Tele2 AB (Tele2) is a major European telecommunications operator, with about 34 million customers operating in 10 countries. It serves as a fixed-line telephone operator, cable and digital television provider, mobile phone operator and Internet service provider.
Aerea was formerly an Intel brand known for its Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax) services in Amsterdam. Aerea’s focus is no longer just on Wimax, it has grown to fill in the gaps of niche connectivity. Aerea is a Dutch company that operates a special ultra-efficient wireless network for the Internet of Things (IoT) using technology from Sigfox. Some of its services include SIGFOX network operator for machine-to-machine (M2M) and IoT, 4G connections, service provider of fiber Internet and city Wi-Fi operator.
The two companies have entered into a partnership that will allow Tele2 customers to use the Aerea network for IoT devices. The goal is to lower the cost of providing connectivity for these type of devices in the Netherlands. Essentially, it means that instead of paying high rates for 3G or 4G data, devices that have very low transmission rates such as connected smoke detectors or security alarms could transmit their data over the Aerea network for much less.
There is a catch however in that these devices would need special chips using the Sigfox radios. Considering that Sigfox is making headway in getting both the devices and the networks in Europe this should not be an issue. It will provide customers the benefits of having a low-cost and much more energy-efficient means of transferring data from connected devices.
Rami Avidan, who is the commercial director M2M at Tele2 AB, had the following to say, “The ability to offer this integrated solution puts us in an even stronger position in the Netherlands. Tele2 recognizes the SIGFOX technology to be complementary to cellular M2M connectivity solutions and we are proud to work together with Aerea and SIGFOX in the Netherlands. This new agreement gives me confidence in the Tele2 M2M partner strategy to develop real partnerships that offer added value to the IoT value chain, in collaboration with SIGFOX.”
Sigfox, which was developed in France, is a low-throughput connectivity solution based on antenna and base station infrastructure that is independent of existing telecom networks. The Sigfox network uses ISM ultra-narrowband license-free frequencies which run at 868 MHz in Europe and 902 MHz in the U.S. Bloomberg reported that the technology builds on the same radio technology that submarines used to communicate under water during World War I. The technology uses a wireless frequency that allows very small bits of data to travel over long distances.
Aerea’s CEO, Nicholas van Hoey Smith, made the following comments, “Through superior SIGFOX technology with an open ecosystem and aggressive pricing, this partnership will enable us to meet the needs of the rapidly growing Dutch M2M and IoT markets. With Tele2, we have partnered to cover the segment that is in need of higher bandwidth requirements.”
Customers who do not want to tie their own communications networks together if they don’t have to will go to a system integrator or to a large carrier to have that company do it for them. In this way, having Tele2 now offer both a cellular and an IoT piece of the puzzle in the Netherlands offers a more compelling option.
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Edited by
Maurice Nagle