AT&T Accelerates Deployment of LTE-M Network for Internet of Things

AT&T has announced its accelerated plans for nationwide deployment of its LTE-M network for Internet of Things (IoT), which will be ahead of schedule in the second quarter of 2017. The Mexico deployment is planned by the end of the year, according to the announcement.

The deployment will ultimately support a North American footprint across the AT&T 4G LTE network in the U.S. and Mexico. The company’s 4G LTE network now covers nearly 400 million people in the U.S. and Mexico. The plans follow the successful pilot of the AT&T LTE-M Low-Power Wide-Area network at AT&T Labs in San Ramon, California. AT&T switched on its North American LTE-M enabled commercial site in October to support the pilot with other ecosystem players.

LTE-M will be the catalyst for large-scale IoT deployments. Devices designed to operate on the LTE-M network have advantages over traditional IoT connectivity options, including lower device costs, longer battery life up to 10 years, better coverage underground and deep inside buildings, and small module size at about 1/6 the size of current modules.

“Thanks to the success of our pilot, we’re on track to support LTE-M devices across our commercial network in the U.S. and Mexico ahead of schedule,” said Chris Penrose, President, Internet of Things Solutions, AT&T. “We’re seeing real momentum for LTE-M that will let us connect more end points than ever before.  And we can do it at a lower cost with superior performance and carrier-grade security.”

At AT&T Labs, the company is working with tech leaders and providers to evaluate the performance of LTE-M network and chipset technology in a variety of situations. The LTE-M network and chipset technology has been tested in:

•             Smart water meters with Capstone Metering

•             Smart pallets with RM2

•             Smart beverage fountains with PepsiCo

•             Consumer devices with Samsung

•             Shipping container monitoring with Xirgo Technologies

•             Connected vehicles and fleet & asset management with CalAmp

•             Home security and automation with Telular

“We fully expect to have nationwide availability of LTE-M technology in Mexico by the end of 2017. This is huge for our enterprise customers. It’s an important step to help accelerate the speed of business,” said Kelly King, CEO, AT&T Mexico.