New Zealand operator Spark has contracted French IoT network solutions specialist Kerlink to support a nationwide LoRaWAN rollout.
The company has already deployed the low power wide area (LPWA) network in parts of the country, and has signed on initial customers including farmer co-operatives Farmlands and Ballance Agri-Nutrients.
These companies are using the network to provide farmers with real-time information about their operations through an array of sensors.
“Spark already has created use cases that will demonstrate the LoRaWAN network’s energy-efficient, geolocation connectivity that is well suited for both the wide-open spaces and urban centers of New Zealand,” Kerlink Asia Pacific sales director Arnaud Boulay said.
The vendor is providing IoT stations that support bidirectional data exchange and geolocation capability and operate on the 923-MHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) radio band.
Other early adopters include the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), and Spark is targeting customers in key sectors such as health, safety, transportation, asset tracking and smart cities.
Kerlink is a co-founder and board member of the LoRa Alliance, and has this year launched nationwide rollouts in India with Tata Communications and in Argentina.