Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media plans to approve a framework this month for deploying NB-IoT, LTE-M and EC-GSM cellular IoT networks across the Federation, ComNews reports. The document – awaiting approval by the relevant federal executive bodies – details IoT wireless network usage in utilities, logistics, transport and industrial segments, via the three standards: EC-GSM (900MHz, 1800MHz spectrum bands), LTE-M (a.k.a. eMTC, ‘LTE bands’) and NB-IoT (‘LTE bands’, including 450MHz, 800MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz, 2600MHz FDD).
Russian mobile operator MTS and its Belarusian subsidiary, meanwhile, have completed testing of international NB-IoT roaming services between the two countries’ networks. Usage examples given by MTS and MTS Belarus included freight tracking applications.
Touch Lebanon, managed by Zain Group, has embarked on a partnership with IOTree for the first Lebanese NB-IoT network deployment and application launch, which is also billed as Lebanon’s ‘first wireless network of smart traps for harmful pests’. IOTree’s smart wireless trap network was developed ‘using a deep learning algorithm and machine vision designed for the early detection, classification, and counting of different types of harmful pests.’ A trial phase sees 20 smart traps connected to NB-IoT-enabled base stations in Der Tamich (Awkar) and Rabweh.
The recent 5G network development agreement signed by Telecom Egypt and Nokia included a commitment to work together on IoT services. Telecom Egypt will use Nokia’s ‘Worldwide IoT Network Grid (WING) as a Service’, as a platform to launch IoT services for the enterprise segment later this year. In another recent tie-up for Nokia, the Finnish vendor signed agreements with Zain Saudi Arabia aimed at accelerating Zain’s IoT services and applications launches, and providing innovative end-to-end services to the enterprise and public sector segments.
Vodafone Greece has introduced the ‘V by Vodafone’ consumer IoT product range, including the V-Kids Watch, V-SOS Band, V-Auto, V-Multi Tracker and V-Pet Tracker.
The UK’s BT is delivering a LoRaWAN-based Smart Water project across Northumbrian Water’s North East England operating region, initially in three areas of Sunderland, The FastMode reports. BT is providing the low power network and data to enable operational insights, allowing the water company to better understand how its water network performs using the Internet of Things (IoT). The Smart Water project aims to provide a wide range of insights on factors including water flow, pressure and quality to allow the utility to address issues such as water leakage and enhance levels of customers’ water quality. Around 150 sensors will initially be installed across the network to capture data. The project is among a number of recent IoT deployments by BT across the Smart Cities, utilities, transport, logistics and retail sectors.
German cableco Unitymedia has announced building a LoRaWAN network in the city of Alsfeld in Hesse. The announcement followed other similar deployments, including Unitymedia’s LoRaWAN rollout in Munster disclosed in December, which it said was aimed at ‘enabling applications for an intelligently networked city’.
South Africa’s Vox Telecom has entered a strategic partnership with Activate Group to utilise the ‘Yodiwo’ IoT platform to expand its range of services in the sector, aiming to support ‘fast, secure and smooth’ development and deployment of large-scale IoT solutions.
SoftBank of Japan has signed an agreement with Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT to develop best use cases for future smart cities in Taiwan.
Lastly, another Japanese mobile giant, NTT DOCOMO is field testing car manufacturer Nissan’s ‘Invisible-to-Visible’ (I2V) technology in moving vehicles via DOCOMO’s fifth-generation cellular connectivity at the Grandrive test facility in Yokosuka, reports AutomotiveWorld. I2V is described as a future Nissan Intelligent Mobility technology that merges the real and virtual worlds: by combining information from sensors outside and inside the vehicle with data from the cloud, it helps drivers see what is farther down the road, behind a building or around the corner. I2V also connects drivers and passengers to the Metaverse, a virtual world where people interact via avatars.
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