SQWIDNET/SIGFOX

SQWIDNET / SIGFOX

Creating the first global IoT network

S Q W I D N E T / S I G F O X

Connecting the Physical World to the Digital World ccording to global predictions, by 2020 there could be billions of IoT devices connected to the internet with more than 60 percent of connected devices expected to emanate from developing countries, and especially from within Africa. To achieve this, the

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cost of IoT devices and connectivity needs to be reduced; power consumption longevity of devices has to be increased; and ease of scalability across the continent has to be improved.

Fortunately, there is a Company on hand to facilitate such a pivotal digital evolution in the form of Sigfox and its

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new voice in South Africa, SqwidNet. The former has long strived to address such outcomes through building a single global IoT network, thus connecting the physical word to the digital world. “To achieve such a rapid expansion in such a short time, Sigfox’s go-to market approach is in exclusively

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By SqwidNet becoming Sigfox’s exclusive IoT operator in South Africa, a merging of ideologies has occurred which will see the Internet of Things channelled towards socio-economic solutions on the continent Writer: Matthew Staff | Project Manager: Kane Weller

partnering with a selected local partner in each country who will deploy and operate the Sigfox network in country,” notes the Company’s Country Director, Hussain Suleman.

Enter; Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) and its subsidiary, SqwidNet. “SqwidNet launched in November 2016 as the licensed Sigfox operator

in South Africa. It has successfully deployed a low-cost, low-power, ultra-narrowband IoT network in South Africa with a network that will cover 85 percent of the South African population by mid-2018 and already covers 83 percent of the population today; enabling millions of physical devices to be connected to the digital

world and bringing the IoT to life,” introduces SqwidNet’s Chief Executive Officer, Reshaad Sha. This alignment of skills, ambition and philosophies has been a natural fit, and the result is a compatible, bold and purposely disruptive approach geared towards four key outcomes across the network: cost efficiency, low energy

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S Q W I D N E T / S I G F O X

consumption, long range, and global scalability.

“SqwidNet is the partner operator to Sigfox for South Africa and while the latter has networks in 45 countries, the South African network specifically and typically includes cases across all industry verticals and consumer markets,” Sha says. “We at SqwidNet believe the success of IoT is dependent on a fully functional value chain and

ecosystem which is why we started the IoTEP programme to empower new device makers and solution integrators.

“The devices that are developed in the ecosystem do need to be affordable and thus much more work will be going into that part of the ecosystem; since only with devices that are able to scale to reach very low price points, can widescale adoption take place.”

SqwidNet launched in November, 2016 as the licensed SIGFOX operator in South Africa. The SqwidNet network offers low-cost access to IoT solutions and operators in South Africa, creating opportunities for businesses small and large to create innovative solutions.

SqwidNet is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DFA, the premier open-access fibre connectivity provider.

Reshaad Sha, Chief Executive Officer, SqwidNet

The SqwidNet network will give nationwide coverage for the Internet of Things allowing millions of sensors and devices to send small packets of data, for analysis, immediate action, and record keeping.

Sigfox was founded in 2009 as the first global IoT network. Their starting point was the radio technology used in submarines during WWII. The idea was to send radio signals as far as possible, very small messages that would require very little energy to do so.

Sigfox’s unique approach to device-to-cloud communications addresses the greatest barriers to IoT adoption: low cost, low energy consumption, long range, global scalability.

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he idea that nearly anything can autonomously keep us updated with important information, make decisions and even take actions has been dubbed the Internet of Things (IOT). In our connected world it has become the latest buzzword in tech circles and is set to revolutionise industry, agriculture, cities and our society in general.

Telemetry and telematics have been around for a long time, so what has changed? Previously the large costs of acquiring, transferring, storing and analysing this information meant that only high value items could be monitored. Recent advances in technology mean this is no longer the case and the true potential of IoT has been unlocked. Next generation communications networks like Sigfox mean that sensors costing only a few dollars can run for up to 10 years on a small battery.

A partnership between Macrocomm Communications, Real Telematics and SqwidNet is set to bring this quantum leap to Africa. Combining project planning and management, big data analytics and reporting, sensor design and manufacture and a world-class network. This blend of abilities allows comprehensive solutions that deliver huge value. Whether for a hundred sensors in a farmers fields or a hundred thousand smart meters in a city, the solution exists.

Created from modular building blocks throughout, both pre-designed and bespoke applications can be supplied; all in a fraction of the time and at much lower cost than was previously possible. So join this power partnership in changing the world we live and do business in.

Currently the Sigfox network is present across 45 countries, covering 3.8 million square kilometres and 803 million people, with plans to expand into 60 countries by the end of 2018.

The Company has its HQ in Labège near Toulouse, France’s ‘IoT Valley’. It also has regional offices in Paris, Madrid, Munich, Boston, Dallas, San Francisco, Dubai and Singapore.

REAL TELEMATICS

Hussain Suleman, Country Director, Sigfox

T 086 100 0342 F 086 555 2740

www.realtelematics.com

S Q W I D N E T / S I G F O X

ENERGIM RESOURCES

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nergim Resources was founded to support the ongoing technology revolution by providing solutions in the following areas: Internet of Things (IoT) – through our partnership with Sigfox/ Sqwidnet, we focus on bringing life to fundamental objects in various industries by designing, developing and implementing real world solutions to providing access to information; data transfer efficiencies; and cost-effective sharing of decision-critical statistics.

The use of sensors; smart meters; and related software platforms enables the efficient creation of tailored solutions to meet the most stringent of demands.

The industries in which we can devise and support IoT solutions include, utilities management; automotive and fleet; agriculture and environmental; engineering and construction; healthcare; and supply chain.

An educative team fostered to capitalise on digital opportunities

Unique network approach

SqwidNet began primarily as a network builder and operator of connectivity services, but it is through initiatives such as the IoTEP programme that the necessary encouragement to adopt new technologies is achieved.

Increased market awareness is imperative and additional programmes surrounding IoT entrepreneurship have similarly contributed towards the educative nature of the new SqwidNetSigfox team.

With key focuses on areas of security, logistics, transport, agriculture and utilities in particular, the companies are able to tailor the network’s evolution according to the most pertinent of continental needs and challenges, as Suleman elaborates: “Sigfox’s technology can help both small and big businesses improve and optimise their processes, create efficiencies within their organisations, and to create new revenue streams.

We have a large variety of clients

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with more than 500 in our portfolio and about 1,000 ongoing projects at different stages that will see the light in the next couple of years.”

Around the world, such examples usher in encouragement for what is still to come in Africa; Sigfox having already worked with the likes of Nestlé in Japan, Leanheat in the Nordics, and other leading businesses including Airbus, Bosch and Total.

Suleman adds: “Recently we have also announced a €300 million deal to develop a project of telecare in China that will start in the city of Chengdu in partnership with Senioradom. This is a key milestone to start working in China and to expand our services in the country. Across the board though, Sigfox is lowering the cost barrier for the IoT industry; and in the silicon industry, prices are directly linked to the size and complexity of the chipsets.

“With our unique network approach, Sigfox simplifies the requirements

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Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have become the go-to technology for advanced aerial cinematography; geographical mapping; security surveillance; and structural analysis.

After many months of intense collaboration with drone manufacturers, UAV pilots, and relevant legislative bodies we have engineered several core solutions that employ UAV technology to collect and transform valuable data into meaningful information which can then be used to plan better, make concise decisions and determine costeffective and efficient measures for improvement.

The era of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is upon us and we at Energim believe the future of society is being molded by chants for defined autonomy. Our current focus to achieve this plateau of futuristic play involves engagements with several technology houses that are at advanced stages in the development of certain A.I. solutions.

T +27 11 466 8768, +27 10 446 1183 C +27 82 042 8319 E info@energim.co.za

INTERNET OF THINGS Providing real solutions for objects to meaningfully communicate.

DRONE TECHNOLOGY Adapting UAV technology to collect invaluable data.

Energim Resources Pty Ltd Ground Floor East, Building 1 Beaulieu Office Park, Corner Papenfus & Stallion Road Kyalami, Midrand, 1684

A.I. IMPLEMENTATION Reaching the next level of life’s applications using the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

T: +27 11 466 8768, +27 10 446 1183 C: +27 82 042 8319 E: info@energim.co.za

S Q W I D N E T / S I G F O X

for the chipsets, thus lowering the price barrier for device-to-cloud communications to historical levels.”

In recent years, this has manifested through the introduction of its first ultra-low-cot modules in EMEA markets, and the announcement of its GCT LTE-M and Sigfox module the first ever dual module with both connectivity options, where Sigfox offers lower battery consumption as the secondary connectivity Suleman continues: “At that time in 2017, we also announced Network At Your Service, a new suite of services to accelerate IoT adoption. These services include: Admiral Blue Connection, our flagship connectivity service with high QoS to address industrial use cases; Admiral Ivory Connection, our newest connectivity offering designed for the disposable one-time use market; Atlas Location, to improve Wi-Fi geolocation in rural areas; and Monarch, a cognition service which enables a device to communicate on the Sigfox network in any global location enabled by a special globetrotter module with multiple RCZ.” Sha picks up: “The trend is all about having everything connected, however small the item is, with our emphasis then being on identifying critical problems and using IoT to gather the data to have the insight to address them.”

SqwidNet’s innovative CountR device is a sensor that detects presence and movement

The UnabellButton can be used across regular orders, pick-ups, service requests and a range of alert functions

Parking is a magnetic sensor that detects parking spaces’ availability

Sigfox Foundation Sigfox Foundation is an endowment fund launched by Sigfox co-founders, aiming to tackle humanitarian causes by using low-powered connected sensors.

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Solving Africa’s challenges

The key to both companies’ successes over recent years has been in creating a transformational, collaborative digital space for bright young minds to flourish, with everyone contributing to the same ultimate goal. And with the new partnership, this facet has been taken on another notch as both entities look to work in the leanest and most technologically-savvy way possible to

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make a positive impact in Africa.

Sha notes: “We are the sole Sigfox operator in SA, which allows us to offer technology and support services consistently throughout the country, but that are also consistent globally.

We also view the role that we play in the connectivity space as complementary to other technologies such as 3G/4G.” Suleman adds: “There’s always a big debate in IoT about which technology

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is better but at Sigfox we believe that each one of the technologies can bring something different to the client. The industrial IoT is a massive market and not all clients will have the same needs.

“What we are sure of is that we work towards one goal: being the most competitive provider of industrial data on the market. The goal is to be able to work with our clients, so they can perfectly identify what kind of data they need and what its value is for them. Thanks to our technology we are convinced that we will be the ones to provide such data at the lowest cost.”

Modules less than $2, devices that can last up to 15 years, global scalability, reliability and compatibility have already contributed to a network that is the most developed in the market; which in turn is facilitating “real national coverage, everywhere in the world”.

“In the future, we will report back on the pervasive coverage of IoT in terms of devices being connected and

T: +27 (87) 004 2201 | E: info@dttech.co.za

Hummbox soil monitors soil moisture and temperature and - among other functions - can reduce water consumption by as much as 23 percent

new resource savings being realised through the Internet of Things; subsequently connecting millions of devices in South Africa and possibly hundreds of millions across the African continent,” Sha affirms in pinpointing the potential that now exists virtue of SqwidNet’s new role as Sigfox’s operator in the region.

Suleman concludes: “As Sha says, the network will soon cover many more countries across the African continent, enabling entrepreneurs and device makers to develop IoT solutions in Africa towards solving some of Africa’s challenges.

“These challenges faced on the African continent can be vastly different to other regions so IoT’s role in Africa can contribute to eradicating some of the many social and economic issues; including water management, agriculture outputs, safer environments, protection of endangered species, efficiencies within our hospitals, and schools.”

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SqwidNet 96 Koranna Avenue Doringkloof Centurion 0157 Telephone: +27 12 443 1000 info@sqwidnet.com

www.sqwidnet.com

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