Voda & Huawei use low cost tech to target enterprise IoT

The two teamed up to use Vodafone’s existing mobile network in Spain to communicate with a water meter module. Vodafone and Huawei used cheaper, low powered technology that could potentially offer operators an affordable way into the enterprise IoT market.
Enterprise opportunity
The IoT opportunities in business are vast, ranging from utility meters to sensor monitoring and asset tracking. However one of the key issues lies in finding a cost efficient way for operators to utilise spectrum and technology that can sustain a long range mobile connection.
Vodafone and Huawei’s IoT transmitted message came from the use of narrow band, or NB-IoT, technology which is specifically designed for IoT use. It is currently being tested as a way to make connecting objects more efficient for operators, especially in hard to reach places where long battery life, wide range connectivity and low power consumption are on-going problems.
According to Vodafone Group’s Matt Beal, Director of Innovation and Architecture, the technology’s capabilities to connect multiple IoT devices has gained industry support.