Semtech has announced that its LoRa® wireless RF technology has been selected by České Radiokomunikace (ČRa) as the RF platform for the Company’s first Internet of Things (IoT)-based pilot program.
Working with network partners RWE GasNet and Softlink, ČRa has developed a LoRa-based solution that was tested in the spring of 2015 and has now been launched in select markets. The tests demonstrated the long reach, low power consumption and low operational costs of the LoRa technology. They also exhibited the signal quality and reach to both outside and inside facilities, which is a key parameter for smart metering.
According to Gartner, billions of devices around the world will be connected by 2020. ČRa is positioning itself to cater to IoT development throughout the country and region with infrastructure that offers nationwide coverage and a high-performance cloud computing data center.
The pilot network, developed by ČRa for RWE GasNet and Softlink s.r.o., uses pulse sensors on the RWE gas pipeline to capture data that is then sent via the LoRa radio network into the ČRa cloud. From there, the data is processed and sent to end-users. The pilot operation has been implemented in Prague and surrounding suburbs, and the network should be ready for commercial launch by the end of 2015.
