CrisisGo, a leading provider in emergency communications, incident management, and student/staff health management, announce the release of Safety OneClick: an easy-to-use, physical wireless panic button system, extending your safety plan to any location.
LoRaWAN® News
The LoRaWAN® Standard Is Open for Business in Israel
Israel’s Ministry of Communications recently signed a decree authorizing LoRaWAN® and confirming the Official Regulation for LoRaWAN in Israel. This decree officially opens a new band for LoRaWAN in Israel between 917 and 920 MHz and allows for full commercial LoRaWAN deployments.
“The Israeli Ministry of Communications is proud to lead the process of regulatory approval and implementation of LoRaWAN technology in Israel. The ministry sees this technology as an integral part of the IoT. Approval of technology in Israel will enable the realization and promotion of the Internet in many areas such as smart cities, agriculture, industry and so on. A tier in the further development of the Israeli economy.”
Until now, authorizations in Israel were for trials, with several cities in Israel conducting pilot network deployments. This new spectrum allocation provides certainty and confidence to the Israeli market that full commercial LoRaWAN deployments are open for business. As a result, the LoRa Alliance anticipates higher investment in the LoRaWAN ecosystem in general and Israel in particular knowing that deployments are authorized.
“It is fantastic to see LoRaWAN being allocated spectrum in countries around the world and I’m very excited at what this development means for the Israeli market. Having authorization from Israel’s Ministry of Communications is a clear signal to the supply chain and end-users that LoRaWAN is market-ready, and the infrastructure is in place to support full commercial deployments. I look forward to learning about how companies in Israel are using LoRaWAN and invite them to join the LoRa Alliance ecosystem to accelerate their go-to-market plans.” ––Donna Moore, CEO and Chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance
The work to secure this status is the result of the LoRa Alliance® Regulatory Working Group’s engagement with the Israeli government since January 2020 to share technical and marketing information on LoRaWAN and preferred regulatory conditions with extensive support from local member companies who participated in the working group effort. The LoRa Alliance specifically thanks Actility for its extensive support in Israel.
“This step was much awaited to unlock LoRaWAN business in Israel. We are proud of the coordination work achieved with the Ministry of Communication and the LoRa Alliance, leveraging Actility’s local presence in Israel to guarantee the success of this long series of negotiations. Actility is confident that LoRaWAN deployments in Israel will add another piece of success stories to the LoRaWAN growth around the world.” – Ramez Soss, ThingPark Product Manager at Actility.
Last week, the LoRa Alliance released a new profile called ‘AS923-4’ to be used in Israel to promote the development and deployment of LoRaWAN in the country.
April 2021 Special Edition: Internet of Things Handbook 2021
Here’s the latest IDT security nightmare: All of the wireless routers through which most loT traffic passes are probably vulnerable to botnets and other kinds of security breaches. That’s the conclusion of researchers at Fraunhofer FKIE in Germany who analyzed 127 different routers sold by seven vendors. The routers they examined are sold in Europe, but a quick check reveals many of them have versions available in the U.S.
Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Donna Moore of LoRa Alliance On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience
Donna Moore is CEO & Chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance®. In this role, she oversees the organization, its strategy and direction, and drives the global adoption of the LoRaWAN® standard. Moore has nearly two decades of experience launching new companies and growing businesses across a variety of industries and competitive environments. Most recently, she was the co-founder and CEO of SpireSpark, a company that designs, builds and manages worldwide certification, compliance and conformance programs. Before that, Moore served as the executive director of the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), the standard for streaming local video, audio and picture files to each other over a LAN. Under her leadership, DNLA achieved global market adoption, with over 4 billion certified devices deployed worldwide, and established multiple strategic alliances internationally across multiple industries. Moore holds a B.S. from San Diego State University.
Semtech Accelerates Technology Deployment Aimed at a Smarter, Sustainable Planet
Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC), a leading supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, is amplifying its mission to make the planet a smarter, more connected and sustainable place by providing an innovative Internet of Things (IoT) platform. With solutions deployed globally, Semtech’s LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN® protocol help reduce environmental impacts and remedy challenges facing the global community spanning wildlife protection, sustainable farming, combating COVID-19, water conservation to high-risk flood monitoring.
Mainlink Preparing Wireless Networks Expansion by Partnering up with TEKTELIC
Mainlink, a provider of services based on the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, has collaborated with Canadian company TEKTELIC, which will speed up the development of the LoRaWAN® wireless networks. The new partnership will provide Mainlink with base stations and other equipment necessary for the reliable and global performance of the network.
FUOTA Specification for IoT Devices
How do you keep IoT devices with up-to-date software? I learned a bit about the Firmware Updates Over the Air (FUOTA) specification. I wanted know more so I contacted Dave Kjendal, CTO and COO at Senet. Senet provides connectivity platforms and flexible, cost optimized business models to deploy carrier-grade LoRaWAN® networks.
UK’s Largest Smart Water Network Pilot shows Promising Results for Leakage
The UK water industry has challenging targets to improve service for customers by 2025 including reducing water leakage by at least 15%.
Digi International Acquires Haxiot
LoRaWAN Solutions Leader Broadens Portfolio and Market Reach of Digi’s IoT Embedded Systems Business
HOPKINS, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Digi International (NASDAQ: DGII) (www.digi.com), a leading global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity products and services, today announced that it has acquired Dallas-based Haxiot, an industry leader in end-to-end LoRaWAN®-based solutions. Terms of the acquisition were not immediately disclosed.
Go-IoT Joins LoRa Alliance
Iceland & London, UK • Feb. 4th 2021 Go-IoT an Icelandic / UK based IoT technology development company announces that it has joined the LoRa Alliance as an adopter member. This membership will allow Go-IoT to accelerate the adoption and integration of the LoRaWAN® protocol around the world. The LoRa Alliance is an open, nonprofit association which began in March 2015 and currently has in excess of 500 members.
LoRa Alliance® and GS1 in Europe Enter Liaison Agreement to Explore Combining GS1 Supply Chain Standards with LoRaWAN®
Initial pilot successfully leverages LoRaWAN and RFID standards to reduce maintenance costs and improve operational efficiencies in the railway industry
Fremont, Calif. – March 3, 2021 – The LoRa Alliance®, the global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN® standard for Internet of Things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs), and GS1 in Europe, a not-for-profit organization that develops and maintains global standards for business communication to improve efficiency, safety and visibility of the supply chain in a variety of sectors, today announced a formal liaison agreement to explore adding LoRaWAN networks as an available carrier technology to the GS1 standards. The organizations’ goals are to provide greater efficiency and interoperability for supply chain and maintenance operations, strengthen inventory management, and simplify data exchanges between different systems and stakeholders. The initial collaboration addresses the requirements of the railway industry, with other sectors to follow.
A pilot project is in progress in France for national railway companies to implement a more cost-effective identification system for infrastructure and rollingstock. This initial collaboration is proving the feasibility and value of carrying GS1 identifiers from EPC/RFID tags over LoRaWAN networks. Additionally, an enriched data format is being specified, which can be applied to the railway industry to improve geolocation use cases by networks, as well as access to additional sensing data for predictive maintenance and asset management. End users will have access to easy digitization of existing systems, as well as reduced integration and operational costs resulting from larger adoption of GS1 standards with LoRaWAN.
“The deployment of LoRaWAN has greatly accelerated over the past 12 months and has positioned 2021 to be the year of massive scaling of applications across multiple industries,” said Donna Moore, CEO and Chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance. “One clear trend that has emerged is the need for multi-RAN strategies to address specific use cases. The combination of short-range RFID and long-range LoRaWAN networks represents a huge market opportunity, where cost-effective wireless communication can be achieved, amplifying the user benefits of both technologies. This liaison is another step in the LoRa Alliance’s strategic initiative to simplify the IoT by making LoRaWAN more accessible and interoperable with open standards.”
François Deprey, vice-chair of GS1 in Europe and CEO of GS1 France, explains: “What makes a lot of sense in this agreement between GS1 in Europe and the LoRa Alliance is a common belief in the benefits of interoperability. For the last 50 years, GS1 has been working with a lot of different industries to make supply chains more efficient, and data more portable and sharable. Nowadays, to fully benefit from the fast-growing development of IoT, better collaboration across sectors and data standardization are essential. In France, the pilot program of SNCF where GS1 France and the LoRa Alliance collaborate is a perfect use case to demonstrate the benefits for maintenance and operations in this sector. It also proves the necessity to deploy a ‘technology-agnostic’ common language to maximize the advantages of digital transformation.”
In the initial pilot program, the focus is on inventory and condition monitoring of railway industry assets. The project objective is to demonstrate that combining RFID and LoRaWAN deliverables cost-effective visibility of railway assets, resulting in improved uptime, maintenance, and operations. The ambition is to launch other pilots and projects within this cooperation to cover additional sectors and expand to other countries.
About the LoRa Alliance
The LoRa Alliance® is an open, nonprofit association that has become one of the largest and fastest-growing alliances in the technology sector since its inception in 2015. Its members collaborate closely and share expertise to develop and promote the LoRaWAN® standard, the de facto global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWAN connectivity. LoRaWAN has the technical flexibility to address a broad range of IoT applications, both static and mobile, and a robust LoRaWAN Certification program to guarantee that devices perform as specified. Deployed by 150 major mobile network operators globally, LoRaWAN connectivity is available in more than 160 countries, with continual expansion.
To learn more about LoRaWAN, the LoRa Alliance, the benefits of membership, and to keep up with the alliance’s latest developments, please follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook or visit our website.
LoRa Alliance® and LoRaWAN® are registered trademarks, used with permission.
About GS1 in Europe
GS1 is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the implementation of global standards to improve the efficiency, visibility and sustainability of products all around the world, and represents more than 2.5 million companies in the world. GS1 in Europe is the European collaboration platform of GS1 regrouping 49 countries in Europe and beyond, representing more than 500.000 companies in Europe.
GS1 in Europe role is to bring these companies around the table and foster collaboration in order to establish common rules and common standards.
If you are interested to know more about how we can support businesses through all our European projects and activities please visit our website www.gs1.eu or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
GS1 is a registered trademark of GS1 AISBL
MEDIA CONTACTS
Eric Lawson for LoRa Alliance
Diogo Almeida, GS1 in Europe Events and communication coordinator
Farming for the future with the Internet of Things
It might well be handy for your fridge to tell you when you’re out of milk (or even order some more up), for the TV to be able to speak to the toaster and to be able to turn the heating up when you’re heading home from work.
But somehow these sort of things didn’t really chime in the farming world – and even if they did then the chances are that the poor connectivity in many farms and rural areas, with dial-up broadband speeds and mobile signal not-spots, would hamper any communication, no matter how brief.
Smart City Infrastructure Transformed using Solvera Lynx’s Solutions based on LoRaWAN Technology
Smart cities move towards efficiency, advanced technologies, and new IoT challenges. Solvera Lynx’s energy management solutions are the game changer and a cornerstone of a Smart city transformation. Our communication devices based on LoRaWAN™ technology and an innovative software platform form the basis for successful smart city and energy management solutions…
Semtech and GSA Optimize Logistics and Inventory Management with LoRaWAN®
Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC), a leading supplier of high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, announced that Green Scale Alchemy (GSA (News – Alert)), a leading developer of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for asset management in the retail and supply chain industries, has integrated Semtech’s IoT devices operating on the LoRaWAN® protocol into its IoT-based pool management platform. The platform enables accurate pallet management to increase logistical efficiency and has already been rolled out by Giffard, a large-scale French liqueur manufacturer, to remotely manage its packaging assets and tools across two of the company’s large warehouses.
11 Myths About 5G Networking
An increase in 5G deployments will trigger a rise in complementary technologies that offer low-power flexibility, cost-effective power, and low-bandwidth options for massive Internet of Things deployments.
What you’ll learn:
- The benefits of LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN protocol
- How connectivity solutions complement the strengths of 5G
A Green Tech Boom Could Solve the Ecological Crisis After COVID
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people excitedly analyzed positive environmental changes caused by the lockdowns associated with it. For example, air and water quality improved due to decreases in car and boat traffic. Environmental conservationists and green tech experts wondered if the pandemic could signal a remarkable improvement in sustainability.
LoRa developments add to IoT momentum
Already one of the most widespread of the low-power, wide-area protocols, LoRa has seen some recent developments that promise to further the protocol’s adoption. A new link-layer specification aims to help facilitate worldwide deployments and an innovation in the packaging of passive components promises to help reduce implementation size. Together they can help increase the momentum of LoRa adoption.
Senet, CNIguard and Semtech deliver LoRaWAN natural gas leak detection and utility monitoring solutions
Senet, Inc., a provider of cloud-based software and services platforms that enable global connectivity and on-demand network build-outs for the Internet of Things (IoT), is collaborating with CNIguard and Semtech Corporation to deliver natural gas monitoring solutions to utilities across the United States.
LoRaWAN will temporarily replace 5G networks for IoT
5G networks will revolutionize the Internet of Things (IoT). But it will take several years for the technology to cover most of the planet. Thanks to LoRaWAN, you don’t need to wait. According to Gartner, around 5.8 billion enterprise and automotive IoT endpoints will be used throughout 2020, which is 21% more than in 2019. Telecom networks will soon struggle to handle the load.
IoT experts put hopes into 5G as the IoT connectivity standard of the future that will replace physical networks and enable real-time responsiveness. The keyword here is ‘future’. Ericsson predicts that 5G technology will only be available to two-thirds of the global population by 2025.
With so much hype around 5G at the moment, people frequently neglect an alternative that has been there for five years: low-range wide-area networks (LoRaWAN). In many instances, LoRaWAN can replace 5G, at least until 5G becomes available worldwide.
Advanced Networks and IoT: Optimizing Agile, Efficient Operations
IoT platforms are becoming key to operational agility, with global spending on IoT is forecast to reach $1.1 trillion in 2022, up from $726 billion 2019. Taken together, IoT sensors, process automation, and the integration of LoRaWAN® with existing ethernet and broadband connectivity offer the opportunity to maximize efficiency and security in today’s operational environments—particularly in hard-to-reach places and spaces.
“Advanced Networks and IoT: Optimizing Agile, Efficient Operations,” a webinar from Comcast Business Services, explores the comparative benefits of LoRaWAN connectivity with Wi-Fi across a variety of IoT use cases. Our panelists discuss the complementary nature of these two network technologies to extend network coverage power IoT use cases that drive business results.
VIEW WEBINAR
LoRaWAN® Investment Unlocked in Italy
LoRa Alliance® members A2A Smart City, Everynet and Unidata supported the new “Decreto Semplificazioni” law and the amendments of Senator Maria Laura Mantovani that now enable permanent low power wide area network (LPWAN) Internet of Things (IoT) deployments in Italy.
The LoRa Alliance is thrilled by the recent decision of the Italian government to turbocharge the advancement of IoT in Italy by opening commercial LoRaWAN® deployments and enabling large variety of new IoT applications. With this new ruling on September 15, 2020, Italy enabled business where LoRaWAN is concerned. After years of strong effort by the LoRa Alliance alongside member companies A2A Smart City, Everynet, and Unidata, Italy recently removed constraints on the full deployment of LoRaWAN networks.
The three LoRa Alliance member companies driving this effort in Italy expressed great satisfaction for the passage into law of the “Decreto Semplificazioni,” which contains the amendment presented in the Italian Senate by Senator Mantovani. The amendment removes the temporal restrictions to LoRaWAN and allows the transition to a permanent authorization model, finally unblocking investments in the IoT.
A bit of history is informative
Although part of the European Union (EU) greenlighted use of the EU868 frequency for LoRaWAN back in 2018, Italy put limitations in place while it examined potential issues around interference with defense and other existing networks using the same spectrum. While LoRaWAN networks were permitted, they were subject to regulations imposed by the Ministry of Defense, which wanted to understand whether there were any potential interference issues before allowing unlimited use. All licenses were restricted to 6-months, making risky major investments in infrastructure and slowing down deployment of LoRaWAN in the country. The experiments and studies carried out since 2016 have demonstrated the coexistence of low power wide area network (LPWAN) technologies with other systems (including military/defense, public/private uses) in the 863-870 MHz frequency band.
Accelerating the IoT in Italy
As A2A Smart City, Unidata, and Everynet explain, this change in regulation definitively provides administrative simplification in the IoT sector and opens the market for the massive adoption of IoT LPWAN applications. The new law will accelerate the investments in innovation and the implementations of new IoT solutions. Before multinational companies had looked at the Italian IoT market with trepidation. Now, they can focus on business IoT services for manufacturing, tourism, healthcare, agriculture, and, above all, the energy, gas, and water supply service sector. These markets are expected to be the first markets for LoRaWAN, with billions of Euro ready to be invested. Proven global success stories, such as asset tracking and gas and water metering implemented in Brazil, electricity metering in Indonesia, and smart waste management in Iceland, can be replicated cost-effectively across the whole country.
“The legal green light is finally also in Italy,” underscored Patrizio Pisani, Head of R&D at Unidata. “It introduces a fundamental administrative simplification in the IoT sector for LPWAN technology solutions that require the frequency ranges 863-870 and 915-921 MHz. The simplification removes the six-month time limit and its related regulatory uncertainty. It enables investments in LoRaWAN technology in strategic sectors such as smart metering by water utilities, a potential driving force for economic recovery and development of the country, as well as smart cities and smart agriculture.”
“The build-out and management of a LoRaWAN network on a national level enable a consistent number of services and solutions to be provided by national and international companies, which will help to overcome the digital divide that still relegates Italy below the European average,” explained Antonio Terlizzi, Senior Vice President of Everynet BV. “With the ‘Decreto Legge Semplificazioni’ law, the Italian government is enabling a system for international innovation that we already support in seven countries worldwide with our national networks. That ranges from smart meters for water, electricity, and gas, to smart city and smart building solutions, tracking of goods and people, and even to the latest social distancing and sanitization solutions related to the recent Covid-19 pandemic.”
“Having achieved the end of such an important path after four intense years of work with these Institutions gives us renewed strength to meet market requirements here. We have the opportunity to address the business challenges that LoRaWAN solutions can unlock for our customers all over the country,” said Marco Turchini, CEO A2A Smart City. “It is an amazing time to invest in IoT and provide LoRaWAN solutions to help advance the Italian market.”
With LoRaWAN now supported by the appropriate regulatory framework, Italy provides a secure environment for LoRaWAN investments and offers a new great market for LoRaWAN. Users can deploy LoRaWAN knowing their investments are safe, which has greatly strengthened its prospects here.
LoRa Alliance® and LoRaWAN® are registered trademarks, used with permission.
Welsh farms install smart sensors to capture crucial data
Numerous Welsh farms have installed low-powered smart sensors that exploit wireless technology, helping capture important data for their businesses.
LoRaWAN (Low Power Long Range Wide Area Access Network) radio frequency is not new – it is used globally in a multitude of situations. It is especially beneficial in rural areas where communications infrastructure can fall short but it hasn’t been used extensively in Wales until now. The Welsh government’s Farming Connect scheme is funding the installation of LoRaWAN gateway devices on eighteen farms across Wales.
Smart Parks solution deployment for Wildlife Protection in Mkomazi National Park, Tanzania.
First black rhinos protected by sensor-implants in horns
The Internet of Life and the ShadowView Foundation have successfully implanted LoRaWAN -equipped sensors directly into the horns of critically endangered black rhinos. The sensors give park rangers the ability to accurately monitor the whereabouts and activities of the large mammals and keep them safe from poachers.
Microland and Microshare Sign Global Sales Agreement for Smart Facilities Solutions that Enable Safe Return to Work Amid the Pandemic
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 15, 2020 /CNW/ — Microshare Inc., a pioneer in workplace and Smart Facilities data capabilities, has signed a global sales and system integration alliance with leading IT infrastructure services company Microland Ltd. Through this partnership, Microland will provide solutions for businesses, governments and other institutions seeking to return to work safely amid the global pandemic.
Senet and Frost Control Systems Partner to Deliver LoRaWAN® Road Weather Information Systems and Services
Senet, Inc. today announced a partnership with Frost Control Systems, a U.S. based manufacturer and service provider of non-invasive, non-contact, Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS).
Through this partnership, Frost Control Systems has integrated Senet LoRaWAN™ network connectivity with its turnkey RWIS service to deliver remote monitoring of atmospheric and surface temperature for winter road condition monitoring.
Semtech’s LoRaWAN® Devices Boost Crop Yield on Connected Avocado Farms
CAMARILLO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC), a leading supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, announced that ICT International, an Internet of Things (IoT) solution provider for environmental applications, and Definium Technologies (Definium), a developer and manufacturer of IoT gateways and devices, are leveraging an advanced array of products based on Semtech’s LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN® protocol to improve crop yield in Australian avocado plantations with a data-centric approach to farming.