Page 77 - SAMENA Trends - October 2021

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

EE Begins Using 700MHz Spectrum for ‘Indoor 5G’

British mobile network operator (MNO) EE, a subsidiary of BT, switched on ‘indoor 5G’ at more than 50 sites across the UK.
has announced the next phase of its 5G rollout, confirming it has With a view to delivering ‘high-performance connectivity for its
customers’, the cellco noted in a press release that it is using
some of the 700MHz spectrum it secured at auction earlier this
year for these new sites. With the cellco claiming the development
will strengthen indoor 5G performance and capacity in areas with
existing 5G, while also delivering new connectivity in other areas,
EE’s Director of Mobile Networks, David Salam, said: ‘We’ve got
big ambitions for 5G connectivity in the next decade, and this
is the latest milestone in our journey to provide our customers
with unrivalled connectivity. This next stage of our 5G rollout
will enable our customers to enjoy even better 5G, keeping them
connected to the things that are most important to them.’ Looking
ahead, as part of its ongoing network investment EE has pledged
to extend its 5G network to reach half of the UK’s population by
2023, with nationwide coverage expected by 2028.

Internet of Things Goes to Space With Small Satellite Sensors

Satellite constellations for Internet of Things (IoT) deployments within range. This rate of connectivity is sufficient for those
are growing. The latest plan to extend IoT connectivity beyond with a fixed infrastructure, or for monitoring the movements of
standard terrestrial systems involves a series of launches slated to animals. However, for use cases such as fighting illegal fishing
begin during the second quarter of 2023. Rocket Lab plans to launch operations, IoT systems require more regular data capture. With
25 Kinéis satellites in New Zealand between April and December. 25 nanosatellites in space, Tisserant says, what had originally
The goal is for these small low-orbital satellites to provide real- been one or two hours of waiting for a signal will be reduced to
time geospatial intelligence and global monitoring services. Kinéis only ten minutes. To enable IoT deployments, the company is
provides satellite-based IoT connectivity. The company was building both the satellites and the units in sensor devices that
created in 2019 by French space agency Centre National d'Etudes communicate with those satellites. These small devices are
Spatiales (CNES) and IoT technology firm Collecte Localisation designed to send relatively small packets of data, he notes, and
Satellites (CLS), says Alexandre Tisserant, Kinéis's CEO. Among its they require low-energy supplies at a low price. By offering both
activities during the past two years, Kinéis has been operating the the satellites and the sensor units, Tisserant reports, "We are
Argos System, a collaboration that includes CNES, the National democratizing connectivity." Kinéis and Rocket Lab have agreed
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the European on a fixed span of dates from April to December 2023 to launch
Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites the satellites. Each one is about the size of a large shoebox, and
(EUMETSAT) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). they will all be launched from New Zealand. The company chose
The satellites are being used to collect information about the Rocket Lab, Tisserant says, because "They are the most reliable
climate and the environment, as well as to monitor wildlife and micosatellite launcher." The Kinéis sensor units send packets of
fisheries. Kinéis aims to provide affordable IoT connectivity where information for localization, but they can also transmit pressure,
traditional technologies, such as cellular, LoRa and Wi-Fi, cannot temperature and humidity data. In one application, devices
reach. Currently, only 15 to 20 percent of the world has such transmit such sensor information from ocean buoys. The data is
terrestrial IoT connectivity, Tisserant says, and that opens an captured on Kinéis's server, which can provide a basic location,
opportunity for satellites. In the past, satellite technologies have such as a dot on a map, while the company partners with software
been considerably more expensive than alternative solutions, he providers to obtain more detailed information. The technology is
explains, but Kinéis is attempting to bring that cost down with more expensive than standard terrestrial IoT solutions by a factor
its low-orbital satellites and transmitting sensors. So far, its of three, Tisserant says. However, the price is expected to drop
technology is being used to track animals in remote areas, as well as more sensors are deployed. The relatively large bandwidth in
as fishing boats, and it could monitor containers at sea, smart which transmissions are sent means the density of sensors can
agriculture, and connectivity and utilities in remote areas. At be high, he explains. "So that capacity will be growing," Tisserant
present, Kinéis has eight satellites in orbit. The units, which weigh states, and the price is expected to drop with that growth. "We're
30 kilograms (66 pounds), fly in low Earth orbit at a distance of targeting millions of devices" that will connect to the system.
650 kilometers (404 miles). With these eight satellites circling the Some of the earliest applications have centered around tracking
planet, connectivity is typically available for 15 minutes, followed wildlife, for instance. Kinéis makes a unit that weighs just 3.5
by a wait period of a few hours before the next satellite comes grams (0.1 ounce), which can be built into the collar of an animal

77 OCTOBER 2021