Thinxtra, the company rolling out and operating a Sigfox LPWAN network for IoT in Australia, is offering to provide 50 councils in with Sigfox coverage at no cost “to bring Internet of Things solutions to the community.”
Thinxtra says it will invest $5m into the program, which will cover free installation, free development kits for incubators and free connectivity for smart council application developments.
Thinxtra said its initiative would bestow numerous benefits on the chosen councils, “enabling applications such as infrastructure monitoring, waste management, asset tracking and environmental monitoring, as well as enabling educational and community initiatives using and teaching IoT.”
“By joining the program, councils can actively participate in connecting Australia to the Internet of Things global network and be at the forefront of the smart cities movement, joining such cities as Barcelona, San Francisco and Singapore.”
The company claims the programme will “improve city services and quality of living as well as boosting innovation and creating multiple job opportunities to develop IoT solutions and benefit local communities, industries and councils.”
Coffs Harbour the first participant
It has already provided a network to Coffs Harbour on the NSW north coast, in conjunction with Schneider Electric. It says the network took less than a week to install and will enable local companies and individuals to connect millions of low-power devices.
Brad Yager, director process automation at Schneider Electric said his company had a close partnership with Coffs Harbour Council in industrial automation and wide area telemetry going back more than 15 years.”
Thinxtra CEO, Loic Barancourt, said: “Coffs Harbour, being a centre of strategic growth and having a burgeoning business and innovation centre was a perfect choice for us to demonstrate how IoT can help boost regional economy and business. We are eager to cooperate with Coffs Harbour and Schneider Electric in creating test beds and use cases showing how IoT can improve businesses and quality of living, as well as spark innovation.”
Companies wanting to be considered for inclusion in the programme can register their interest at smartcouncil@thinxtra.com
