Senet, the provider of cloud-based software and services platforms that enable global connectivity and on-demand network build-outs for the Internet of Things (IoT), announced this week it is significantly expanding the build-out of its public network operating on the LoRaWAN standard across the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Region.
With dense carrier-grade coverage already in place to support Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) for water utilities, Senet is expanding its network to cover over 1,600 square miles across Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, including the cities of Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg.
This network will be the largest and densest metropolitan deployment of public carrier-grade LoRaWAN connectivity in North America, providing capacity to support millions of IoT device connections from over 80 planned tower sites.
“As IoT technologies are increasingly influencing how we design, develop, build, and operate the world’s physical infrastructure, our vision is to design networks that create a focal point of innovation for high-growth regions like the Tampa Bay Metro area,” said Bruce Chatterley (News - Alert), CEO of Senet. “The combination of customer readiness, economic growth, and a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem make this a great location to advance our infrastructure investments to help drive and support ongoing municipal and business efficiencies, resource conservation, and overall economic vitality.”
“Senet’s leadership position in deploying and managing public and private carrier-grade LoRaWAN network services for the utility market has led to a natural extension into critical infrastructure and essential business IoT applications across markets,” said Mohan Maheswaran, president and CEO of Semtech. “Senet’s Tampa Bay LoRaWAN network deployment is an exciting development for the LoRaWAN ecosystem.”
Due to gateway density and signal strength, the network will provide both broad outdoor coverage and indoor penetration, making Senet’s Tampa Bay Area public LoRaWAN network an ideal connectivity choice for energy & utility, municipal (Smart City), manufacturing and distribution, asset tracking and multi-location campus enterprise solutions.
This means water and gas utility companies, for example, can enhance their service offerings by implementing additional infrastructure monitoring and safety applications such as leak detection, valve control, and asset tracking, while municipalities and businesses can instrument their operations with low-cost sensors connected to Senet’s network to drive productivity and offer new services to their citizens and customers.
Senet’s Tampa Bay Area LoRaWAN network is being expanded on a rolling construction schedule and will be complete by the end of 2021. The network already has densely deployed areas and is available immediately for use in both pilots and commercial applications.
To maximize the value, this new digital infrastructure brings to the region, Senet is collaborating with regional organizations, partners, and end customers to develop solution interest and understand unique application and coverage requirements.
In related news, last week, Pinellas County officials announced they are planning to submit an application asking for $4 million from the state of Florida to help fund the construction of the new Tampa Bay Innovation Center in St. Petersburg, leveraging the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, an economic development program designed to promote public infrastructure and workforce training.
The two-story center will be the first of its type in Pinellas County and is located on 2.5 acres donated by the City of St. Petersburg at 4th Street and 11th Avenue South in the Innovation District.
Construction is scheduled to start July 29 and take 24 months to complete.
The Tampa Bay Innovation Center, a nonprofit tech incubator and accelerator, will be operating the center. The total cost for the center is $15.5 million.