Samsung and KT signed a contract for the supply of Narrow Band - Internet of Things (NB-IoT) solutions. Samsung and KT set the completion of NB-IoT preparations for the official commercial launch at the beginning of this year and agreed on the new development of the Internet of Things market.
The companies plan to upgrade NB-IoT base stations and deploy a virtualized core, followed by a commercial network launch in the second quarter of this year.
NB-IoT technology, which can use the existing infrastructure of 4G LTE networks, including base stations and antennas, means a significant reduction in the time needed to deploy Internet of Things technologies. At the same time, it will be possible to guarantee coverage in areas where 4G LTE networks are operational. By installing repeaters in areas with poor coverage, such as mountainous areas and underground spaces, the IoT service will further be available wherever LTE services are provided.
"The commercial launch of NB-IoT will push the boundaries of the IoT world and allow us to position ourselves at the forefront of the IoT market," said June Keun Kim, senior vice president and head of KT's Giga IoT division. "Our goal is to look for business models across different areas of human activity. One of the main examples can be the life jacket developed by KT, which protects the user by communicating with surrounding objects in emergency situations during mountain climbing. This way of research and development will introduce a fundamentally new set of values to our customers.”
NB-IoT uses a narrow bandwidth of 4 kHz, unlike 10G LTE networks that use a bandwidth of 20~200 MHz. This basically means that this technology is suitable for cases that require low transfer speed and low device battery consumption.
An example of a suitable use could be the control of electricity/water supplies or location monitoring. This technology is expected to create a myriad of business opportunities as it blurs the lines between industries, as seen in the development of intelligent irrigation systems to provide unprecedented levels of precision in monitoring and managing agricultural land.
