Actility and broadcast network operator Digita to launch a trial LoRa Iot network

LoRa technology contributes to innovating traditional broadcasting

Actility, the industry leader in Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN), and Digita, Finnish broadcast network operator, announce a trial LoRa network to the city of Helsinki and the surrounding area. It is the very first time a LoRa network is deployed in Finland.

The trial aims to prepare the ground for the set-up of a pilot and allows for customers to work with the LoRa technology on several use cases. Initial use cases involve temperature/humidity and motion sensors for monitoring conditions in homes, summer cottages and other property. The network can also be utilized in e.g. smart cities, agriculture and logistics.

The LoRa core network service is delivered through Actility’s ThingPark Wireless solution, a fully integrated platform for the Internet of Things, allowing objects to connect and to communicate within a range of up to 15 km. Making use of broadcast masts means that the technology can run through very high points in the city and be exploited to its full range. 15 of Digita’s 38  main masts are over 300 meters high.

COO of Digita Markus Ala-Hautala: “Digita is a pioneer in wireless and digital solutions in Finland so it’s crucial for us to explore the IoT opportunities. We believe that our expertise in broadcast portfolio is transferable into providing top class network services in IoT as well”.

“We are delighted to set up this trial for the first time in a Scandinavian country. Thanks to Digita’s high masts, we expect to beat the current LoRa range record of 15 km, pointing out the potential of the LoRa range capability”, said Olivier Hersent, Founder and CTO of Actility.

Through ThingPark Wireless OSS (Operations Support System), Digita will be supervising its network performance in real time..

LoRaWan: the protocol for Low Power Wide Area networks

As a founding member of the LoRa Alliance, Actility works with the LoRa eco-system of device and application providers to enable public or private networks connecting multiple applications onto the same network infrastructure. This means that only a few base stations are needed to cover an entire city or country, making the Internet of Things possible at minimal infrastructure investment.