Netherlands gets world’s first nationwide IoT network

Dutch telecoms group, KPN which specialises in mobile networks and landline service confirmed that Netherlands has become the first country in the world to roll out a nationwide long –range (LoRa) network for internet of things application. This system will be used to connect millions of devices covering the entire country.

Today, many devices we use for accessing the internet are connected with Wi-Fi or 3G networks, but they are not always perfect as Wi-Fi covers short-range while 3G and 4G networks consume a lot of device power. On the contrary, LoRa is a very different low-power, long-range network.

In the initial phase, the LoRa network was introduced in Rotterdam and The Hague in November 2015, before work accelerated earlier this year in response to customer interest. “Last year we identified an increasing demand for low-power network technology for Internet of Things applications,” says Joost Farwerck, COO of KPN. “We are responding to this by choosing LoRa, so millions of devices can be connected to the internet in a cost-effective manner. In less than a year KPN has implemented a network that allows us to satisfy this market demand.”

The company says it already has contracts to connect 1.5 million devices and it believes that the numbers will steadily flourish now with LoRa network being available across the country. Tests and trials are being conducted at the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam for baggage handling and facility services. Meanwhile, an experiment is being carried out at Utrecht Central Station that allows LoRa to monitor rail switches, and depth sounders in the Port of Rotterdam have been fitted with devices to connect them to the Internet of Things network. The company expects LoRa applications for consumers to become more widely available within the year.