Samsung Electronics has signed a solution contract for Narrow Band – Internet of Things (NB-IoT) with KT on February 24, 2017. Samsung and KT have set the preparation for NB-IoT to complete early this year for official commercialization and newly develop IoT market.

The companies plan for a NB-IoT base station upgrade and virtualized Core deployment which will be followed by a commercial nationwide network launch by the second quarter of this year.

NB-IoT, with its ability to make use of the existing 4G LTE infrastructure including the base station and antenna, is a huge benefit as this means that the time required for establishment can be greatly reduced. It also means that the coverage of areas that were covered by 4G LTE network can be guaranteed. Further, with repeaters being deployed at coverage holes such as mountainous regions, and underground spaces, IoT service will be available anywhere LTE service is provided.

“The commercialization of NB-IoT will expand boundaries in the world of IoT, enabling us to position ourselves at the forefront in the IoT market.”, said June Keun Kim, Senior Vice President and Giga IoT Business Unit Leader of KT. “We aim to discover business models across business fields, one of the main examples being the KT-developed life jacket that protects users by communicating with surrounding objects in urgent situations during mountain climbing. This type of discovery and development, in essence, will introduce a new set of values to our customers.”

“NB-IoT is a technology that enables the communication between objects, given that LTE is available in the area. It will allow customers to enjoy IoT services regardless of their location, including mountainous regions or in-building areas,” said Jinsoo Jeong, Senior Vice President and Head of Domestic Business Marketing in Network Business, Samsung Electronics. “Samsung, as KT’s strategic partner for the commercialization of NB-IoT, is pleased to be able to partake in the process of forming a ‘connected world’ that will truly connect people and objects together.”

NB-IoT, in contrast with 4G LTE that utilizes bandwidth of 10~20MHz at a time, uses a narrow bandwidth of 200KHz. This essentially means that the technology is suitable for cases that demand low throughput and low use of device’s battery, with electricity/water supply inspection and location tracking being some of the main examples of appropriate use case. It is expected that the technology will generate a myriad of business opportunities by blurring lines across industries, as can be seen with the development of smart irrigation system designed to provide an unprecedented level of accuracy in the monitoring and managing of farming sites.