Nokia and Mobily have completed a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network deployment in the L-800 band in Saudi Arabia.
The deployment brings the total number of sites connected by Nokia and Mobily to over 4000, while the NB-IoT cell radius coverage averages 20km per cell – substantially higher than typical LTE cells. The completion of the project increases Mobily’s digitalisation by offering new NB-IoT services to better serve its enterprise customers.
As part of the project, Mobily’s existing LTE base stations have been upgraded to enable NB-IoT in all Nokia footprints - Central, North and East of Saudi Arabia – via a software update without requiring additional hardware. Nokia’s LTE solution will help Mobily enterprise customers to enhance their operational efficiency and deliver improved customer experience through IoT connectivity for enterprises in verticals such as energy, transport and health.
Nokia’s NB-IoT technology solution meets the dynamic demands of connected devices. By utilising Nokia’s NB-IoT business platform, Mobily’s enterprise customers can deploy IoT devices on Nokia’s network without the need to manually configure the devices or switch networks. The platform also enables wider coverage indoors and outdoors, ideal for rural and deep indoor locations because it allows the signal to reach further inside buildings to connect sensors and devices and transmit information. It also provides enhanced machine-to-machine communication as it supports more connections and lowers power consumption.
Alaa Malki, CTO at Mobily, said: “The partnership reinforces a robust IoT infrastructure and network, allowing enterprises to accelerate the expansion of their IoT footprint.”