Kerlink Supports Spark’s Nationwide IoT Network Rollout In New Zealand, Agriculture Partners Quick to Put it to Work
THORIGNÉ FOUILLARD, France – Nov. 21st, 2017, 06:00 PM CET – Kerlink (ALKLK – FR0013156007), a specialist and global leader in network solutions dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT), is supporting Spark, New Zealand’s leading digital-services company, to roll out its nationwide LoRaWANTM Internet of Things network.
In areas where the network already operates, Spark has partnered with users eager to experience the energy-efficient, cost-effective benefits of connecting their devices and receiving the valuable data they provide. Partners include Farmlands and Ballance Agri-Nutrients, two of the country’s largest farmer-owned co-operatives, which have created smart-farming use cases. Farmers can get real-time information about their operations through an array of sensors, enabling them to analyze the data in real time from multiple areas to support farm decisions.
Other early adopters of LoRaWANTM connectivity include the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Spark also is targeting key sectors such as health, safety, transportation, asset tracking and smart cities.
LoRaWAN™ is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) solution for wireless, bidirectional and secure connectivity of battery-powered devices in regional, national or global networks. This technology also enables device native geolocation using the radio network and geolocation-ready LoRaWAN™ gateways like those provided by Kerlink. End users are also strongly supported by the LoRa AllianceTM, a global, 500-member-plus ecosystem of companies and organizations that share their experiences operating the network and that provide the different building blocks of successful end-to-end IoT solutions.
The deployment extends Kerlink’s rapidly growing international footprint, following nationwide rollouts launched in India and Argentina this year.
Kerlink, a co-founder and board member of the LoRa AllianceTM, is providing its WirnetTM iBTS Compact stations that meet Spark requirements for quality, reliability and robustness, including bidirectional data exchange and geolocation capability. The system operates on a local ISM band (923 MHz).
“Working closely with Spark, Kerlink again demonstrates the performance, scalability and flexibility of its stations and its focus on customer success,” said Arnaud Boulay, Kerlink’s Asia Pacific sales director. “Spark already has created use cases that will demonstrate the LoRaWANTM network’s energy-efficient, geolocation connectivity that is well suited for both the wide-open spaces and urban centers of New Zealand.”
About Kerlink
Kerlink, a co-founder and board member of the LoRa AllianceTM, specialises in network solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT). Its mission is to provide its clients – telecom operators, businesses and public authorities – with equipment, software and services to design, launch and operate IoT networks. Over the past three years, Kerlink has invested more than €8 million in R&D. In just over 10 years, more than 70,000 Kerlink installations have been rolled out for more than 260 customers, including major telecom operators such Tata Communications, and utilities such as GrDF and Suez. The company’s solutions are enabling IoT networks worldwide with major deployments in Europe, South Asia, South America and New Zealand. In 2016, Kerlink generated revenues of €14.1 million, 25 percent internationally. Since 2013, it has posted average annual growth above 50 percent. Kerlink has been listed on Euronext Growth Paris since May 2016 and was added to the EnterNext PEA-PME 150, an index of 150 fast-growing French SMEs in 2017.
For more information, visit www.kerlink.com or follow us on Twitter @kerlink_news.
About Spark
As New Zealand’s leading digital-services company, Spark New Zealand has a powerful ambition: to unleash the potential in all New Zealanders through amazing technology. Spark is organised around customer-facing business units, supported by infrastructure-focused resources and provides digital services to millions of New Zealanders and thousands of New Zealand businesses. For more information visit www.sparknz.co.nz
About the LoRa Alliance™
The LoRa AllianceTM is an open, nonprofit association that has grown to over 500 members since its inception in March 2015, becoming one of the largest and fastest-growing alliances in the technology sector. Its members are closely collaborating and sharing their experience to promote the LoRaWANTM protocol as the leading open global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWANT connectivity. With the technical flexibility to address a broad range of IoT applications, both static and mobile, and a certification program to guarantee interoperability, LoRaWANTM has already been deployed by major mobile network operators globally, with wide expansion anticipated in 2017. For information about joining the LoRa AllianceTM, please visit the membership page.
About LoRaWAN™ Technology
The technology used in a LoRaWANTM network is designed to connect low-cost, battery-operated sensors over long distances in harsh environments that were previously too challenging or cost-prohibitive to connect. With its unique penetration capability, a LoRaWANTM gateway deployed on a building or tower can connect to sensors more than 10 kilometres away or to water meters deployed underground or in basements. The LoRaWAN protocol offers unique and unequalled benefits in terms of bidirectionality, security, mobility and accurate localization that are not addressed by other LPWAN technologies. These benefits will enable the diverse use cases and business models that will grow deployments of LPWANTM IoT networks globally.
