Vodafone is launching a brand new corporate network for the Internet of Things called Cat-M
It complements the existing Narrowband IoT, but offers a better signal and higher transmission speed
From August 1, the operator will cover up to 93% of the territory of the Czech Republic with this network
Today, Vodafone launched a brand new Internet of Things (IoT) network called Cat-M in Karlovy Vary. In principle, this will allow connected devices to last longer on the battery, the signal penetrates obstacles well and offers significantly higher data transfers, in the best case, up to 1 Mb/s. With this new network, Vodafone, as an IoT pioneer, will cover most of the Czech Republic during the summer.
Vodafone and the Internet of Things
The phenomenon of the Internet of Things was often popularized by the operator Vodafone, in the past, for example, in the context of deploying 5G networks. There was talk of smart cities, self-driving cars and the like. We are probably still far from these sci-fi scenarios, but the operator has nevertheless introduced a new Cat-M network that complements the existing Narrowband (NB-IoT).
Director Petr Dvořák and vice president for corporate customers Veronika Brázdilová announce the launch of Cat-M
Compared to it, Cat-M, also LTE-M, is significantly stronger. It can handle a transfer speed of up to 1 Mb/s (although in practice it runs at a speed of 300 Kb/s), which makes it possible to send, for example, a photo. In the future, Vodafone wants to enable the transmission of voice calls and SMS messages via Cat-M.
Cat-M in practice
There are many examples of how the network could be used. For example, in this particular case, a smart elevator is offered, from which you can send an emergency message day or night in the event of a malfunction. Another example is a smart camera trap, which is more economical in terms of durability, it can lie in the forest for practically several months, and when it manages to take a picture of an animal, it sends the picture immediately. The operator has already established cooperation with the Czech company Dronetag, which manufactures identification devices for drones and sells them all over the world.
Vodafone Cat-M network coverage map
The modern technology standard Cat-M should partially replace the outdated 2G (GSM) network, which operators in many European countries have already switched off a long time ago. Vodafone will sell SIM cards connected to the Cat-M network exclusively to business customers, of course, or to customers with an ID number, via the platform GDSP. It will use the 900 and 1800 MHz frequency bands.
Already today, the network was launched in Karlovy Vary and several other large cities, such as Prague or Brno. Vodafone offers a complete coverage map on its pages. From August 1, the plan is to expand the coverage by using the existing infrastructure. From August, Vodafone will cover Cat-M up to 93% of the Czech Republic.
Author of the article
Jakub Fischer
Journalist, fan of modern technology, summer months and Asian food. I like Lynch movies, Pollock paintings, french house and Arsenal football club. In my spare time, I play PlayStation and go jogging.
2023-07-03 14:30:00
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