Deutsche Telekom said that it is preparing the roll out of its 5G-ready LTE-M technology in 2019 with the accelerated development of LTE-M solutions.
The company recently unveiled the finalists of the hubraum LTE-M Prototyping program at a summit in Vienna, Austria. The initiative was established by Deutsche Telekom’s in-house tech incubator hubraum in cooperation with its ICT services arm
Almost 150 start-ups and IoT-specialist companies from across Europe and the US submitted LTE-M-based proposals to the new program. 18 solution partners from 12 countries spanning various industries were selected for further cooperation in prototyping LTE-M use cases. With Deutsche Telekom’s support they have implemented LTE-M connectivity and tested the prototypes in either Krakow, Berlin, Reutlingen, Rotterdam or Vienna, where local LTE-M test networks are already available. The tests were conducted to validate the first LTE-M connections for their prototypes and to further explore commercial aspects.
The hubraum LTE-M Prototyping finalists have developed innovative solutions across several industry sectors, most notably in the areas of Smart City, Wearables, E-Health and Smart Tracking, said Deutsche Telekom. Neebo in the UK, for example, has created a miniature wearable so small it can be placed around a newborn baby’s wrist and monitor his or her vital signs.
The Dutch company Babbler has developed a high-value industrial asset tracking solution. It tracks cargo containers over long distances and connects them to security alarms to alert for theft or damage. Security is also the focus for Inshoerance in Germany, who have invented smart insoles with a built-in alarm sensor which can be activated by tapping your feet together. These safety shoes can be used by professionals in dangerous workplaces or people at risk of being kidnapped.
Ingo Hofacker, SVP, IoT Business, Deutsche Telekom
We are concurrently working towards first LTE-M network launches in several of our European markets by mid-2019. These will enable our customers to develop and test their LTE-M-based devices and applications.
