Kcell has launched its pilot NB-IoT network in Kazakhstan’s largest city Almaty, with a focus on ‘the development and implementation of IoT solutions for both business and individuals’. The network, currently in ‘test-mode’ supports various sensors, controllers and other devices, with Kcell also highlighting IoT reporting/analytics solutions. Clients have the option of selecting a ready-made turnkey IoT solution or working with Kcell on developing a tailored solution from scratch, including software, hardware devices and other facets including product promotion, if necessary. Kcell is also flagging up NB-IoT’s potential for agriculture solutions.
Russia’s MTS has launched an M2M/IoT solution based on its own platform to serve regional waste collection operators. The operator also revealed the latest expansion of its NB-IoT network, which this week reached the Lipetsk region, including Lipetsk (city) and Yelets, Gryazi, Usman, Lebedyan, Dankov, Chaplygin and twelve other settlements. Russian rival Beeline has teamed up with power supply operator Energomera to develop and promote IoT, industrial automation, data processing and machine learning technologies. Another Russian heavyweight, MegaFon, has launched an ‘ecosystem’ of IoT solutions for businesses and municipalities, including Video Analytics, Smart Housing and Utilities, Digital Management Company solutions and Environmental Monitoring, for use in commercial businesses as well as municipal smart city systems.
In the UK, Vodafone and South East Water are piloting an NB-IoT ‘smart water network’ solution, involving special digital water meters, sensors and acoustic loggers on underground mains water pipes via Vodafone’s LTE network.
Swedish tech giant Ericsson has partnered the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to develop an NB-IoT sensor network to monitor air pollution in Delhi, using locally manufactured air quality sensors.
In the US, AT&T and Badger Technologies are aiming to accelerate retail automation using autonomous robots with 5G networking. Kentucky-based Badger (a division of Jabil) has designed autonomous mobile robots to help retailers improve operational efficiencies and customer experiences by identifying out-of-stock, mispriced, or misplaced inventory, as well as store hazards. To better enable seamless, uninterrupted network connectivity, AT&T is testing 5G/IoT connectivity with Badger’s robots in a multi-access edge computing (MEC) environment using mmWave spectrum for low latency and high throughput.
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