21 April 2016
Trans-Tasman IoT network goes live
An ambitious programme that will link businesses, educational institutes, public facilities and consumers across
Australia and New Zealand to a global Internet of Things (IoT) network is up and running.
Network operator Thinxtra has installed base stations and antennae on eight locations across Melbourne and Sydney,
including the two cities’ tallest towers: Melbourne’s Eureka Tower and Sydney Tower Eye.
Thinxtra CEO Loic Barancourt says the installations are the first milestone in a rollout plan that will see the
company’s Low-Power Wide Area (LPWA) network* reach 85 percent of Australians and New Zealanders by the end of next
year.
“These installations will provide good coverage across the CBDs of Sydney and Melbourne and demonstrate how simple and
cost-effective it is to connect to Thinxtra’s SIGFOX network,” Mr Barancourt says.
Earier this month, French company SIGFOX appointed Thinxtra to install and operate a SIGFOX network in Australia and New
Zealand. Thinxtra, which is backed by NZX-listed technology company Rakon Limited, subsequently announced a partnership
with telecommunications, information security and media specialists Kordia that will cover the deployment of a SIGFOX
network into New Zealand and the sale of connections and solutions to this network.
Thinxtra is currently discussing deployment opportunities with schools, universities and local councils in Australia and
New Zealand.
Mr Barancourt says the IoT is already having a significant impact in many industries - despite the high installation and
operating costs of much of the existing technology.
“The solutions previously available are based on traditional telecommunications technology that has been adapted for
IoT-type use. This works – but it is expensive to connect to and very power hungry,” says Mr Barancourt.
“The technology Thinxtra is rolling out in New Zealand and Australia makes connecting to the IoT viable for a great many
more applications.
“Australian and New Zealand businesses are early adopters of the IoT and we have already identified a huge demand for
innovative applications in sectors including asset tracking and management, smart metering for utilities, smart
irrigation, crop monitoring and cattle tracking, as well as a wide range of smart city solutions,” says Mr Barancourt.
“As the provider of the world’s leading LPWA IoT connectivity solution, our role is to help make these exciting
opportunities a reality.”
ends