WiSUN Advances IoT and Smart City in India

The Wi-SUN Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies seeking to accelerate the implementation of Field Area Networking (FAN) and the Internet of Things (IoT), has announced a successful interoperability test event of the IEEE 802.15.4u physical layer RF specification for India, suitable for use in the Wi-SUN FAN specification.

The Wi-SUN FAN profile is a technology for applications in the Utility Industry, including Advanced Metering Infrastructure and Distribution Automation, as well as Smart City applications like street lighting, traffic management and other urban infrastructure applications. The test event featured member companies Analog Devices, Landis + Gyr, Procubed, Renesas and Silver Spring Networks, and they demonstrated multi-vendor interoperability using currently available products operating in the India frequency band. The test event was hosted by TUV Rheinland at their Wireless Test Laboratory in Bangalore, India. The next interoperability event will finalize the certification test specifications and enable the launch of the certification program.

“Wi-SUN is the industry leader for interoperable wireless mesh solutions throughout India,” said Phil Beecher, chairman, Wi-SUN Alliance. “The Wi-SUN Alliance commitment to multi-vendor interoperability will deliver more products supporting improved data rates, performance, robustness and security for Smart City and IoT deployments across India.”

Wi-SUN Alliance is adopting IEEE 802.15.4u as the PHY layer for India for the Wi-SUN FAN profile. The Wi-SUN FAN specification helps enterprises, service providers, utilities and municipalities by enabling interoperable, multi-service and secure IPv6/6LoWPAN communications over an IEEE 802.15.4g based wireless mesh network. Mesh-enabled FANs provide resilient, secure and cost effective connectivity with extremely good coverage in a range of topographical environments, from dense urban neighborhoods to rural areas, with minimal additional infrastructure.

Since India represents the second largest population on Earth, and much of it is clustered in urban areas, this kind of Smart City testing and eventual implementation is critical, and seeing such positive progress is excellent.