 |
| Source: Unabiz. Some of the Unabiz partners with their MoUs on UnaDay, together with Bong on the right. |
Internet of Things (ioT) network operator UnaBiz has launched the first IoT-dedicated network in Singapore at the inaugural UnaDay, delivering commercial grade connectivity and services for IoT in the city-state, starting from as low as S$1 per device per year.
This network, which is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, will help improve energy efficiency, facility management and customer-centred solutions for businesses in the region with the capacity to support over 100 million connected devices while maintaining high network reliability and security. The deployment of the IoT dedicated network, which runs on Sigfox’s low-power wide area network (LPWAN), complements existing connectivity options by providing low power, efficient and low-cost connectivity as a standard service.
The exclusive Sigfox network operator in Singapore and Taiwan is fully operational just six months after its incorporation with Sigfox, which runs a global dedicated communications network for IoT and No. 1 independent energy player ENGIE. UnaDay also takes place about three months after Unabiz was granted the first facilities-based operator (FBO) licence in Asia that does not require SIM cards, from the Info-Communications Media Development Authority of Singapore.
"I believe Singapore has the potential to become a powerhouse and showroom in terms of IoT," said Henri Bong, CEO & Founder of UnaBiz. He disclosed that low-power, wide-area (LPWA) outdoor coverage stands at 95% of Singapore's population and 93% of the territory. Full deployment is expected to be complete in Q317. Unlike traditional wireless networks, the Sigfox network requires lighter infrastructure, thus making it simpler and faster to install.
UnaBiz is capping its network subscription charges at S$1 per device per month, which comes with a data plan for up to 140 messages per day. Qualified channel partners who commit to volume can ultimately enjoy subscription charges from as low as S$1 per device per year.
Unabiz IoT devices for sale include trackers which send alerts each time they are moved; sensors for objects such as doors and water tanks, as well as a Taiwan-developed smart button that can be deployed in a range of situations to send feedback. Use cases include situations where manual feedback is required, such as when a panic button is needed at banks or with the elderly, initiating a call-back from customer service, to the completion of a task at a warehouse.
Jonathan Tan, VP, Business Development & Sales, UnaBiz said, "Sigfox's technology is built for massive deployment and we are offering ultra-low cost connectivity to grow exponentially the base of devices that can access the network. Compared to existing local networks, businesses on our global network can generate savings of at least 90% off data plan subscription charges."
Partners Dimension Data, Fujitsu and Kyocera, Advantech and Aztech are some of the 36 ecosystem partners* which participated in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony on Unaday.
"MyRepublic shares UnaBiz's vision for a vibrant and accessible IoT eco-system in Singapore. We look forward to working with UnaBiz to develop an exciting suite of IoT solutions, reach new market segments and fast-track the adoption of IoT," said Yap Yong Teck, MD, MyRepublic Singapore.
Andy Cocks, Chief Technology Officer, Dimension Data said, "What UnaBiz is doing in Singapore is part of a global IoT movement led by Sigfox. I believe this is a game changing technology that will make IoT a reality for thousands of companies in Singapore, at a palatable price point."
Unabiz further announced partnerships with a number of academic institutions in Singapore. It works with Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and the National University of Singapore, among others. "The collaboration with partners such as UnaBiz and Sigfox provides our students with access to technologies that help hone their skills in developing smart solutions. Students from courses such as our Specialist Diploma in Internet of Things gain relevant hands-on training to respond to industry needs," said Oh Chin Lock, Director, School of Informatics & IT, Temasek Polytechnic.
The company also announced UnaBiz Ventures, a new entity set up to support startups which want to join the IoT revolution and bring their ideas from conception to reality. Aspiring entrepreneurs can leverage on UnaBiz's ecosystem of experts and developers to accelerate their go-to-market process and deploy solutions in Singapore and beyond. Sigfox's network is present in 30 other countries.
"This is just the beginning; we have built an impressive ecosystem in a mere six months, a clear sign of an enormous appetite and an accelerating demand for IoT solutions in the local market. We are proud to kick off the IoT revolution in Singapore in alignment with the goal of becoming the first Smart Nation in the world. We are confident that our strategy and solutions will soon be replicated across Asia and beyond," said Bong.
Bong disclosed that 22-man Unabiz is working on 15 proofs of concept in Singapore, many of them building management-related in conjunction with existing ENGIE customers. The buildings include commercial buildings, academic institutions and hospitals.
In 2015, ENGIE acquired a minority stake in Sigfox and established ENGIE M2M to act as the exclusive national network operator of Sigfox's connectivity solution in Belgium. In other countries, ENGIE is also a user of Sigfox solutions for on-going projects such as the remote monitoring of boilers, metering of heat distribution and smart lighting.
Csilla Kohalmi-Monfils, Executive VP, Strategy & New Business, ENGIE Asia Pacific said: “As the world gets increasingly digitalised and the rate of disruption accelerates, producers, consumers and marketplaces can exchange energy in the same way that we exchange information on the Internet. As part of the digital transformation strategy of ENGIE worldwide and in line with Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative, our participation, together with our partners Sigfox and UnaBiz, will provide a highly reliable, power efficient and cost-effective connectivity solution for businesses to thrive in this digital economy.”
 | |
| Fourtet explains how Sigfox works. |
Christophe Fourtet, Co-Founder and Scientific Director, Sigfox said: “Our strategic partnership with ENGIE and UnaBiz allows us to bring our global network spanning 1.9 million square kilometres with a population of 486 million people in 31 countries to Asia. We are thrilled to connect Singapore to our secure global IoT network and deliver new opportunities for businesses to build applications, systems and smart city solutions that will drive Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative to the next level.”
Fourtet explained that the company is focused on building a chip-agnostic network for 'abandoned objects' - IoT devices that are placed in the field and which continue to operate for years, without maintenance. Sigfox has used unlicensed spectrum to create its global IoT network, which can easily handle the tiny amounts of data that are being sent per device, even when there are large numbers of devices.
Fourtet said Sigfox has reinvented the way spectrum is used and managed. "The technology and network are very cost effective," Fourtet said. "The network has to be pervasive. You don't need to care about where you put the object, you don't have to care about where the object is in the network."
The concept of 'roaming' as with phone services while travelling does not exist for Sigfox. Once a device is registered on a Sigfox network in one country, it will work on the Sigfox network in any other country, without change or cost differences. Fourtet demonstrated with a device that he had brought with him from France. The information sent from the device was received and recorded on the Singapore Sigfox network run by Unabiz in seconds.
Sigfox is present in 31 countries today, and the company aims to be operational in 60 countries by the end of this year, Fourtet said.
In the Asia Pacific region, Sigfox is targeting to launch networks in Malaysia and Thailand in 2017. There are also ongoing deployments in Australia and Japan.
Interested?
View a real-time visualisation to see where Unabiz provides coverage in Singapore. As the green spots show, the network can even cover parts of Johore.
Hashtag: #unaday
*The partners are:
1 Advantech Co. Singapore Pte Ltd
2 Ascent Solutions
3 Aztech Technologies
4 Cyclet Electrical Engineering
5 Dimension Data Asia Pacific
6 KYOCERA Communication Systems Singapore
7 Viseo
8 Astek Singapore Innovation Technology
9 Fujitsu Asia
10 GRID Communications
11 LKH Precicon
12 MyRepublic
13 PCI
14 Schneider Electric South East Asia (HQ)
15 Sunseap Energy
16 Adi-Designs
17 BeyondEdge
18 Konbini Vending Automation
19 Nuratech Labs
20 Pevoli Enterprise
21 PTGEM
22 SpaceAge Labs
23 V&V Innovations
24 Swee Lee Holdings
25 MicroSec
26 NUS Enterprise
27 Republic Polytechnic
28 Singapore Polytechnic
29 Temasek Polytechnic
30 IOTSG
31 IDA PIXEL Labs
32 Avnet
33 Microsoft
34 ST Microelectronics
35 Trusted Objects
36 Wisol
posted from Bloggeroid
No comments:
Post a Comment