Telecommunications

Netherlands rolls out world-first nationwide Internet of Things network

KPN technicians install a LoRa gateway onto a mobile transmission tower in the Netherlands, as part of the rollout of a new IoT-dedicated network
KPN technicians install a LoRa gateway onto a mobile transmission tower in the Netherlands, as part of the rollout of a new IoT-dedicated network

South Korean telco SK Telecom recently claimed it was rolling out the world's first nationwide Internet of Things (IoT) network, but it looks like the Netherlands has beaten it to the punch. Dutch telecommunications company KPN has switched on its own system this week, which reportedly covers the entire country and will be used to connect millions of devices.

KPN technicians fitted hundreds of existing mobile transmission towers with LoRa (Long Range) gateways and antennas, to create a new public network dedicated to IoT devices. Sections first went online in Rotterdam and The Hague in November 2015, before work ramped up earlier this year in response to customer interest.

"Last year we identified an increasing demand for low-power network technology for Internet of Things applications," says Joost Farwerck, COO of KPN. " We are responding to this by choosing LoRa, so millions of devices can be connected to the internet in a cost-effective manner. In less than a year KPN has implemented a network that allows us to satisfy this market demand."

Already, the company has contracts for 1.5 million devices to utilize the LoRa network. Baggage handling at Schiphol Airport, depth sounders in the port of Rotterdam and rail switches at Utrecht Central Station are all currently being handled by smart connected devices, with plenty more expected to join the party as KPN continues to optimize and add functionality to the system.

Source: KPN

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3 comments
EH
Does any actual human want this ghastly IoT? It's the end of all privacy for absolutely no benefit to people so far as I can tell. Marketers, sure, companies taking inventory, spy agencies, Intel - but what do people get out of it? They're pretending its just inevitable progress despite the fact that no one actually wants it. That suggests it's even worse than it seems.
ivan4
Oh dear! There is a total lack of any form of security with these devices, the script kiddies will have fun turning up or down thermostats, switching lights on and off and unlocking doors.
Why anyone would deliberately setup a network for these things is beyond me unless they are thinking about 'smart' meters but with their total lack of security we can look forward to kids having 'fun' using cities to draw rude pictures in light and dark at night ('smart' meters only real use is to remotely switch off consumers that are late paying their bill).
Arahant
I dont know enough about it but, the article makes it seem like it will be alot cheaper way of communicating via internet, with maby not a huge amount of bandwith for bandwith intensive things like watching videos or whatever(im just assuming). As it is right now, data packages arn't that cheap, and if all you want is the ability to email and makes calles and send text messages or whatever, then maby alot of people will want it.