SIGFOX claims to be the first and only cellular network operator dedicated to M2M and IoT.As a startup, it hopes to connect millions of low-power sensors worldwide to the Internet, making everything—from power grids to home appliances—smarter.
In their words, SigFox is focused on connecting cheap sensors and “dumb” home appliances to the Internet. The goal is to make all kinds of appliances and infrastructure, from power grids to microwave ovens, smarter by letting them share data. The networks that serve humans are based on technology that isn’t suitable for sensors, says Thomas Nicholls, chief of business development and Internet of Things evangelism at SigFox. “If you compare with a GSM [cell-phone] network, then our solution is much cheaper, provides much lower energy consumption, and operates over a much longer range,” he says.
SigFox builds its networks in the same way as a cellular provider, using a system of connected antennas that each cover a particular area and link back to the operator’s central network. But the antennas use a different radio technology, developed by SigFox, known as ultra narrow band. This technology would not be of much use for streaming video to an iPhone, but it allows devices connecting to the network to consume very little energy, says Nicholls, and it allows for very long-range connections.
SigFox claims that a conventional cellular connection consumes 5,000 microwatts, but a two-way SigFox connection uses just 100. The company also says it is close to rolling out a network to the whole of France—an area larger than California—using just 1,000 antennas. Deployments are beginning in other European countries, and discussions are under way with U.S.-based cellular carriers about teaming up to roll out its technology stateside, says Nicholls. “SigFox can cover the entire U.S. territory with around 10,000 gateways, whereas a traditional cellular network operator needs at least several hundred thousand,” he says. This should make deployment significantly faster, and cheaper.
More info on SIGFOX here,
In my opinion, its definitely an interesting theme for a network! There have been multiple MVNOs who have worked on the tariff/pricing front and used the existing infrastructure of an existing operator but a green field network that has an optimized infra to perform lesser than a conventional network and in turn remove all the overheads is definitely a strong idea.
My concerns remain on handling the usual implementation stumbling blocks for M2M projects - reliability, consistency, security, availability, communication delays, and related. With a green-field network based on a target terminal profile, the CSP should definitely have answers for these... Additionally, can M2M support a dedicated network? Those that tried this (CDPD, Mobitex, Cellemetry, MicroBurst) all have not done pretty well in the past and the main reasons have been the high costs and low adoption.Moreover, its also a tough market out there and its difficult (though not impossible) to build out, operate and get a decent return in the limited horizon.
Moreover, as M2M ecosystem matures, I believe the nature of terminal machines as well as the usage scenarios will expand. Dumb devices may become smarter and will require faster networks to provide greater amount of control and functionality at their administrative ends. For example, a smart meter may require continuous reporting mechanisms to monitor and analyze real-time usage to provide a customized power tariff for the consumer.
In the overall perspective, there is definitely a space for such kind of a service provider along with the larger operators providing full fledged service portfolio for humans as well as machines. The biggest challenge for SIGFOX would be their mass adoption and acceptance which can help them substantially reduce the manufacturing and deployment costs.
