UnaBiz Receives License to Operate Global Internet of Things Network in Taiwan

Awarded by the "National Communications Commission" (NCC), the network operator will deploy Sigfox's Low-Power Wide-Area Network across Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- UnaBiz, Asia's first IoT-dedicated network operator, has been awarded the license to operate an IoT network in Taiwan by the "National Communication Commission" (NCC). As the first of its kind to receive an IoT network operator license from the NCC since Taiwan's announcement of the use of the unlicensed spectrum, UnaBiz is on track to become a nationwide network operator in Taiwan. 

As the world's leading provider of a dedicated communications service for the Internet of Things, the Sigfox Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) is currently present in 32 countries worldwide and target to reach 60 countries by 2018. The roll out of the commercial grade global network is in line with Taiwan's "Asian Silicon Valley" initiative, a vision to transform Taiwan from an ICT specialist to an IoT specialist.

UnaBiz's vision is to empower massive IoT in Asia. The network operator will actively engage and collaborate with industry partners, academic institutions and government agencies to help Taiwan address the global IoT market potential.

Mr Philippe Chiu, Managing Director and co-founder of UnaBiz shared, "This is a milestone for UnaBiz but also for Taiwan industry which henceforth can boldly step into the Sigfox global IoT market and ecosystem. I would also like to thank the early supporters of our vision for Taiwan and who kindly and efficiently made this possible, especially Legislator Karen Yu, Minister CK Lee and Mr Benoit Guidee, Director of the French Office in Taipei."

In 2017, UnaBiz will focus on deploying the IoT network in the six main municipalities, namely Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, effectively bringing Sigfox service coverage to more than 80% of the population in Taiwan. Not only will the deployment be in the metropolitan area but throughout the rural area of Taiwan, which brings significant benefits to the rural farmers, schools, businesses and local government including greater efficiencies and productivity. The LPWAN network will be extended and cover 95% of the population in Taiwan in 2018.

Along with the fast-paced deployment of the network across Taiwan, the local IoT ecosystem and stakeholders can already evaluate and start developing products and solutions using the royalties-free Sigfox technology. This happens at an excellent timing for Taiwan's industry looking for transformation and new business opportunities, especially at a global scale.

The global IoT sensors market is expected to reach USD17.81 billion by 2020, and although Taiwan is big in semiconductor manufacturing (60% of global market), it only accounts for 15% of the global sensor manufacturing. Given the predominant impact of Taiwan in the conception, production and integration of smart sensors into electronic hardware in the global IoT market, Taiwan joining the Sigfox ecosystem represents a significant milestone.

Philippe Chiu notes, "To significantly build up the IoT industry, we need a sound ecosystem of highly-engaged players from semiconductors to device manufacturers and all the way up to cloud platforms. That is why, on top of providing Sigfox communication service, UnaBiz is also acting to catalyse IoT opportunities by establishing partnerships and providing keys to address the Sigfox global IoT market."

"According to studies, the explosion of the global IoT market will create the largest device market in the world. The number will double of that of the current market of personal PC, tablets and wearable technology combined. The growth of this ecosystem not only creates more jobs in Taiwan's manufacturing industry but will eventually spur a paradigm shift in Taiwan's entire workforce to that of a more innovative and creative economy, one that engages higher skilled and hence higher-paying workers. By leveraging on Taiwan's IoT manufacturing strengths and the French engineering and creative capacity, we hope to bridge the best of western and eastern worlds," comments Henri Bong, CEO & Founder of UnaBiz.

ABOUT UNABIZ

UnaBiz is an end-to-end Internet of Things (IoT) solutions company dedicated to accelerating the adoption of IoT worldwide. As the exclusive network operator of Sigfox's low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) in Singapore and Taiwan, UnaBiz is the leading company in Asia to roll out a nationwide IoT network.

UnaBiz wants to shape the future by providing cost-effective and energy-efficient IoT solutions, that include wireless infrastructure, device and beyond. This ubiquitous network will allow businesses to connect millions of devices simply, affordably and globally.

UnaBiz helps businesses collect and analyse data from millions of devices allowing businesses to maximise the efficiency of their resources, increase productivity, detect and controlling anomalies and accelerate resolution or even prevent them entirely. Our objective is to help businesses realise the true value and full potential of IoT that was previously too costly to deploy.

For more information, see www.unabiz.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.

ABOUT SIGFOX

Sigfox is the world's leading provider of connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT). The company has built a global network to connect billions of devices to the Internet while consuming as little energy as possible, as simply as possible. Sigfox's unique approach to device-to-cloud communications addresses the three greatest barriers to global IoT adoption: cost, energy consumption, and global scalability.

Today, the network is present in 32 countries and on track to cover 60 by 2018 -- covering a population of 486 million people. With millions of objects connected and a rapidly growing partner ecosystem, Sigfox empowers companies to move their business model towards more digital services. Founded in 2010 by Ludovic Le Moan and Christophe Fourtet, the company is headquartered in Labege near Toulouse, France's "IoT Valley". Sigfox also has offices in Paris, Madrid, Munich, Boston, San Francisco, Dubai and Singapore. For more information, see www.sigfox.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.

SOURCE UnaBiz

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