Verizon Wireless has recently revealed that it is now deploying the first ever countrywide commercial 4G LTE Category M1 network across the United States. This roll out is viewed by many industry watchers as something that will have a strong impact on the wireless landscape. According to the Big Red, its 4G LTE Cat M1 will usher in a new generation of LTE chip sets that are designed for sensors working on data plans as low as $2 a month for each device, plus options made available for multiple activations and large procurements. If that preceding sentence sounds too technical, just know that Verizon’s deployment will help speed up the Internet of Things (IoT) concept here in America.
In the United States, several companies, such as Ingenu and Sigfox, have already been able to provide IoT solutions, but their technology is based on LoRa (long range) standards. For solutions that are being developed based on LTE standards, it took them a while to become available in the market because the LTE network infrastructure for IoT is still in its infancy.
But now that the biggest wireless carrier in the US has deployed its 4G LTE Cat M1 network, it should contribute immensely in moving IoT forward. The Big Red’s Cat M1 is designed to provide a safe network that utilizes licensed airwaves, and it also leverages a platform that is already incorporated with the network. Plus, the chip sets are embedded with ThingSpace. For those not familiar with that last part, ThingSpace is Verizon’s worldwide Internet based IoT platform that basically allows developers and consumers to come up with new IoT solutions and also manage their IoT environments, from the IoT devices being used to the apps that are supported by those devices.
ThingSpace makes a lot of things easier for end users, especially when it comes to IoT. For instance, when a Cat M1 chip set is preinstalled with ThingSpace, it will register automatically when it is activated, which means that the end user will no longer have to do anything to enable the system. It also helps that for Cat M1, Verizon has joined forces with a formidable roster of tech firms, including Sequans, Telit, U-Blox, Sierra Wireless, Gemalto, Qualcomm Technologies, Encore Networks, NimbeLink, and Altair. With that pool of tech knowledge, Verizon hopes that improvement and most importantly, innovation can be facilitated easier, especially in truly bringing the Internet of Things to life.
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https://www.wirefly.com/blog/news/verizon-rolls-out-lte-cat-m1-network-iot-across-america