Ericsson and Verizon Team Up to Plan for Millions of IoT Devices

Ericsson and Verizon have announced that they will join forces to further the development and deployment of cellular low-power wide-area (LPWA) networking for IoT applications. The two companies have been doing IoT trials since 2014 to demonstrate the range of IoT uses in both consumer and industrial applications.

“Verizon's nationwide LTE network provides an ideal platform for the acceleration of IoT applications that benefit consumers, industry and cities. We're committed to simplifying IoT and have introduced a developer platform - ThingSpace - and new network advancements that do just that,” said Adam Koeppe, VP, Network Technology and Planning, Verizon. “Ericsson's new software will enable us to expand our coverage of low-cost IoT devices while supporting years of battery life.”

LTE is already especially well-suited to support high-capacity, low-latency applications. Ericsson's LPWA solution will scale Verizon's LTE network to connect a wider variety of IoT use cases by supporting the connectivity requirements of lower power, lower cost and reduced complexity.

“Verizon has been a great partner in the advancement of cellular technologies to address IoT networking requirements,” said Arun Bansal, SVP and Head of Business Unit Radio, Ericsson. “IoT applications will drive 5G development so it is essential for us to work with leading operators like Verizon to proactively spearhead the industry and ecosystem.”

Ericsson's recently launched new software, called Networks Software 17A, addresses the anticipated number IoT devices and the diversity of their connectivity requirements.  Ericsson is accelerating the uptake of IoT with a complete cellular LPWA offering, enabling operators to address the full diversity of IoT use cases across their networks.

By leveraging its existing network infrastructure, Verizon achieves a faster time to market with new IoT applications that benefit from its LTE network's mobility, reliability, security and reach. Ericsson and Verizon will work proactively with ecosystem partners to accelerate the pace of commercialization of advanced IoT solutions. Joint trials between Ericsson and Verizon will continue in 2016, focused on live network testing of IoT use case scenarios.