First nationwide LoRa network for the Internet of Things completed in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is now the first country in the world to have a nationwide LoRa network for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, after Dutch telecommunication provider KPN completed its network this week. It is now available outdoors throughout the Netherlands.

KPN’s LoRa went live at the beginning of November 2015 in Rotterdam and The Hague. Because of substantial customer interest, the pace of the rollout of the network was increased at the beginning of the year.

According to the LoRa Alliance, LoRaWAN is a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) specification intended for wireless, battery-operated devices in regional, national or global networks. LoRaWAN targets key requirements of the Internet of Things, such as secure bidirectional communication, mobility and localisation services.

The existence of the easily accessible LoRa network makes it simple to develop smart applications and to optimise processes and services. KPN has already contracted 1.5 million devices that will be connected to the LoRa network. This number is expected to grow rapidly now that the network is available in the whole of the Netherlands. In the months ahead, KPN will further optimise the LoRa network by condensing the network and a much-requested localisation functionality will become available.

“Last year, we identified an increasing demand for low-power network technology for Internet of Things applications. We are responding to this by choosing LoRa so millions of devices can be connected to the internet in a cost-effective manner,” said Joost Farwerck, chief operations officer and member of the board of management of KPN. “In less than a year, KPN has implemented a network that allows us to satisfy this market demand.”

The first Internet of Things applications are already connected to the network and numerous proofs of concept are being tested. For example, at Schiphol Airport LoRa is being tested in logistical processes such as baggage handling and for facility services. An experiment is being carried out at Utrecht Central station that allows LoRa to monitor rail switches, and depth sounders at the port of Rotterdam have been fitted with devices to connect them to the IoT network. KPN expects LoRa applications for consumers to become more widely available over the course of this year.