Liquid Telecom Kenya has announced a partnership with Sigfox to build and deploy a nationwide IoT network covering up to 85 percent of the population. The new base stations will be connected to Liquid Telecom's fibre network to deliver guaranteed reliability and speed. The IoT network will be used to connect sensors in sectors including agriculture and fishing, transport and logistics, utilities and energy, heavy industries, retail, and banking and insurance.
The network will also be used for smart city projects and in wildlife conservation. The introduction of a Sigfox Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) is the first in the region. The new network runs on the free ISM band 868 MHz and will cost from KES 100 per year per device or sensor, depending on usage. Previously, communication with any internet enabled gadget depended on Wi-Fi or GSM networks that require data bundles, local network signal coverage and a power supply.
Sigfox has enabled its industry partners to develop wireless communication chipsets that IoT device manufacturers can use. In 2016, Sigfox industry partners introduced the first ultra-low-cost wireless chipsets for IoT devices for just KES 200 in the EMEA markets. In 2017, in partnership with GCT LTE-M, it announced a chipset that was the first ever to support both mobile connectivity (GSM) and the Sigfox IoT network.
These chipsets will allow Kenyan companies to develop IoT devices for both domestic and global markets. To promote development, Liquid Telecom Kenya will be working with incubator hubs and universities to enable students and start-ups to develop IoT services locally. As part of its Go Cloud initiative, which is designed to raise awareness, adoption and usage of cloud-based services by start-ups in Africa, Liquid Telecom will begin the Go Things project to accelerate IoT adoption in the region.
