Artificial IntelligenceInternet Of ThingsTelecom

MTN trials first Cat-M1 IoT network in Africa with Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies

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Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies recently announced a successful trial of Cat-M1 solution with MTN South Africa to support the telecom operator’s IoT (Internet of Things) ambitions.

The Cat-M1 trial is proposed to be first-of-its-kind trial in the African continent. It was carried on in MTN’s own Test Bed Lab along with IoT devices integrated with Qualcomm’s MDM9206 global multimode LTE IoT modem and Ericsson’s IoT Radio Access Network product.

MTN South Africa, which plans to conduct more such experiments in its Test Bed Lab, wants to get hold of the advantages like low-cost devices, extended coverage, long battery life etc. which the applications running on Cat-M1 technology will offer.

Giovanni Chiarelli, CTIO, MTN South Africa, said, “The successful trial, in conjunction with Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies, proves that both companies have the ability to support new IoT services and technologies for MTN.”

Rafiah Ibrahim, the president of Ericsson Middle East and Africa, believes that the coming years will see huge revenue inflow in telecom sector from applications, platforms, and services.

He further added, “This trial ensures MTN South Africa will capture new revenue streams and deliver the best experience to its customers.”

James Munn, Vice-President of Business Development, Qualcomm South Africa considers this trial as an important parameter for IoT use cases and he also said that, “Our MDM9206 global multimode LTE IoT modem, designed to support LTE Cat M1, NB-1 and E-GPRS and global RF bands, brings many enhancements and optimizations to LTE that can help reduce IoT complexity, up to ten years of battery life and low device costs, and support operators such as MTN South Africa.”

Ericsson believes that Cat-M1 will provide VoLTE support with hundreds of kilobits per second in throughput. With this, it can extend support to IoT applications like Smart POS terminals, vending machines, vehicle tracking with emergency calling, voice integrated wearables, pet-tracking etc.

With the successful test, MTN will be continuing its lead in technological IoT advancements.

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