IoT powerhouse launches $5 million program to create smart cities in remote Australia

An Internet of Things (IoT) powerhouse is launching a $5 million program to get 50 Australian councils connected to a network that will ignite new life into dead objects and devices.

Thinxtra is offering to install the SIGFOX network in regional Australian towns that have at least 10,000 residents.

As part of the initiative, the connectivity provider will also give development kits to local accelerators and incubators so they can start building IoT solutions that work with the network.

Thinxtra is Australia and New Zealand’s only provider of connectivity network SIGFOX, a French company that services cities around the world.

“It’s the future of Internet of Things, for connecting millions of things there is a technology called LPWAN,” Thinxtra vice president of ecosystem and marketing Renald Gallis tells StartupSmart. 

“In that segment, SIGFOX is the most mature technology in the market, they’re the global leader.”

What if finding parking became a fond experience and what if we could made wine taste even better? These are just some of the ways connected devices can improve your life, but their application goes beyond personal niceties.

“You can use GPS tracking in shopping trolleys, you can use GPS tracking in water metering, you can monitor fire extinguishers,” says Gallis.

“We did that with industry partners who have business interests, now we are moving to the next step.”

By installing the connectivity network, Gallis says councils will be able to embrace new technologies like sensors that detect the rubbish levels in bins and monitoring systems for pre-emptive fire conditions.

It can help regional towns deploy smarter solutions to manage waste, pollution, radiation levels and infrastructure.

It can also mean more control over noise levels at bars and tracking of unauthorised people on restricted premises.

“We’ve deployed the network into 60% of Australia, we’re in all the big cities now [including] Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth,” he says.

“We want to expand into regional Australia.”

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