KPN's new LoRa network to boost the Internet of Things

KPN introduced a new network today that will be essential to the further advancement of the Internet of Things. The network went live this afternoon in Rotterdam and The Hague and will be implemented incrementally throughout the Netherlands in 2016. LoRa by KPN (long range) makes it possible to connect millions of low-energy and low-data devices to the Internet in a cost-effective way. This opens up countless application possibilities and will allow KPN's Internet of Things (IoT) to take huge strides in the future.

“The Internet of Things is growing rapidly and is offering new opportunities for streamlining services and business processes. There is a specific need for low-energy and low-data connections that offer great insights and have a significant impact. This is precisely what KPN's LoRa network can offer customers,” says Frank van der Post, Chief Commercial Officer and member of KPN's Board of Directors. “KPN has been connecting devices to the Internet for years now and has been at the forefront of all connectivity solutions. In our opinion, LoRa is the new driving force behind the continued development of the Internet of Things in The Netherlands.”

Maximum insight and impact

LoRa complements the existing 2G, 3G and 4G networks and removes major obstacles, such as costs, usage, energy, to online connectivity. In many cases, a short message consisting of a dozen or so bytes can tell you the health of a milk cow, the saturation level of a dike or whether a garbage can needs to be emptied. This low-data connection provides maximum insight and impact and is cost-effective and energy-efficient thanks to KPN's LoRa network. The network's low frequency allows for excellent indoor and outdoor coverage.

LoRa by KPN: stable, secure and sustainable KPN sets high standards for its LoRa network. Three elements play a crucial role in the quality and professionalism of the LoRa network: stability, security and sustainability. The network is redundant and uses multiple KPN datacenters, which protect it against local incidents and problems. LoRa data is fully encrypted to guarantee privacy and includes the option of using KPN's datacenters and cloud solutions. LoRa is also sustainable, as both the network and the applications use very little energy. Furthermore, LoRa offers plenty of opportunities for energy savings in the future.

LoRa: easy to adopt

LoRa is based on an open standard LoRaWAN and is easy to adopt by devices intended for both private and corporate use. LoRa has a growing number of followers and users and a growing number of devices and applications for this new network technology. In addition to KPN, the LoRa Alliance includes leading companies like Semtech, Cisco, Actility, Proximus and Swisscom. KPN is committed to connecting all LoRa devices around the world with the help of these members.

Rotterdam and The Hague go live

KPN's LoRa network went live today in Rotterdam and The Hague. The rest of the country will follow in phases, as more than a thousand existing mobile hubs will be equipped with LoRa technology to ensure nationwide coverage. The municipalities of Rotterdam and The Hague were excited with the live implementation of the first professional LoRa network in The Netherlands.

“An open and flexible infrastructure is essential in today's world of rapid digitization,” says Maarten Struijvenberg, City Counsel Member for Employment and Economy with the municipality of Rotterdam. “Rotterdam is convinced that the LoRa network will become an important component in the Internet of Things architecture. The network also makes it possible for the city to introduce new and accessible innovations”, he adds.

“The key is unlocking the full potential of the existing infrastructure, people and resources,” says Ingrid van Engelshoven, City Counsel Member for Knowledge Economy, International Affairs, Youth and Education with the municipality of The Hague. “That's our ambition. With the introduction of the LoRa network, KPN is fulfilling an important ambition of The Hague as a smart city: connecting citizens, companies and knowledge institutes.”

KPN to create IoT partner ecosystem

In addition to providing connectivity, KPN hopes its Internet of Things will help create a partner ecosystem that will link end users and partners. In doing so, KPN will facilitate, stimulate and connect developers, start-ups, integrators and customers. KPN's venture fund is contributing to this as well. KPN Ventures recently acquired a minority stake in Actility. This company, which offers network, cloud and platform solutions, has partnered with KPN to roll out LoRa throughout the Netherlands. KPN also partnered with RDM Makerspace to create the Internet of Things Academy, which organizations can contact if they need help applying Internet of Things in practice.