Arun ShankariWire Connect is the exclusive distributor of Sigfox low power communication technology in UAE. Sigfox is operating in 60 countries globally and is a pioneer in promoting the usage of IoT devices. Sigfox devices are low power and low cost devices and their operational costs are low as well. Sigfox is operating a 0G network that is low cost in comparison to the 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks provided by communication service providers.
We sell connectivity to devices, explains Ahmed Fasih Akhtar, Founder, Vice-Chairman and CEO, iWire Connect, to GEC Media Group’s Editor, Arun Shankar. We have built a public network, and we offer this network to anyone who wants to connect their devices to the Internet at a very low cost, compared to traditional service provider networks, says Fasih Akhtar.
The business model of iWire Connect is similar to telecom service providers, who sell connectivity. iWire Connect is a transport mechanism for businesses to build their smart city and IoT applications upon and use as a framework. Customers use the iWire Connect network as a utility and pay for consumption.
Smart city applications are easy to set up and run operationally, while using the iWire Connect network for connectivity and data transfer. For customers who add their devices to the iWire Connect network, the data generated by their devices can be routed to the customer’s data centre or hosted at iWire Connect’s data centre.
0G technology from Sigfox enables IoT solutions that were not feasible by traditional technologies such as Bluetooth, Wifi, and GSM. With IoT, businesses can manage their assets intelligently and eliminate bottlenecks that drag on cost. The use cases are typically around remote monitoring, asset tracking, cost optimization, and automation.
Sigfox is the pioneer of low power, wide area communication technology, also known as 0G. It was founded in France in 2010 and set up the first commercial grade IoT network in France in 2013. Today it is available in 61 countries. Sigfox is a low power, wide area technology using unlicensed spectrum, used by scientific and medical industries, for wireless communication.
The devices that use Sigfox communication are low power and low cost, and have a battery life of five to ten years. They can communicate within a radius of 5 to 15 km. Sigfox provides its protocol, royalty free to semiconductors and mobile makers. It works with operators in each country to build a country wide network. Sigfox manages a global cloud for all its operators.
iWire Connect offers the following solutions to support use cases on its network: Smart cities, Street lights, Smart parking, Smart logistics, Smart utilities, Smart agriculture, Smart ID, Smart energy, Smart Fire Safety. In UAE, iWire is working with customers such as RTA, DP World, Total, MERAAS, Ministry of Interior, Abu Dhabi City Municipality.
