A consortium made out of Stream Technologies, Semtech, Boston Networks and CENSIS has developed up a LoRa system in Glasgow.Working with Glasgow University, Strathclyde University and Glasgow Caledonian University, the group has installed a wireless IoT network covering 12km2 across the city, including the commercial centre, Merchant City and the West End. The network will enable the development and use of devices such as building and indoor environmental monitors, pollution sensors, tags for tracking valuable assets and social care devices designed to support independent living.

Nigel Chadwick, CEO of Stream Technologies, said: “This is an exciting development in the story of the IoT and the next wave of internet technology. The LoRaWAN network we’ve set up in Glasgow is one of the most advanced in the world – and is the perfect demonstrator for how it can be rolled out across other cities.

“The model will allow businesses to start up their own IoT networks with just one or two devices, and scale-up to the point where they have hundreds, or even thousands, of connected ‘things’. That might sound like it is purely focused on technology companies, but the network could be used by practically any organisation – or even individuals.”

Glasgow was selected as the test case because of its similarities to many major metropolitan areas worldwide. The city includes a grid system like major US conurbations, older historic spaces and a mix of urban and extra-urban environments – all of which are ideal for testing low-power radio network performance.

“With fewer than 10% of the predicted 30 billion nodes by 2020 likely to be connected to the internet using cellular technology, networks like LoRaWAN are going to become increasingly important. It has the potential to be as disruptive to businesses as the internet has been already to daily life – and, with the conclusion of this agreement in Shanghai, Scotland is at the forefront of making that happen.”