Case Study Iot 2
Case Study Iot 2
Case Study Iot 2
FEBRUARY 2019
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over
350 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies,
equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA
also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai, as well
as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences.
For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com.
About the GSMA Internet of Things Programme About the GSMA Asia Pacific
The GSMA’s Internet of Things Programme is an indus- Headquartered in Hong Kong, the GSMA Asia Pacific
try initiative to help operators add value and accelerate coordinates the efforts of the GSMA and its members
the delivery of new connected devices and services in to monitor relevant policy and legislative developments
the IoT. This is to be achieved by industry collaboration, in the region, identify priorities for the mobile industry,
appropriate regulation, optimising networks as well as and develop and communicate consensus positions on
developing key enablers to support the growth of the these priorities. It represents the GSMA’s views and
IoT in the longer term. Our vision is to enable the IoT, initiatives at regional institution meetings and events,
a world in which consumers and businesses enjoy rich with offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, New Delhi, and
new services, connected by an intelligent and secure Shanghai. It also convenes the industry-leading MWC
mobile network. event held annually in Shanghai, as well as the Mobile
360 Series in the Asia Pacific.
For more information, visit gsma.com/iot or follow
gsma.at/iot.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
1 Executive Summary 1
2 Introduction 3
3 Mobile IoT Case Studies 5
AIS Thailand on Smart Cold Chain - Tracking Temperature During Transportation 5
KDDI Japan on Mount Fuji - Tracking Traffic and Weather Conditions 7
M1 Singapore on Smart Bin – Optimising Waste Management 9
Maxis Malaysia on Smart Agriculture – Helping Plantations Boost Productivity 11
Singtel on Connected Access: Frictionless, Smart Perimeter Security at Scale 13
Telkomsel on Smart Fisheries - Enhancing Aquaculture in Indonesia 15
4 Conclusions 17
Foreword
In the space of a few short years the GSMA’s Mobile IoT Initiative has helped support the
development and deployment of 89 commercial Low Power, Wide Area (LPWA) networks
(as of February 2019) in 47 countries across both LTE-M and NB-IoT in licensed spectrum,
with 22 networks available in Asia Pacific. These networks are now available across 80% of
major IoT markets ushering in a new era of connectivity where everything from smart me-
ters to vending machines to cows are being intelligently connected. These complementary
technologies are also future proofed for the 5G era and will support and co-exist with other
5G technologies.
The Asia Pacific region (APAC) is at the forefront of globe and our Mobile IoT Innovators community,
this revolution. It is the largest regional IoT market which now has over 2,100 members, is helping
in the world, followed by the United States and to build an ecosystem that is encouraging the
Europe, and will have the largest number of IoT development of mass market solutions that utilise
connections by 2025 due in part to the adoption the benefits of this technology. We have also
of the industrial sector. GSMA Intelligence esti- recently launched the GSMA APAC IoT Partnership
mates that it will also be the largest region in terms programme to help mobile operators and partners
of revenues hitting approximately $386 billion in in Asia Pacific accelerate IoT adoption by facilitat-
2025, driven by government mandates and strong ing the sharing and communication of innovation
industrial IoT connection growth. Indeed, the aver- and ideas, promoting regional leadership and
age annual IoT spend by enterprises in the region providing access to labs to test new use cases.
rose 12% from 2017 to USD$4.8 million.
We are at the beginning of an incredible journey
The diversity of new Mobile IoT solutions emerg- where Mobile IoT networks are connecting every-
ing from the region is astonishing. Beyond factory thing and everyone to a better future.
automation, smart metering and industrial applica-
tions, the technology is also touching unexpected
areas such as intelligent litter-bin management
systems, smart toilets and pet tracking – driving
efficiencies that are enabling real-time decision
making. It is also impacting critical areas such as
agriculture by tracking and monitoring crops in
real-time to improve yields. These advances in
coverage and penetration is allowing businesses
to connect things that were previously thought
impossible, impractical or uneconomical.
The GSMA’s Mobile IoT Initiative has played a criti- Julian Gorman,
cal role in standardising these networks across the Head of Asia Pacific, GSMA
1. Executive Summary
This report outlines how Mobile IoT technologies are being adopted for a wide range of use
cases across the Asia-Pacific region. It describes the following applications:
\\ A NB-IoT-based solution for monitoring the temperature of perishable goods during transportation is
being deployed by mobile operator AIS in Thailand. The solution can be configured to send a notification
to the relevant distributor if the temperature of the cargo rises beyond a specific threshold.
\\ Japanese operator KDDI is using LTE-M connectivity to help climbers safely tackle Mount Fuji, Japan’s
highest mountain, in partnership with the municipalities in Gotemba City and Oyama Town. The solution
enables climbers to use a web portal to track how busy the routes up the mountain are, as well as
temperatures and humidity levels.
\\ In a pilot in Singapore, mobile operator M1 , OTTO Waste Systems and the National Environment Agency
are deploying 500 smart litterbins. NB-IoT-connected sensors inside the bins can detect when they are
full, enabling cleaning service providers to remove the trash at the right time, increasing efficiency and
improving the urban environment.
\\ In Malaysia, mobile operator Maxis is using NB-IoT to connect environmental sensors in a plantation. In
the trial deployment, the sensors capture humidity, temperature and rainfall data, which can be used by
plantation managers to monitor the environmental conditions, predict yield and identify the parameters
that drive productivity.
\\ Igloohome, a start-up part-owned by SingTel, is trialling the use of LTE-M and NB-IoT to connect digital
locks that can enable smart access to properties and infrastructure assets. The solution can enable
property owners to remotely control access to different sites, while monitoring who has entered and left
a building.
\\ In Indonesia, an automated fish feeder is using NB-IoT to enable farmers to remotely monitor and control
feeding patterns in their ponds. Designed by Indonesian mobile operator Telkomsel and start-up
eFishery to replace a Wi-Fi-connected solution, the new NB-IoT fish feeder is plug and play and is power-
efficient enough to run on batteries.
These deployments are just a small sample of in Asia Pacific increasingly see Mobile IoT as a core
the many different applications for Mobile IoT component of their current and future business.
connectivity, underlining the versatility of NB-IoT
and LTE-M, which combine low costs, low power At the same time, governments in Asia Pacific are
usage and wide area coverage. Delivering reliable exploring how Mobile IoT can help them accom-
and secure connectivity, Mobile IoT networks are modate the ongoing migration into cities taking
enabling businesses to efficiently monitor assets place across region. Mobile IoT technologies could
and automate processes, paving the way for anoth- make buildings, transport and urban infrastructure
er industrial revolution characterised by unprece- much smarter and more efficient, while coordinat-
dented responsiveness and flexibility. Mobile oper- ing municipal operations, such as waste collection
ator M1 says “first mover” clients are enjoying costs and disposal. As a result, Mobile IoT connectivity
savings of up to 30% due to enhanced productivity could help countries across Asia-Pacific urbanise in
and/or reduced operating expenditure. Enterprises a smart and sustainable way.
2. Introduction
M
obile IoT technologies are opening up new use cases for the Internet of Things,
which enables consumers and companies to remotely monitor, control and coordi-
nate their assets. Operating in licensed spectrum, Mobile IoT technologies provide
low power wide area connectivity using mobile operators’ existing infrastructure. Based on
global standards, the primary Mobile IoT technologies – LTE-M and NB-IoT – are making it
cost-effective to roll out IoT solutions, such as smart metering and asset tracking, that don’t
require high levels of throughput and low latency connectivity.
This report shows how LTE-M and NB-IoT are account for more than one billion of the world’s
being deployed in the Asia Pacific region. 1.9 billion Mobile IoT connections by 2025. In Asia
Drawing on interviews with mobile operators Pacific, the value of the IoT market is growing at a
and their partners, the report describes six very CAGR of 29%, putting it on course to reach US$386
different Mobile IoT applications. These case billion in 2025, driven by government mandates
studies highlight how Mobile IoT networks can and strong industrial demand, according to GSMAi.
be used to support a very wide variety of use
cases. An integral part of both 4G and 5G Some 22 mobile operators are participating in
connectivity, Mobile IoT technologies are the GSMA APAC IoT Partnership Programme to
playing a key role in enabling mobile operators accelerate the Internet of Things. The APAC IoT
and their partners to deploy innovative new Programme represents the largest IoT community
solutions spanning almost every segment of in the region, with over 500 partners, including
the economy. consultants, developers, manufacturers, system
integrators and vertical solution providers, as
The report also helps to explain why Asia-Pacific well as the following mobile operators: Celcom,
is the world’s fastest-growing region in terms of Dialog Axiata, Digi, DTAC, Grameenphone, Indo-
Mobile IoT connections. According to GSMA sat Ooredoo, M1, Maxis, Ncell, Optus, Robi Axiata,
Intelligence (GSMAi), the region accounted for Smart Axiata, Smartfren, Singtel, Starhub, Telenor
59.4% of the world’s Mobile IoT connections at the Connexion, Telenor Myanmar, Telenor Pakistan,
end of 2018. GSMAi forecasts that Asia-Pacific will True, Vodafone Idea, XL Axiata, and Xpand.
North America
242bn 26bn
337bn
Middle East & North Africa
55bn Asia-Pacific
In Thailand, mobile operator AIS has developed a Mobile IoT-based solution for monitoring the
temperature of perishable goods during transportation. Fresh food, frozen food, medicine and
some other goods need to be kept at a constant temperature during distribution to ensure they
don’t decay and that they reach end-customers in a pristine condition.
Connected “cold chain” solutions can be used to monitor the temperature of a cold storage container during
transit and maintain the quality of goods, reducing the number of claims from customers that goods have
decayed or been damaged during transportation. These solutions can be configured to send a notification to
the supplier if the temperature rises beyond a specific threshold.
To meet the demand for a low cost solution that can be installed easily without impacting logistics companies’
existing systems, AIS is using NB-IoT to connect on-board thermometers to its IoT platform, which can be
used to record, analyse and display the resulting temperature data.
AIS says the compact battery-powered thermometer is cost-effective enough to be deployed at scale, while
its small size and independent power supply means it can be quickly and easily installed or moved to another
location. The device can measure the temperature between -50 and 20 degree Celsius. It can be configured
to transfer temperature data to AIS IoT platform every x interval such as every three minutes and alert when
the temperature changes by more than x degree Celsius such as one degree Celsius.
AIS says it is also using NB-IoT to monitor the electrical supply of the cooling system, allowing it to ensure
there is sufficient power to cool the goods being transported. If the power supply is not working properly, the
system is designed to relay the relevant data to the AIS IoT platform, thereby allowing the logistics company
to proactively resolve the issues before any serious damage is caused.
“By installing the temperature-measuring devices in cold chain logistic systems, the quality of perishable
goods can be assured - Mobile IoT connectivity can be used to notify the operating parties when issues arise
and take necessary actions to prevent any damage to the goods,” explains Asnee Wipatawate, Head of
Enterprise Product and International Service of AIS. “The quality of IoT solutions becomes critical to mitigate
this problem and therefore yield competitive advantages.”
Temperature Sensor
NB-IoT Module
AIS’ Mobile IoT strategy private and public organisations, universities and
R&D departments, such as PTT, the state-owned
energy company, Property Perfect, Krotron Group,
AIS has rolled out both NB-IoT, which uses Thammasat University, Khon Kaen University and
the 900MHz band, and LTE-M, which uses the Prince of Songkla University.
1800MHz band, across 77 provinces in Thailand.
AIS says the NB-IoT network can support up to AIS has launched a motorbike tracker solution,
100,000 IoT devices per base station with an which employs both GPS and NB-IoT technolo-
operating range exceeding 10km, while delivering gies and teamed up with HIP Global Co., Ltd., a
strong signals inside buildings. LTE-M, on the other producer and distributor of security solutions to
hand, is well suited to supporting connected cars support Thailand’s Metropolitan Police Division 1
and asset tracking, voice/data connections, and in increasing its operating efficiency by deploying
any IoT solutions requiring larger data volumes, this innovative solution. The tracker devices have
according to AIS. been fitted to 360 police motorbikes, which can
now relay the coordinates of police patrols in near
The operator believes nationwide Mobile IoT real-time via the NB-IoT network. When emergen-
connectivity will fuel economic development, cies occur, a command centre uses the system to
improving the daily lives of Thais, supporting identify the nearest police officers and ask them to
communities, and helping to protect the environ- provide care to those who need immediate help.
ment. It says the new Mobile IoT technologies are
enhancing the capabilities of businesses across The NB-IoT Motor Tracker service is now available
multiple industries, as well as enabling IoT innova- at the nine police stations under the supervision of
tions that can be used by the public and academic the Metropolitan Police Division 1: Chana Songkh-
sectors. Early use cases include smart city solu- ram, Phayathai, Din Daeng, Dusit, Nanglerng, Bang
tions, such as smart lighting, bike sharing and Pho, Makkasan, Huai Kwang, and Samsen.
infrastructure monitoring. AIS’ IoT partners include
Japanese operator KDDI is using Mobile IoT connectivity to help climbers safely tackle Mount
Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain, in partnership with the municipalities in Gotemba City and
Oyama Town. KDDI uses LTE-M to track the number of climbers at the starting point for an
ascent (the trails can get crowded), as well as temperatures and humidity levels during the
climbing season, which runs from mid July to mid September.
Information captured by mountain sensors can be seen The LTE-M-enabled “Mieru Fuji-tozan” counter is
on smartphones and personal computers. significantly smaller and lighter than its predecessor.
KDDI believes low power wide area connectivity is cases if the monthly usage needs to be 10 KB or
set to change the way people enjoy a wide range of less). The operator can also provide data analyt-
leisure activities beyond mountaineering, such as ics through a joint venture with Accenture, as it
surfing, music festivals and other events. Connect- seeks to offer a one-stop IoT solution encompass-
ed sensors, similar to the ones on Mount Fuji, could ing everything from connected sensors to the
be used, for example, to measure the size of waves, analysis and utilisation of data. “We aim to become
count the number of people in a supermarket aisle business partners for our customers, solving their
or monitor the number of cars arriving at a festival business challenges, rather than following the tradi-
site or tourist attraction. The information collected tional product-led business model,” explains Keigo
by these sensors can enable an event or site Harada, General Manager and Head of IoT Business
manager to monitor congestion levels in real-time, Planning Department at KDDI.
and take action, as necessary.
KDDI sees potential to use low power wide area
connectivity to support a wide range of use cases,
KDDI’s Mobile IoT strategy spanning telematics, smart meters, remote moni-
toring of industrial equipment, building facilities
and agriculture, the tracking and management of
Having first launched its LTE-M commercial vehicles, delivery and logistics, and security. The
network in the north east of Japan in January 2018, operator believes Mobile IoT technologies could
KDDI announced nationwide coverage in June also be used to monitor people’s physical condition,
2018. It says LTE-M will play a key role in enabling flagging signs of heat stroke, for example.
IoT services for its customers.
In the agricultural sector, for example, KDDI has
KDDI provides IoT customers with SIM manage- installed LTE-M enabled sensors in paddy fields
ment services through a web portal, which can to support fine-grained water level management
track traffic volumes, billing data, connectivity for the crops. The Toyooka City Smart Agriculture
status and other information. For large volume Project is using LTE-M to collect data from water
deployments, involving over five million LTE-M level sensors in the paddy fields, enabling farmers
subscriptions, KDDI charges JPY 40 (US$0.37) per to monitor the growing conditions from a PC and
month per SIM, while the cost of a single subscrip- smartphone.
tion is JPY 100 per month (US$1) per SIM(in both
The NEA has been exploring how data can be used centralised management system. “The collaboration
to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of with M1, using their NB-IoT network for smart waste
public cleaning. The new system utilises IoT sensors management, allows our customers to enjoy easy
fitted within litter bins to track how full they are, so access to useful real-time data for smarter planning
that the cleaning crew can be notified when they and resourcing on waste management nationwide,”
need to empty these litter bins. The NEA can also says Christopher Lopez, Managing Director of OTTO
monitor the usage of litter bins to gauge if there Waste Systems. “We also see the potential of such
are adequate bins in a particular area to serve the implementations to help consumers have a greener
public. OTTO aims to deploy up to 500 of these environment to live in.”
smart bins during the first quarter of 2019.
“Extensive research and development were carried
M1 says the reliable and secure city-wide coverage out to produce the hardware and the methodol-
provided by its NB-IoT, together with its support ogy of installation to maximise the accuracy of the
for industry standards, makes the technology well measurement in waste level and pollution in the
suited for large scale smart city applications, such environment,” adds P. Renganathan, Director of
as the proposed litter bin management system. SmartCity. “Through the strategic cooperation with
Smart city solutions can also benefit from NB-IoT’s M1, we will help companies to achieve greater cost
power efficiency, which makes it viable to use savings and reach higher productivity.”
batteries in connected devices, as well as reducing
infrastructure and maintenance costs.
M1’s NB-IoT (Narrowband with the private sector, are accelerating the
Internet of Things) development of the ecosystem by aligning demand
and supply.
Strategy
In Singapore, M1 generally works with government
Following M1’s launch of southeast Asia’s first bodies to define problems and develop appropri-
commercial nationwide NB-IoT network in August ate IoT solutions, which can be piloted or tested in
2017, M1 has been using the network’s low power pre-operational deployments. “The urbanisation
wide area connectivity to support a wide range of cities, digital transformation of SMEs and digital
of applications, including smart power metering, living will be key trends moving forward in which
smart street lighting, smart fleet management and IoT services are a key enabler.
smart logistics, as well as smart waste manage-
ment. Moreover, M1 is using NB-IoT connectivity to After connecting IoT devices securely at scale,
enable a smart toilet monitoring system developed M1 can provide artificial intelligence and predic-
with Gabkotech, which uses human counter, densi- tive analytics to enable customers and partners
ty and gas sensors to optimise cleaning schedules to further optimise their operations and improve
for building managers and owners. “Through business performance.
NB-IoT, M1 can enable the delivery of connectivity,
digital services and data management with scale M1 Singapore NB-IoT Device
and security,” says Alex Tan, Chief Innovation Offi-
cer of M1. “These will be key for the enablement of
digital government, businesses and consumers, and
early adopters have enjoyed costs savings of up to
30% due to enhanced productivity and or reduced
operating expenditure.”
“ “
Through IoT, M1 can enable the delivery of connectivity,
digital services and data management with scale
and security
Alex Tan, Chief Innovation Officer at M1.
In Malaysia, Maxis, the country’s leading communications and internet service provider, and
a customer are running a trial of Mobile IoT technologies to connect environmental sensors in
a plantation. The sensors capture humidity, temperature and rainfall data, which is relayed to
the plantation managers via NB-IoT. They can use this data which can be accessed from a PC
or smartphone app, to ascertain the environmental conditions, predict yield and identify the
parameters that drive productivity.
The agricultural organisation piloting Maxis’ NB-IoT- large geographic areas, including land covered in
enabled solution is seeking an efficient way to deep foliage. The technology is also designed to
obtain reliable data from plantations in remote ensure reliable data transmissions. “To date, these
locations. Prior to the deployment of the connected pilot projects have validated the benefits of NB-IoT
sensors, workers had to physically visit each loca- in terms of wider and deep coverage in remote
tion to get relevant information about the crops. deployments and the NB-IoT network has proven fit
However, with the NB-IoT connected sensors in for purpose for the applications tested,” says Claire
place, information can be obtained remotely and Featherstone, Head of Business Solutions, Enter-
precisely, enabling resources to be employed more prise, Maxis. “The results demonstrate the benefits
effectively and efficiently. of regular, reliable data and the customer is now
considering other possible use cases related to the
Maxis says the extensive coverage provided by plantation operations as part of the same project.”
Mobile IoT networks enables customers to monitor
Maxis’ Mobile IoT strategy “From our own experience, we are beginning to see
the importance of building an ecosystem locally
which will help in convincing businesses to take
Maxis anticipates businesses operating in highly
up IoT solutions,” says Claire Featherstone. “That
competitive markets in the Asia-Pacific region will
is why we set up our IoT Innovation Lab to link our
use IoT to improve operational efficiency, obtain
enterprise customers, device manufacturers and
insights from multiple data sources, create new
solution providers and enable them to conduct
business lines and improve their customer
tests before going to market with their solutions.”
experience, enabling them to stay ahead of
competition.
Maxis also plans to certify devices and solutions
tested at the Lab as compatible with the Maxis
To support selected pilot projects by enterprise
network to make it easier for businesses to adopt
clients, Maxis has deployed NB-IoT in parts of
the technology. Moreover, the operator hopes
its LTE mobile network. The operator says the
developers will leverage the Lab as an incubator
early adopters are primarily from the utilities and
for ideas in the longer term. “It is still early days for
agriculture sectors, but local governments and
NB-IoT in Malaysia, however, over time we hope
construction companies have expressed their
more customers will see the benefits and work
interest in testing the technology. Utility companies
with us to create solutions to cater to their business
are interested in using Mobile IoT to enable smart
needs,” notes Claire Featherstone. “This is impor-
metering, while municipalities are exploring smart
tant to help catapult the industry and to unlock the
lighting and smart parking solutions. Although
significant productivity opportunities that exist as a
NB-IoT is only live in the locations required for the
result of deploying IoT-based technologies.”
pilots, Maxis says it is technically ready for a mass
deployment. Maxis is also preparing to provide
Maxis says there are numerous commercial IoT
customers with complementary enablers, such as
launches taking place across the Asia-Pacific
device management and data aggregation, as well
region, fuelled by the growing availability of Mobile
as analytics tools.
IoT-enabled equipment, business processes and
systems. “Enterprises are beginning to see Mobile
In 2019, Maxis is focused on building an ecosys-
IoT as a potential key component of their current
tem in Malaysia, which will help businesses adopt
and future business. Malaysia is mobilising towards
NB-IoT solutions. To that end, it has established
the emergence of NB-loT and, for our part, Maxis
an IoT Innovation Laboratory in Kuala Lumpur
is striving to build an ecosystem that offers more
that acts as a bridge between Maxis’ enterprise
innovative enterprise solutions,” concludes Claire
customers and device manufacturers and
Featherstone.
solution providers: the facility serves as an
experiential showcase where Maxis’ enterprise Maxis IoT Lab
customers can see demonstrations of fully tested
solutions. For customers with the necessary
technological capabilities, the Lab provides access
to a live NB-IoT network for testing purposes,
thereby reducing the time it takes to ready a new
solution for commercial deployment. The applica-
tions being tested in the Lab include agriculture soil
and water measurement, smart utilities (water and
electric), asset tracking, and smart parking, among
others.
The remote access management and monitoring of high-value, distributed infrastructure assets
is an historically difficult, labor-intensive, disconnected, and non-scaling burden. Singtel’s
vision of a frictionless, smart, highly scalable perimeter access control solution begins today
with a planned commercial launch of igloohome’s connected digital lock system.
Singtel and igloohome (a Singtel-funded start-up) our NB-IoT locks across many countries in Asia, and
are excited to announce the upcoming commer- they have performed well among all deployment
cial launch of their Connected Perimeter Access scenarios - from deep indoor, to outdoor, and even
solution, based on igloohome’s connected lock remote locations. We are excited to meet the global
technology. The solution provides real-time, scal- market demand for our connected smart locks solu-
able remote control, management, and monitor- tion, a task that’s simplified by a global IoT network
ing of distributed infrastructure perimeter access. standard like NB-IoT.”
Igloohome works with leading property developers
throughout Asia, including but not limited to Sansiri Igloohome first proved its technology in the
(Thailand), Capitaland (Vietnam), and Mitsubishi vacation rental space, partnering with Airbnb to
(Japan). simplify host-controlled guest access without
the need for a physical key exchange. The solu-
Matthew Ng, VP of Product igloohome says: “We tion further enhanced host peace of mind with
have adopted carrier-grade IoT network technolo- on-demand, detailed visibility of guest-specific
gies like LTE-M and NB-IoT as they are increasingly room, site or location access.
prevalent among global operator IoT solutions
deployments. In Singapore, we rely on Singtel’s Igloohome then broadened its offering to address
NB-IoT cellular network because of its wide cover- the needs of different categories of home and
age and high availability. These high-quality public property owners, addressing the operational and
IoT networks gives us faster time-to-market, security limitations of physical keys, and enabling
and obviate the need to deploy our own private use cases like time-sensitive, remote monitored and
network, or implement discrete connectivity hubs/ controlled access for delivery and trade services,
gateways. LTE-M and NB-IoT are very power and access expiration for former tenants.
efficient, making our battery-powered smart locks
NB-IoT Smart Lock on Gate
more appealing to end users.”
Anthony Chow, CEO of igloohome, reflects, This includes utilities metering, smart locks, fleet
“Our vision is to create access ecosystems for management and environmental sensing.
smart cities, increasing efficiency and reducing
costs. Globally deployed high-availability, power- “In this new paradigm where data-driven
efficient network standards like CAT-M1 (LTE-M) strategies are the bedrock of successful
and NB-IoT help accelerate making our vision a businesses, IoT is instrumental in enabling
worldwide enterprises to mine valuable data from proprietary
reality.” sources and devices. We are also actively research-
ing new technologies such as artificial intelligence,
Singtel’s Mobile IoT machine learning and blockchain to develop mobile
strategy IoT solutions that can turn data into actionable
business insights,” says Diomedes Kastanis, Head
of IoT, Singtel. “Asia Pacific’s IoT adoption speed is
IoT depends heavily on low power wide area phenomenal. From government to app developers,
network, a technology that interconnects low- there is strong determination all around to
bandwidth, battery-powered devices over long accelerate IoT deployment.”
ranges. In view of this, Singtel’s main focus is on
enhancing its low power wide area network to
NB-IoT Smart Lock on Metal Door
align with two 3rd Generation Partnership Project
standards, Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-
M or Category M1 (CAT-M1)) and NarrowBand IoT
(NB-IoT). LTE-M is all about extending the battery
life of devices while offering enough bandwidth for
communication, while NB-IoT is a cost- and power-
efficient technology that supports a wide range of
commercial uses.
For the pilot, four NB-IoT-enabled fish feeders were Reliable connectivity enables fish farmers to moni-
built and tested in Telkomsel’s labs, before being tor and control the feeder remotely and get real-
deployed in a customer’s fish pond in Losarang. time data synchronisation and regular insights into
The pilot demonstrated that the NB-IoT connectiv- their ponds’ condition. As well as automatically
ity enables a fish farmer to control the fish feeder providing feed in the right doses, the smart feeder
unit remotely via their smartphone at anytime, from has a sensor that can measure the appetite of the
anywhere. fish. On average, eFishery’s automatic feeding
system reduces the amount of feed used by 21%.
“As an IoT startup in Indonesia, we are committed
to implement NB-IoT for eFishery’s products,” says Traditionally, fish feeding has been carried out
Gibran Huzaefah, eFishery’s co-founder and CEO. manually, but this can be expensive and inaccurate,
“Telkomsel, as the largest operator in Indonesia, resulting in unproductive fish farming. Over feeding
has a wide network and wide reach nationwide. It’s has a negative impact on the environment, while
perfectly suited with our consumers. Most are living wasted feed can have a negative impact on fish
in the remote areas.” health. Optimising feeding represents the biggest
challenge in the aquaculture industry, according to
As of August 2018, eFishery had supplied IoT- eFishery, which estimates that its customers will
based smart fish feeding machines for commercial make a return-on-investment from its IoT solutions
aquaculture to more than 2,000 fish and shrimp in three to five years.
ponds across 19 provinces in Indonesia. It also has
several pilot projects in Bangladesh, Thailand and
Vietnam. As these initial deployments rely on Wi-Fi
for connectivity, they had to be configured manu-
ally and plugged into a mains electricity supply. By
contrast, the new NB-IoT solution is plug and play
and is power-efficient enough to run on batteries.
Telkomsel’s Mobile IoT “Mobile IoT will change, not only business process,
strategy but also business models and daily life,” says
Alfian Manullang, GM, IOT Smart Connectivity,
Telkomsel. “In this Industry 4.0 era, IoT becomes
In support of the Indonesian government’s road- a reality at the enterprise level. Learning about
map “Making Indonesia 4.0”, Telkomsel says it is the technologies and process changes will make
rolling out Mobile IoT coverage in line with market us a top resource for customers. Thus, we need to
demand and regulations. Today, Telkomsel is prepare a big transformation, not just in technol-
providing NB-IoT coverage in its IoT Labs in the ogy implementation, but also to build, engage and
Telkomsel Smart Office Jakarta, in the Bandung increase readiness of stakeholders in the related
Digital Valley and in commercial areas of Jakarta ecosystem.”
and West Java. During 2019, the operator plans to
expand the commercial network to other locations As well as enabling the IoT, Telkomsel has just
outside Jakarta in Java and Sumatra. Telkomsel introduced the Mobile Consumer Insight (MSIGHT)
says there is strong demand for IoT solutions from service, which analyses big data in support
the mobility, logistics, agriculture, smart city and Indonesia’s digital transformation. MSIGHT aims
health sectors in Indonesia. to bring telco big data services to the industrial,
government and startup communities.
Telkomsel has invited eFishery and other start-ups
to join its Innovation Centre, which is designed eFishery Smart IoT Fishing Feeder Machine
to support the development of an advanced IoT
ecosystem that can create commercial products
for the market. The Telkomsel Innovation Center
(TINC) programme provides start-ups with access
to IoT laboratories, mentoring and bootcamp
programmes, as well as networking opportunities
with the developer community, universities, regula-
tors and system integrators. It is designed to be a
platform for hundreds of innovators in the country.
In its initial incubation stage, the TINC developed a
bike sharing scheme at the University of Indonesia
in collaboration with Banopolis and smart bin waste
management in collaboration with SMASH. In
October 2018, Telkomsel and energy company PLN
Jakarta joined forces to launch a service that uses
NB-IoT to enable smart metering and smart grid
monitoring.
Conclusions
Mobile IoT technologies are gaining traction across much of the Asia-Pacific region. They are
being adopted for a wide range of use cases, spanning everything from smart litter bins in
Singapore and adventure tourism in Japan to automated fish feeding in Indonesia and cold
chain management in Thailand.
The wide variety of use cases highlights the versatility of LTE-M and NB-IoT. Combining low costs, low power
and wide area coverage, these technologies are opening up new opportunities for mobile operators, their part-
ners and their customers across many different sectors of the economy from agriculture to heavy industry. As
they employ operators’ existing infrastructure and use licensed spectrum, Mobile IoT technologies are deliver-
ing the reliability and security enterprises need for mission-critical applications.
In the enterprise market, Mobile IoT connectivity is enabling the deployment of so-called Industry 4.0 solutions
that deliver new levels of automation, flexibility and responsiveness. Many of the early deployments are being
driven by demand for efficient and effective ways to monitor assets and automate processes. Singapore-based
mobile operator M1 says “first mover” clients report costs savings of up to 30% due to enhanced productivity
and/or reduced operating expenditure.
At the same time, Mobile IoT networks promise to ease the rapid urbanisation that is taking place across the
Asia-Pacific region. Mobile IoT technologies are being widely tested for urban IoT use cases, spanning trans-
port, smart buildings and smart city applications, such as waste management and automated street lighting.
In many countries in the region, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, vibrant new ecosystems are coalescing around
Mobile IoT technologies. Mobile operators are supporting this process by establishing innovation labs that can
act as a bridge between their enterprise customers and device manufacturers and solution providers. These
labs can provide access to live Mobile IoT networks for testing purposes, thereby reducing the time it takes to
ready a new solution for commercial deployment.
To that end, it is important that the mobile industry keeps pace with the rising demand for Mobile IoT products
and solutions across the region. Some mobile operators are calling for more cross-regional collaboration to
help customers deploy connected cars, consumer electronics and other IoT solutions internationally.
The ongoing deployment of 5G networks is set to further expand the role of the cellular industry in the Internet
of Things. As an integral part of the 5G proposition, the reach and cost-effectiveness of Mobile IoT technologies
will complement the wideband connectivity being delivered by the New Radio air interface.
As enterprises in Asia Pacific begin to see Mobile IoT as a core component of their current and future business,
the region looks set to continue to lead the adoption of Mobile IoT globally. As a result, Mobile IoT connectivity
will transform business processes and business models, fuel economic development, improve daily life, support
communities, and help protect the environment.