National Narrowband Network Company (NNNCo) have rolled out their IoT plan for smart cities in Australia starting with Newcastle City. As per the plan, NNNCo have started building a long-range wide area network (LoRaWaN) to enable different parts of the country with smart city applications.
NNNCo say that they were given the contract for smart city transformation by the Newcastle City Council. They also say that through this project they aspire to set an example for other cities to transform their services as well as infrastructure.
Speaking about the rollout, Rob Zagarella, CEO of NNNCo, commented:
Working with Newcastle will enable us to guide other cities to transform their services and infrastructure through carrier-grade LoRaWAN IoT networks and enable these networks to grow across the country.
LoRaWAN’s capabilities are extremely well suited to smart city requirements, and the technology is already used in cities across Europe and the US, where it’s proven to be reliable, secure, and affordable at scale.
According to Newcastle City Council, NNNCo’s IoT stint with Melbourne’s water utilities was one of the reasons for choosing them over other companies. They also say that by partnering with NNCo, Newcastle City Council will be able to build a solid ecosystem over a period of time.
Explaining the same in detail, Nuatali Nelmes, Mayor of Newcastle City, commented:
By investing in this infrastructure, we will provide a platform for community groups, education and research providers, industry, businesses, and entrepreneurs to develop their own smart applications and ideas.
Our smart city strategy is supporting a city-wide revitalisation and regional transformation by encouraging innovation and creativity across all sectors to promote economic growth and diversity.