Tata Comm testing low-cost technology for nationwide IoT network: report

Tata Communications is reported to be building a nation-wide internet of things network using the Low Power Wide Area Network, based on the LoRa (Low power long Range) technology, which the company says, is a more effective tool for building communication network compared to the WiFi and GSM broadband technologies.

The LoRa technology will enable Tata Communications to build a nation-wide internet of things (IoT) network that in turn would allow millions of connected devices such as smart meters to talk to each other wirelessly even in difficult places and unwelcome terrains, says a Hindu BusinessLine report.

The LoRa technology will enable radio signals to reach devices placed deep inside a building or 50 meters under water, thereby enabling deployment of connected devices anywhere, says the report.

To begin with, the company will be deploying the internet of things network across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, the report quoted Tri Pham, chief strategy officer at Tata Communications, as saying.

He said the new smart network will find massive use by evolving intelligent solutions for a variety of machine-to-machine applications, thereby facilitating a simpler and smarter way of life at very low cost.

The present trials, according to Tata Communications, are a prelude to nationwide deployment, and the company will work with users and other service providers to build a robust communication infrastructure.

The company will also invite customers with IoT projects to work with the company for end-to-end testing of the IoT network.

Tata Communications plans to connect about 10,000 small towns and remote villages in the country by turning hundreds of temples and mosques into internet hubs, the newspaper also quoted Tata Communications' chief marketing officer and CEO of NextGen Business, Tata Communications, Julie Woods-Moss, as saying.

This will help achieve Tata Communications' plans to bring high-speed connectivity to rural India at very low cost.

The use of mosques and temples as internet hubs in villages is a crowd-sourced idea short-listed at 'Shape the Future' programme.

The LoRa technology-based network is a super low-power, secure, bidirectional, communication solution, the company said.

The first phase targets to cover 400 million people across Tier 1, 2, 3 and 4 cities.

IoT is getting wider applications in enterprises and government agencies in uses such as monitoring electricity meters, industrial machinery, leakages in oil pipelines and even in improving the efficiency of electrical grids.

Globally the number of connected devices is expected to reach 25 billion from around 4.9 billion in 2015, according to a Gartner forecast.

Tata Communications, which owns about one-fourth of all global internet pipes, is experimenting White-Fi, which is currently being tested by Microsoft in some Indian villages. The technology uses unlicensed TV spectrum to connect to the internet.

The company is also in talks with large internet companies to collaborate on such projects in India, Woods-Moss said.

Woods-Moss, however, insisted that the company will not apply for any broadband licence to offer these services.