor Myanmar LTE Network with the initial focus being to demonstrate the capability of NB-IoT devices on IoT platforms. Devices and use cases were tested on infrastructure such as transport vehicles for mobility and business establishments for ambient sensors within the trial zone.

“This trial has demonstrated the technological advancement of Telenor Myanmar network and its readiness for embracing future technologies like 5G. In NB-IoT domain, possibilities are immense and innovative solutions and applications can be provided on IoT platforms like Smart Homes, Smart Cities, Smart Metering, Connected Cars and Clinical Remote Monitoring to name a few”, said Jai Prakash, Chief Technology Officer of Telenor Myanmar.

The advanced NB -IoT network technology once deployed, will help accelerate the proliferation of IoT devices. It will further develop the IoT ecosystem in the country by offering superior coverage, long battery life and cost-effective solutions to enterprises. The NB-IoT network will amplify opportunity for solutions such as Smart Metering for utilities, Smart Parking, Smart Bins, smart environmental sensors for smart cities, logistic solutions as well as other applications in environment management to name a few.

Eric Timmer, Head of Ericsson Myanmar, states, “NB-IoT can provide the wide range of opportunities for the development of communities and industry in different areas: education, health, transport, smart manufacturing, environmental improvement, housing, optimizing of utility sector infrastructure, road safety and many more. The trial is one of many milestones demonstrating of our commitment to partnering with Telenor.”

As per the November edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report, the number of cellular IoT connections is expected to reach 4.1 billion in 2024 – increasing with an annual growth rate of 27 percent. There is an emerging trend toward communications service providers deploying one IoT network that supports both Cat-M1 and NB-IoT technologies. This enables them to address the diverse and evolving requirements across a wide range of use cases across different sectors.

IoT involves extending internet connectivity beyond standard devices, such as desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets, to any range of non-internet-enabled physical devices and everyday objects. Embedded with technology, these devices can communicate and interact with the environment over the internet, and they can be remotely monitored and controlled. For example, IoT-enabled street lamps will be able to detect its environment and will automatically be switched on or off or dim if necessary.

This latest breakthrough extends the partnership of Telenor and Ericsson in boosting the 5G readiness of Myanmar. In April 2018, Telenor and Ericsson have also partnered and achieved a record high peak speed of 1Gbps, the fastest internet speed ever achieved in Myanmar.

Telenor Myanmar is part of Telenor Group, one of the world's major mobile operators with more than 172 million subscriptions across Scandinavia and Asia. In November, Telenor Group launched the very first 5G pilot in Scandinavia, which would serve as a test bed for the superfast fifth generation (5G) mobile network in Norway.