Internet of Things (IoT) represents the next step towards the digitisation of our society and economy, where objects and people are interconnected through communication networks and report about their status and/or the surrounding environment.
The Carriers are poised for IoT to hit Australia with immense vigour. Telstra turned on CaT-M1 across its network in 2017 encompassing 3 million square kilometres of coverage (double the 4G coverage) then enabled VoLTE voice calls across the whole network, and followed up with NB-IoT network support now in 2018. https://www.telstra.com.au/aboutus/media/media-releases/Telstra-adds-narrowband-capability-to-Australias-leading-IoT-network
While Vodafone launched commercial NB-IoT services back in 2017 and Optus has committed to trials using NB-IoT also.
CAT-M1 is well suited to applications with data in the 100s of kilobits per second with extended range and long battery life, VoLTE over Cat-M1 provides opportunities to further leverage the battery-saving features of Cat-M1 for use in wearables where voice services are required and can be used for instances as emergency calling panels in elevators, as well as day-to-day interactions with parking meters, information kiosks, whitegoods, and vehicles.
NB-IoT is better suited to applications sending even smaller amounts of data and operating with an even longer battery life, such as a moisture sensor or livestock tracking device, agriculture, transportation and mining, drones. NB-IoT’s key benefit is deploying ultra-low-power devices and deep signal penetration.
The latest release of Australian Standard AS/NZS S042.4 incorporates CAT-M1, NB-IoT and V2X (Vehicle IoT) requirements for use across Australia.
If you wish to supply your IoT product to the Australian Market, come and talk to us at Comtest Group and we’ll assist with your regulatory requirements and make the process a smooth transition.
Phone: (+613) 9645 5933
www.comtest.com.au