T-Mobile is planning to cover the Czech Republic with a Sigfox-based IoT network, following a successful pilot last year.
The operator is working with beacon provider SimpleCell Networks to bring IoT coverage to at least 350 base stations by the end of next year, which it said is the minimum required for nationwide connectivity.
However, it is expecting to bring the first Sigfox networks online from the beginning of 2016 and offer solutions that do not require full coverage.
The 2014 trials involved both companies testing the quality of base station coverage, as well as transmission to buildings. Security, logistics, utilities and smart city implementation were also explored.
Taking place in Prague, they looked at how Sigfox networks could help alert drivers to free parking spaces, for example.
T-Mobile said propagation stretched up to 120 kilometres and reliability was “high” even amid areas of conflicting base stations.
Milan Vašina, T-Mobile’s Managing Director, said: “The Internet of Things is a phenomenon of the future. It is estimated that approximately 200 billion devices should be connected within five years. T-Mobile wants to focus on this area and the first important step is nationwide coverage with a network dedicated specifically for the Internet of Things.”
The T-Mobile project will mark the ninth country that has rolled out a Sigfox network. In July, an ultra-narrowband network was brought online in Luxembourg.