Gold Coast, 28 August 2018

The City of Gold Coast (City) has signed a contract with the National Narrowband Network Co (NNNCo) to build and operate a commercial-grade Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) using the globally-adopted open standard LoRaWANTM technology.

The new network will enable diversified large-scale Internet of Things (IoT*) applications throughout the Gold Coast LGA, an area of more than 1,300 square kilometers, making it Australia’s biggest LoRaWAN network to date.

The contract with Australia’s second largest Council represents a significant win for NNNCo and continues the company’s growing network coverage across the eastern seaboard of Australia.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the rollout of the network reinforced the City’s commitment to creating a strong digital economy and supporting innovation.

“We are maximising legacy opportunities from the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and continuing to develop the infrastructure needed to take the city into the next decade and beyond,” said Mayor Tate.

“Our vision is to be Australia’s leading digital city, and continuously set the benchmark in the installation of Internet of Things devices.”

“Building the digital infrastructure will enable us to use real-time data to deliver services and provide information to the public that will improve quality of life, sustainability and business opportunities for the city in many years to come,” said Mayor Tate.

Ian Hatton, Chief Innovation and Economy Officer at City of Gold Coast, said investing in extensive and comprehensive network infrastructure across the Gold Coast is a key step in the City’s Digital City Program.

“We’re developing a secure, scalable, commercial-grade IoT network that will enable infinite use cases by businesses, enterprise and the Council,” Mr Hatton said.

“We chose LoRaWAN technology because it supports large-scale deployments securely, reliably and cost effectively,” he added. “NNNCo have been engaged because of their proven ability to build the network and bring commercial solutions that have the potential to significantly add value to Gold Coast residents and businesses.”

City of Gold Coast has immediate plans to utilise the network for large-volume use cases including digital water metering, waste management and community infrastructure such as parks and sporting fields.

“Digitising our water management will deliver important benefits including lowering costs, early problem detection and ultimately reducing pressure on our water supplies,” Mr Hatton said. “The City manages more than 170,000 water meters and our intent is to have all of them running over the network in the future.”

NNNCo is an Australian carrier providing a scalable IoT network service and platform to enable enterprise-grade solutions for businesses and government. The company has recently been awarded contracts to build and operate networks for Newcastle City Council and Lake Macquarie Council via its economic development arm Dantia.

NNNCo Founder & CEO Rob Zagarella said the scale of the Gold Coast network was a signal of the fast growing adoption of IoT by cities both in Australia and globally.

“Cities and councils are seeing the benefits they can realise today from a broad range of IoT solutions that are ready to deploy,” Mr Zagarella said. “This is no longer something in the far- off future. The entire IoT ecosystem is maturing from devices to connectivity to platforms and the market is ready for massive scale.”

“We’re excited to partner with a progressive council like City of Gold Coast which has the vision to become a truly global digital city.”

City of Gold Coast was granted its carrier+ licence by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in 2016 as part of its strategy to develop widespread communications coverage throughout the LGA.

The announcement comes off the back of the City’s plans to extend its carrier-grade fibre optic network.

NNNCo is a member of the LoRa Alliance™, an open nonprofit association that has grown to more than 500 members since its inception in March 2015, becoming one of the largest and fastest-growing alliances in the technology sector. Its members closely collaborate and share experiences to promote the LoRaWAN protocol as the leading open global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWAN connectivity. With the technical flexibility to address a broad range of IoT applications, both static and mobile, and a certification program to guarantee interoperability, the LoRaWAN protocol has already been deployed by major mobile network operators globally and connectivity is available in over 100 countries, with continuing expansion ongoing.

^{*The Internet of Things is the interconnection via the Internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data. +A ‘carrier’ is an owner of a telecommunications network unit used to supply a carriage service to the public and must hold a carrier licence. “Carrier grade" refers to a network that is extremely reliable, well tested and proven in its capabilities.}

About Gold Coast City Council Gold Coast City Council is Australia’s second largest Council in population and spend after Brisbane City Council. The Council was granted its carrier licence in 2016 as part of its strategy to develop widespread communications coverage throughout the city. The building of the LoRaWAN network is an integral part of its strategy to drive technology-driven economic development in the region.

About NNNCo NNNCo is an Australian company building a national narrowband network in Australia for IoT. NNNCo is taking the lead as Australia’s LoRaWAN operator, building and operating Australia’s Narrowband Network in addition to providing end-to-end scalable solutions over a shared network.