Sigfox has announced new asset tracking, geolocation and gateway products as it revealed its network is now covering more than one billion people.
Its new Bubble devices are transmitters that broadcast a radio range. Once a Sigfox device crosses this boundary, it sends the Bubble’s unique identifier and its own to the cloud, allowing users to track devices.
The company said the solution could be used in airports to track the location of customers’ bags. Sigfox is working with IT solutions vendor Amadeus on exploring other use cases in this area.
Another example is placing tags within children’s bags or pets’ collars within a smart city, which would allow their location to be tracked accurately. Sigfox also said it could automate inventories within warehouses.
Raouti Chehih, Chief Adoption Officer at Sigfox, said: “The Bubble is a great example where our technology can address a real-world challenge.
“Not only will this improve customer experience, but there are real opportunities to fully transform the business by building new services over the Bubble solution.”
Its Atlas Wi-Fi service delivers geolocation for massive IoT deployments, with a much lower energy consumption than GPS. The solution uses mapping technology from HERE.
Sigfox devices connect to Wi-Fi networks and collect data that could be used to optimise their flows. The company said it could be used in locating stolen or missing cars, industrial asset management and the tracking of shipping containers.
Laetitia Jay, Chief Marketing Officer at Sigfox, said: “Supply chain and logistics are the foundation of our global economy – understandably, there’s significant demand for enhanced efficiency.
“By combining the global footprint of the Sigfox network and Wi-Fi infrastructure, registered in the HERE Location Suite, Atlas Wi-Fi is the right location enabler for tracking applications, allowing to locate assets, containers and packaging all over the logistic chain, from supplier warehouses and production facilities to end-customer sites, all over the world.”
Finally, its Access Station Micro is Sigfox’s smallest gateway to date, with an integrated antenna and power over Ethernet functionality.
Sigfox said the base station has been designed to deliver connectivity over a large area, especially remote areas where it could be powered by a small solar panel and backhaul over satellite.
The launches come as Sigfox revealed more than one billion people across 53 countries are covered by its network.
Sigfox launched in 2013, offering a non-cellular LPWAN alternative to the likes of NB-IoT. It now covers an area spanning 90 percent of the world’s GDP. Austria, Lichtenstein, Romania and Norway are the latest countries to have deployed a Sigfox network.