Internet of Things News-Vodafone expands the coverage of NB-IoT as customer demand grows

emphasize:

• Vodafone Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) coverage Expand to 98% of the UK.
• The coverage has increased with the growing demand for Internet of Things services from customers across the country.
• The network expansion supports Vodafone’s continued investment in IoT platforms and services to support more and more companies in implementing IoT technologies to improve operational efficiency and increase new revenue.
• The NB-IoT network expands Vodafone’s IoT products and consolidates its current leadership in the IoT field.

Vodafone has doubled the number of sites in its Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network to meet the growing demand for Internet of Things (IoT) services. The coverage of Vodafone NB-IoT now reaches 98% of the UK.

NB-IoT is a low-power, wide-area network (LPWAN) technology designed to achieve efficient communication across a wide geographic range or deep into urban infrastructure. NB-IoT supports long battery life and reduces the cost of devices with low data requirements.

Vodafone has seen an increasing demand for connectivity solutions in many industries that can support use cases such as industrial and commercial metering, water monitoring, asset tracking, and smart city applications (including air quality monitoring). NB-IoT supports applications where the lowest possible connection cost is critical to the viability of the business case.

Compared to using mobile networks for certain use cases and devices, NB-IoT offers many benefits:

• The service life of the device and battery can be extended to up to ten years
• The cost of modems and equipment is reduced, which means that overall capital expenditures are reduced
• Deployment has higher scalability and lower cost
• Due to the lower signal requirements for data transmission, the coverage area is extended
• Low maintenance requirements for IoT devices located in remote and inaccessible locations

Vodafone’s NB-IoT network has been used by customers in multiple industries, including SES Water and United Utilities, to detect leaks in underground pipelines and other infrastructure.

By supplementing existing mobile coverage with NB-IoT products, Vodafone can create tailor-made connectivity solutions for different IoT cases instead of relying on a “one size fits all” approach.

Anne Sheehan, Vodafone UK Business Director said:
“NB-IoT is an often overlooked part of our network, but it is becoming more and more important. It uses data from more and more devices to drive more organizational decisions.”

“This is a network designed for low-bandwidth devices, allowing coverage beyond 4G, and devices whose battery life can be extended to up to ten years. In the Internet of Things, customers may want to use our 4G network for real-time, data-intensive Type analysis, while other customers may need connectivity solutions for non-time-sensitive use cases (such as environmental monitoring).”

“We invested in NB-IoT because we want to provide our customers with the right tools for the right job, and every customer can afford and easy to use.”

One of the advantages of NB-IoT is that the coverage is beyond the traditional mobile coverage, because the network is designed for devices with lower bandwidth requirements. For use cases where a lower signal is sufficient (-128dBm), Vodafone’s NB-IoT network will exceed 98% of the geographic coverage (indoor and outdoor). For stronger signal requirements (-118dBm), it achieves 87% geographic coverage (indoor and outdoor). For areas not covered by today’s NB-IoT network, Vodafone will work with customers to upgrade and add infrastructure-a case basis.

Vodafone invested in the Internet of Things because it has the potential to transform business in the UK through data-based insights. It can be used to improve existing operations and introduce new products and services. The NB-IoT network works with Vodafone’s mobile network to provide connections for devices and assets, and Vodafone’s IoT.nxt platform allows Vodafone to work with customers at every stage of the journey.

The IoT.nxt solution will provide customers with every part of the IoT solution, with a single data management platform, and the ability to integrate new and old equipment into one system. The IoT platform is hosted in Vodafone’s secure environment and can be optimized for each use case or customer, making it easier for more companies to use the IoT.

Like Vodafone’s investments in multi-access edge computing (MEC), 5G Standalone and partner ecosystems, investments in IoT enable Vodafone to bring new connectivity solutions to customers.

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