M2M Connectivity Featured Article

The folks at SIGFOX are at it again, pursing their dream of dominating the m2M connectivity space in Europe… at least to begin with. 

SIGFOX, for those who don’t know, is one of the leading providers of dedicated cellular connectivity for M2M devices. Thanks to a new deal with EI Towers and its subsidiary NETTROTTER, it will make Italy the tenth country to receive SIGFOX network nationwide coverage.

“Italian IoT customers are keen to adopt new, beneficial technology applications across multiple sectors such as smart cities, health care, manufacturing, construction, transportation and safety and security,” said Carlos Lambarri, CEO, NETTROTTER. “The SIGFOX network is key to our plan to install and operate the IoT throughout Italy, because it provides highly scalable connectivity at low-cost and very low energy consumption for connected devices.”

The company has deployed its network in nine countries so far and connected to about 5 million devices. It boasts years of battery life for connected devices, and under this deal, will provide two-way subscription-based connectivity to Italian customers. This is a coup for the company, of course, with more than 7 million object connections making Italy one of the biggest M2M markets in Europe.

“This partnership with EI Towers and NETTROTTER is another great example of SIGFOX’s ability to work with entrepreneurial companies that want to rapidly roll out our network across a large area,” said Rodolphe Baronnet-Frugès, EVP, networks and operators, SIGFOX. “Italy has a very dynamic electronic industry at the forefront of the world IoT industry. We are excited to work with our partners and assist in bridging the Italian IoT initiatives to the rest of the world.”

As part of its global expansion plans, SIGFOX has also announced that its network will be installed in 10 U.S. cities by the first quarter of 2016: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and San Jose.