It has been reported that T-Mobile US are ready to set up an Internet of Things network by mid-2018. This news comes after the completion of successful tests for Narrowband – an IoT network that uses small amounts of a dedicated spectrum to transfer data.
Live tests of Narrowband have taken place in Las Vegas with the help of Qualcomm, Inc. and Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. Now that these tests are complete, T-Mobile is preparing to launch the new network for IoT devices.
In a statement, Neville Ray, Chief Technology Officer for T-Mobile, said “By investing in Narrowband IoT now, we’re ensuring our customers will be able to bring their products to market faster with better performance, vastly improved battery life and big cost savings — all on a dedicated highway that’s purpose-built for connected devices.”
The company is hoping that IoT will grow and that its network can be offered to a large amount of customers. There are currently 8.3 billion IoT devices in the world and this is a number that is expected to increase to 20.4 billion by the year 2020.