IoT Optimized Network Launched by US Cellular
US Cellular announced that it launched its LTE-M network today. The rollout affected over 90% of the company’s cell sites across the country. US Cellular estimates that 100% coverage should be achieved by the second quarter of 2020. LTE-M offers a unique premise for businesses that have a lot of IoT devices to connect to the internet. US Cellular’s network is optimized for IoT connections, making it an ideal solution for businesses looking to this route with their connected devices. The extensive coverage area depends on a technology known as low-power wide-area-networking (LPWAN), allowing even remote IoT devices to get a connection to the internet to send data.
A Cost-Effective Solution
LPWAN devices are ideal for companies that are looking to expand their IoT rollout but looking to keep costs down. The devices are reliable and cost-effective so that businesses don’t need to worry about cost-overruns or problems in communication. US Cellular’s solution is among the first networks designed to be optimized for IoT communications. The company intends to keep evolving its IoT device support, in the hopes that more businesses realize the benefit of implementing IoT solutions in their operations.
IoT Usage Rising
There has been more interest in adopting IoT for industrial and commercial applications over recent months. The reliability of devices and the ability to connect low-powered devices feature heavily in the decision to implement IoT as a solution. As more companies adopt the technology and see the financial benefits it provides to their operation (most importantly in the area of efficiency), they provide useful case studies for other industrial and commercial companies to emulate. US Cellular’s network comes at the perfect time to support a greater focus on the IoT, and the increased security and reliability their system provides will likely be crucial in proving the usefulness of the devices to businesses implementing an IoT solution.
