Elisa is deploying its 5G network to aid a research project aimed at measuring air quality in large cities.
The MegaSense project covers a large urban area with sensors that track the levels of pollutants, delivering a real-time picture of air quality.
The project already uses Elisa’s NB-IoT network to connect its sensors. The operator said its 5G network, which it launched in June this year, would give it the ability to increase the number of connected devices measuring air quality.
Professor Sasu Tarkoma, Head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, which runs the MegaSense project, said: “The new network technology inter-connects sensors, enables efficient data collection and supports smarter sensor management.
“We are developing a new kind of air quality sensor network, one that automatically detects the operating environment of each sensor and minimises measurement error.
“Artificial intelligence enables significant improvements in the functionality of low-cost sensors.”
Start-ups have also been invited to use the platform for their own projects.
Petteri Svensson, Business Director of Subscriptions at Elisa’s Corporate Customer Unit, added: “IoT services are one of the first ways in which the benefits of 5G technology are being put in concrete use, and the effort to improve air quality is a good example of this.
“Many Finnish companies have already come a long way in making use of IoT, and so the new opportunities that 5G presents are certainly welcome.”
MegaSense forms part of the wider UrbanSense project, which aims to explore how 5G connectivity and other network technologies can be used within towns and cities. The MegaSense platform is also used in Beijing.