Sigfox, the French startup with ambitious plans to provide its slow-speed Internet of Things (IoT) network throughout the world, is working with Dallas-based Texas Instruments (TI) to deliver Sub-1 GHz solutions.
Customers can use the Sigfox network with TI's sub-1 GHz RF transceivers to deploy wireless sensor nodes at lower cost and lower power than 3G/cellular connected nodes while providing long-range connectivity to the IoT, the companies announced in a press release.
The companies are targeting a variety of end-user applications, including environmental sensors, smart meters, agriculture and livestock sensors, asset tracking and smart cities. Sigfox's stated goal is to roll out its low-throughput network in 60 countries within five years.
Sigfox and TI say using the Sigfox infrastructure reduces the cost and effort to get sensor data to the cloud and TI's Sub-1 GHz technology provides years of battery life for less maintenance and up to 100-kilometer range.
Sigfox's two-way network is based on an ultra-narrowband (UNB) radio technology for connecting devices, which it says is key to providing a scalable, high-capacity network with low energy consumption and unmatched spectral efficiency.
"Narrowband technology is the superior option for a global Internet of Things network, because it offers the lowest-cost, most energy-efficient connectivity, along with the data capacity and robust coexistence, that competing technologies just cannot match," said Oyvind Birkenes, general manager, Wireless Connectivity Solutions at TI, in the release. "We are excited to be working with Sigfox to expand their network deployments and bring the benefits of narrowband Sub-1 GHz technology to users worldwide."
Sub-1 GHz networks operate in region-specific industrial scientific and medical (ISM) bands below 1 GHz including 169, 315, 433, 500, 868, 915 and 920 MHz. The networks are proprietary by nature and have been used for smart metering, security and alarm systems and other sensitive industrial systems. The lower power enables years of battery life to reduce service and maintenance requirements.
At Mobile World Congress 2015, Sigfox marketing chief Thomas Nicholls told FierceWirelessTech that Sigfox had already conducted several pilot projects of its network technology in various locations across the United States. He said at the time that the company was gearing up for a major commercial push in the United States this year. The company's $115 million round of venture capital financing was geared primarily to fund its U.S. expansion, including hiring 30 new U.S. employees.
For more:
- see the press release
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