Vodafone Italia accelerates the implementation of the Narrowband-IoT technology (Narrowband - Internet of Things) and announces the 100% coverage of its 4G sites by September 2018, to create a network capable of connecting any type of object, from bicycles to containers , up to the water meters. The Internet of Things, together with the 5G network which will support its development, represent the next chapter in the transformation of the country, of which Vodafone is the protagonist, also through the 5G experimentation that is leading to Milan. National coverage through Narrowband-IoT technology will make possible new applications in the fields of environmental and structural monitoring, precision agriculture, smart cities and smart utilities. For example, it will be possible to connect and monitor meters for the efficiency of water systems, smart garbage bins and parking lots. Vodafone today connects about 62 millions of objects worldwide, and 7,5 in Italy, data constantly increasing thanks to the rapid expansion of IoT technology in all markets and which will further increase with the diffusion of the NB-IoT throughout the territory. Through NB-IoT technology, in fact, it will be possible to connect more than 3 billion and a half of devices. A figure that is more than thirty times higher than the number of SIM currently active in Italy.
The NB-IoT is a data transmission standard on cellular networks that integrates the characteristics of a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) network, with those of the LTE 2G, 3G and 4G licensed band networks, allowing: low power consumption with battery life in addition to 10 years; the coverage of remote, rural and underground areas through the adoption of techniques that improve the propagation of the radioelectric signal, up to + 20dB. The lower energy consumption is made possible by the NB-IoT intelligent sensors that use the "resting" mode, limiting energy consumption only when there are data packets to send, and optimizing all the processes, pre- and post-sending of the data, which require more time and energy. This is why the sensor batteries last for up to ten years and no external power source is needed. In this way, thanks to a long battery life and greater coverage capacity, the Narrowband-IoT already allows today to communicate objects that previously could not be connected, thus developing the potential of IoT technology in various markets. Among the first projects of Vodafone in the field of the NB-IoT, the one with Arduino for the realization of joint commercial solutions based on the hardware technology of Arduino and the connectivity of Vodafone. Furthermore, since September Vodafone has opened a laboratory in Milan that, with a view to open innovation and co-creation, allows companies and the Public Administration to test the potentialities of the NB-IoT, and to try out their applications before the commercial launch. , in a secure environment and able to exactly replicate the performance of network technology.
