ENGIE to roll out SIGFOX Internet of Things network in Belgium

SIGFOX

Belgium has become the seventh European country where the SIGFOX dedicated IoT network is being rolled out nationwide or already operating.

SIGFOX, which aims to provide cost-effective, energy-efficient Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, and ENGIE have jointly announced that ENGIE M2M, a new ENGIE subsidiary, will deploy the SIGFOX IoT network across Belgium.

As a SIGFOX network operator, ENGIE M2M will work with Belgian developers and businesses to grow the IoT ecosystem and provide connectivity subscriptions to customers. By lowering barriers to more widespread implementation of IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity, the SIGFOX global network will allow Belgian customers to connect millions of devices.

The network is expected to be available nationwide in two years. Electrabel, a Belgium-based electricity and natural-gas company and ENGIE subsidiary, also will explore opportunities to integrate the SIGFOX IoT network within its B2B and B2C solutions.

With this agreement, Belgium becomes the seventh European country where the SIGFOX dedicated IoT network is being rolled-out or already operating on a nationwide basis. This is also SIGFOX’s second announced partnership in the past month with a subsidiary of ENGIE. Cofely Services, Europe’s leader in energy and environmental-efficiency services for buildings, said it will use the SIGFOX network to expand services it provides building owners in France. ENGIE, formerly GDF Suez, also participated in SIGFOX’s recent venture capital round that raised $115 million from investors in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

“This collaboration with ENGIE is exciting and significant on two levels,” said Rodolphe Baronnet-Frugès, SIGFOX executive vice president of networks and operators. “First, it brings the many benefits of SIGFOX’s Internet of Things connectivity to businesses, governments and other users in Belgium and, second, it expands our relationship with the ENGIE Group, a global leader in solving the most pressing energy and environmental challenges.”

Unlike systems that are still in the development stage, SIGFOX’s Ultra Narrow Band (UNB) technology for connecting devices is providing scalable, long-range, two-way connectivity and very high capacity in more than a dozen countries and major cities.

Through the SIGFOX Ready™ program, the company ensures that compatible devices have optimal radio performance and are promoted in the global SIGFOX Ready™ solution catalogue. Moreover, the company partners with Texas Instruments, Atmel, Silicon Labs, Telit, AXSEM, ATIM and other chipmakers to give IoT users a wide choice of transceivers, systems-on-chips (SoCs) and modules for connecting their devices with its network. No other system offers this truly open approach.

 

RECENT ARTICLES

Semtech enhances global connectivity with NTN support in HL78 modules

Posted on: March 29, 2024

Semtech Corporation has announced the integration of non-terrestrial network (NTN) support into its HL series LPWA modules, specifically the HL7810 and HL7812. This significant advancement showcases a leap forward in enabling uninterrupted global connectivity even amidst the most challenging conditions.

Read more

Enhance EV charging performance with cellular connectivity

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Electric vehicles (EVs) are steadily growing their market share at the expense of internal combustion engine vehicles. The growth is fuelled by several factors. Perhaps most importantly, prices for EVs have started to drop as competition in the industry is intensifying. New players and models are emerging, prompting several established EV makers to lower their

Read more
FEATURED IoT STORIES

What is IoT? A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on: April 5, 2023

What is IoT? IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to the connection of everyday objects, or “things,” to the internet, allowing them to collect, transmit, and share data. This interconnected network of devices transforms previously “dumb” objects, such as toasters or security cameras, into smart devices that can interact with each other and their

Read more

The IoT Adoption Boom – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on: September 28, 2022

In an age when we seem to go through technology boom after technology boom, it’s hard to imagine one sticking out. However, IoT adoption, or the Internet of Things adoption, is leading the charge to dominate the next decade’s discussion around business IT. Below, we’ll discuss the current boom, what’s driving it, where it’s going,

Read more

9 IoT applications that will change everything

Posted on: September 1, 2021

Whether you are a future-minded CEO, tech-driven CEO or IT leader, you’ve come across the term IoT before. It’s often used alongside superlatives regarding how it will revolutionize the way you work, play, and live. But is it just another buzzword, or is it the as-promised technological holy grail? The truth is that Internet of

Read more

Which IoT Platform 2021? IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide

Posted on: August 30, 2021

There are several different parts in a complete IoT solution, all of which must work together to get the result needed, write IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide – Which IoT Platform 2021? authors Robin Duke-Woolley, the CEO and Bill Ingle, a senior analyst, at Beecham Research. Figure 1 shows these parts and, although not all

Read more

CAT-M1 vs NB-IoT – examining the real differences

Posted on: June 21, 2021

As industry players look to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity, two different standards have emerged under release 13 of 3GPP – CAT-M1 and NB-IoT.

Read more

IoT and home automation: What does the future hold?

Posted on: June 10, 2020

Once a dream, home automation using iot is slowly but steadily becoming a part of daily lives around the world. In fact, it is believed that the global market for smart home automation will reach $40 billion by 2020.

Read more

5 challenges still facing the Internet of Things

Posted on: June 3, 2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) has quickly become a huge part of how people live, communicate and do business. All around the world, web-enabled devices are turning our world into a more switched-on place to live.

Read more