SIGFOX, a provider of dedicated communications service for the Internet of Things (IoT), and Thinxtra, an IoT network operator, announced the establishment of a partnership to extend the SIGFOX IoT network to Australia and New Zealand.
By offering a global, cost-effective and energy-efficient communication solution for the millions of sensors waiting to be connected, SIGFOX aims to pave the way for multiple new applications in all business and industry sectors. The company’s IoT network is operating in 14 countries and already registers more than 7 million objects.
As a SIGFOX network operator, Thinxtra will deploy and operate a nationwide SIGFOX network in both Australia and New Zealand and offer the subscription-based SIGFOX communications service to businesses and consumers in both countries.
Australia and New Zealand businesses will also benefit from the innovative products and solutions developed around the world by SIGFOX’s large ecosystem of partners, which includes world-leading manufacturers of components and objects, IT developers and integrators.
Taking advantage of the simple and fast rollout of the network, which requires far-lighter infrastructure than traditional wireless networks, the two partners will offer coverage to 30% of all Australians and New Zealanders by the end of 2016, and extending to 85% of the two countries’ total population within 18 months.
Thinxtra, launched in 2015 to become a SIGFOX Network Operator, is receiving major backing from Rakon Limited, a publicly traded New Zealand company that designs and manufactures advanced frequency-control and timing solutions for telecommunications, global positioning and space and defense applications. The company has a history of innovation in communications technology going back some 50 years.
“Australia and New Zealand businesses are early adopters of the IoT and we have already identified a huge demand for innovative applications in multiple sectors, such as asset tracking and management, smart metering for utilities, smart irrigation, crop monitoring and cattle tracking for the agriculture sector, as well as a wide range of smart-city solutions,” said Loic Barancourt, CEO of Thinxtra. “As the provider of the SIGFOX device-to-cloud offer, the world’s leading and most mature low power, wide area-based IoT connectivity solution, our role is to help make these exciting opportunities a reality.”
“The investment in Thinxtra provides Rakon with an excellent opportunity to leverage future IoT business opportunities, thanks to the company’s core technology and ability to develop new products for the IoT market,” said Brent Robinson, CEO of Rakon. “We are excited to participate in SIGFOX’s global IoT ecosystem, which will grow quickly in Australia and New Zealand and enable Rakon to develop new solutions to the huge IoT market globally.”
“The founders of Thinxtra and the management of Rakon were quick to recognise the enormous business potential that SIGFOX’s global and turnkey connectivity solution can offer to users in Australia and New Zealand,” said Rodolphe Baronnet-Frugès, SIGFOX executive vice president of networks and operators. “As a SIGFOX Network Operator and member of our ecosystem, Thinxtra will receive across-the-board support and tooling for deployment, customer service and collaboration with its partners to create and roll out new IoT solutions.”
With these deployments, SIGFOX extends its network to the Asia-Pacific region, which is a major milestone as the company plans to roll out its network across the whole Asia Pacific region within the next three years. It is also another step in the company’s 2016 goals of rolling out the service to more than 30 countries and being present on all continents.
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