The French operator’s IoT unit, Objenious, already offers IoT data services over 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G and LTE-M, plus a LoRa network.
Bouygues Telecom has announced [in French] the launch of a NB-IoT network by its IoT arm, Objenious. This rounds out its cellular IoT portfolio which already offers services over 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G (NB-IoT is supported by 5G Standalone) and LTE-M, plus its LoRa network.
Swiss Army knife
Bernardo Cabrera, Director of the Objenious, said, “If the LTE-M is a real Swiss army knife of loT, responding to a large use case, the NB-loT is a particularly sharp blade.
“Indeed, with a more economical cost per module and very good energy performance, NB-loT is already establishing itself in the world.”
NB-loT has already been adopted in 63 countries around the world, and is most popular in Asia. GlobalData predicts cellular IoT subscriptions will have a steady rather than spectacular compound annual growth rate of 12-16% over the next five years, with IoT subscriptions in Europe being one of the main growth engines from 2021-2026.
According to Bouygues, NB-IoT opens up a range of possibilities for smart city applications, like management of water, waste and lighting, and for smart buildings, such as managing energy efficiency and industrial assets.
Bouygues Telecom’s NB-loT network covers more than 1,000 municipalities and plans national coverage by 2022.
Objenious said it expects LTE-M and NB-loT will represent 50% of new connections by 2024.