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    HomeNewsAT&T, KPN, Orange and Swisscom activate LTE-M roaming across North America and...

    AT&T, KPN, Orange and Swisscom activate LTE-M roaming across North America and Europe

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    The aim is to enable low power IoT devices to operate efficiently on multiple networks in those territories.

    LTE-M is a standardised, cellular technology designed to supports IoT applications at lower costs than ordinary mobile communications, using compact modules that have far longer battery lives and can penetrate hard-to-reach locations.

    The networks operate within licensed spectrum with carrier-grade security, adapted to moving objects.

    Moving towards maturity

    The partners say their collaboration is an important step in the maturity of LTE-M as an IoT technology:
     
    • AT&T’s network covers the US and Mexico.
    • KPN’s spans LTE-M across the Netherlands.
    • Orange’s LTE-M network is available in France and Romania with Belgium, Slovakia, Spain and Poland coming this year.
    • Swisscom has deployed LTE-M across Switzerland.
     
    The operators expect others to join their roaming agreement over the next few months to extend cross-border reach. The GSMA predicts that LTE-M networks will provide total European coverage by the end of 2020.

    Meeting enterprises’ needs

    John Wojewoda, AVP, Global Connections Management, AT&T said that more of its enterprise customers want global capabilities for IoT devices and applications: “These LTE-M roaming agreements help meet that demand and make it easier for businesses around the world to benefit from the power of a globalized IoT.”

    “Roaming with LTE-M has been one of the most requested features by our customers in the market,” Carolien Nijhuis, Director IoT at KPN added.
     
    Didier Lelièvre, Director, Mbile Wholesale & Interconnection, Orange, added,  “We’re proud to be among the first operators to deliver such a roaming capability to our IoT customers and more widely to our partners across this market.”

    His sentiment was echoed by Julian Dömer, Head of IoT at Swisscom.