20.12.17 | Kerlink Supplies 1,000 Stations to Expand and Densify Proximus’s LoRaWAN Internet of Things Network in Belgium
THORIGNÉ FOUILLARD, France – Wednesday, December 20th 2017, 06:00 PM CET – Kerlink (ALKLK – FR0013156007), a specialist and global leader in network solutions dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced it will provide Proximus, an international telecom company and the leading provider of telephony, Internet, television and network-based ICT services in Belgium, with 800 more stations for the Proximus LoRaWAN IoT network in that country.
This network densification with geolocation-ready Kerlink Wirnet iBTS Standard stations follows Proximus’s deployment of a LoRaWAN IoT network in 2015 with 130 Kerlink Wirnet Stations, and Wirnet iBTS Standard reference. When the additional rollout is completed by year-end, the network will have more than 1,000 Kerlink Wirnet units in the field, making it scalable, reliable and robust.
Targeting public network operators, Wirnet iBTS Standard and Wirnet iBTS Compact stations are deployed outdoors and provide carrier-grade versatile, long-range, two-way and geolocation-ready connectivity. Kerlink customers worldwide have already deployed several thousand of these stations for IoT dedicated networks.
“In addition to its increasing deployment to power new networks in Europe, South Asia and South America, the Wirnet product range readily supports cell densification and enhanced service, like geolocation or native security for remote management of gateways,” said Yann Bauduin, director of sales for operators at Kerlink. “Wirnet iBTS Standard stations’ modularity offers increased coverage through cell densification by simply adding an extra LoRaWAN module. Its geolocation-ready design also enables a fast ramp up to deploy innovative location-based services, natively localizing each end device through the network.”
“Launching a cell-densification project in a short time after starting the deployment of our LoRaWANnetwork in Belgium is testimony to the positive reception and increasing use of the network by our customers,” said Alex Thomas, IoT program manager for Proximus. “We tested Kerlink’s Wirnet stations before deployment, and they demonstrated that they fully meet the expectations of users, backed by the Kerlink team’s constant customer support and confirmed expertise.”
“This new IoT network has already stimulated innovations and opened the door to new business models,” said Joke Tisaun, Proximus IoT product manager. “This is the case for some interesting applications we support today, like measuring the fullness of glass containers in order to optimize pick-up routes and enhance customer experience. In addition, we launched a project with the biggest gas supplier in Belgium, where we will monitor the gas tanks of people in their homes, to improve the service they can offer to their end-customers.”
Proximus also recently showcased a solution for industry environments to record energy information required for energy optimization. “For that purpose, sensors monitor the temperature, humidity, light and opening of doors, and send this information, almost in real-time. This ensures higher reliability, and improves management efficiency,” Tisaun said.