At the IoT Evolution Expo, the premier IoT-focused trade show and conference held this week at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, AT&T (News - Alert) in its keynote address, announced that it will launch a pilot program for a new CAT-M1 network this year. The new service will support a new generation of IoT devices and services on the AT&T 4G LTE (News - Alert) network, said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, AT&T Internet of Things Solutions.
The new services are designed to help businesses cut costs and boost device performance for Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. The pilot CAT-M1 network will be located in the San Francisco market beginning in November.
Cat-M1 can operate on the existing network footprint and flexibly co-exist with mobile broadband services in the same spectrum. Its design supports next-generation IoT devices such as wearables and utility meters.
Some of the expected benefits of the CAT-M1 network will include: access to low-cost module technology; extended battery life of 10 years or more for enabled IoT devices; and, enhanced LTE coverage for underground and in-building areas that challenge existing coverage.
Penrose said that several key enterprise customers will take part in the pilot at the AT&T Labs (News - Alert) in San Ramon, Calif. These customers have been chosen to represent a broad range of IoT uses – from alarm monitoring, smart meters, vending inventory and propane tank monitoring.
“Cat-M1 is an advantage for the millions of IoT devices and services coming on the market. We expect this pilot will prove that. This next-generation technology will help businesses gather near real-time information on assets around the world. It will bring a connected world closer to reality,” said Penrose. “Following the trial we plan to make Cat-M1 available commercially in 2017.”
For more information about the AT&T IoT services and support, visit www.att.com/iot.