Ericsson and Verizon plan for millions of IoT devices

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and Verizon today announced joint activities to further the development and deployment of cellular low-power wide-area (LPWA) networking for a diverse range of IoT applications. Ericsson and Verizon have been engaged in IoT trials since 2014 to demonstrate the range of IoT use cases – both consumer and industrial applications – that today’s mobile networks can support.

Adam Koeppe, Vice President, Network Technology and Planning, Verizon, says: “Verizon’s nationwide LTE network provides an ideal platform for the acceleration of IoT applications that benefit consumers, industry and cities. We’re committed to simplifying IoT and have introduced a developer platform – ThingSpace – and new network advancements that do just that. Ericsson’s new software will enable us to expand our coverage of low-cost IoT devices while supporting years of battery life.”

LTE is already especially well-suited to support high-capacity, low-latency applications. Ericsson’s LPWA solution will scale Verizon’s LTE network to connect a wider variety of IoT use cases by supporting the connectivity requirements of lower power, lower cost and reduced complexity.

Arun Bansal, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit Radio, Ericsson, says: “Verizon has been a great partner in the advancement of cellular technologies to address IoT networking requirements. IoT applications will drive 5G development so it is essential for us to work with leading operators like Verizon to proactively spearhead the industry and ecosystem.”

IoT promises to change the way we live and work by using connectivity to bring new levels of intelligence that link us with the world around us in ways never before possible. This will require connections in orders of magnitude higher than those used by current systems and solutions that work together and scale to meet diverse requirements.

Ericsson’s recently launched new software, called Networks Software 17A, addresses the anticipated massive number IoT devices and the diversity of their connectivity requirements.  The software includes key features enabling cellular networks to support Smart Cities, Smart Metering, and Smart Agriculture. Ericsson is accelerating the uptake of IoT with the industry’s first complete cellular LPWA offering, enabling operators to address the full diversity of IoT use cases across their networks.

By leveraging its existing network infrastructure, Verizon achieves a faster time to market with new IoT applications that benefit from its LTE network’s mobility, reliability, security and reach. Ericsson and Verizon will work proactively with ecosystem partners to accelerate the pace of commercialization of advanced IoT solutions. Joint trials between Ericsson and Verizon will continue in 2016, focused on live network testing of IoT use case scenarios.

Ericsson will also feature IoT demonstrations at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) event, held January 6 to January 9, 2016 in Las Vegas, US. Use cases include connected scooters/bikes, smart metering and grid management, water quality monitoring, smart agriculture and wearables.