Samsung and KT today announced the pilot service launching of Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT, CAT-NB1). The service launch is targeted at friendly-users in Seoul and its metropolitan areas over a two-month period, with the aim of extending diverse service models and coverage in near future.

The NB-IoT technology is designed to meet the demands for use cases that require low throughput and battery use owing to its main feature, the narrow bandwidth of 180KHz. With its low-power consumption and cost-effective device, NB-IoT is applicable to diverse service models for individual and industry automation, such as utility metering, smart factory, cargo tracking and location tracking of children and goods. KT will initiate its first NB-IoT pilot service with the location tracking service and further expand on its use cases to diverse business applications.

Samsung has deployed its latest NB-IoT technology to existing LTE radio base stations and rolled out its virtualized Cellular IoT core solution (C-GSN). Further, interoperability tests between NB-IoT networks and new devices have been completed in advance, since reliable interoperability is a key prerequisite for operators prior to introducing new technologies and services to the market.

“KT is launching its first Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) service in Seoul and metropolitan areas thanks to close collaboration with Samsung,” said Chang-Seok Seo, Executive Vice President and Head of Network Strategy Unit of KT. “IoT services will remove boundaries between industries with their ability to connect everything. KT will open up new possibilities of the IoT era by generating unprecedented services and industry convergence.”

“What we have achieved together with KT is a key industry milestone that will accelerate LTE vertical businesses based on IoT technologies,” said Jinsoo Jeong, Senior Vice President and Head of Domestic Business Marketing in Networks Business, Samsung Electronics. “As a strategic partner, we provided KT with NB-IoT features complying with all the latest enhancements in 3GPP standard specification in a short period of time to support KT’s pioneering work.”

Back in February 2017, Samsung and KT signed the supply contract for NB-IoT solutions, and a mere two months later, the companies are announcing their readiness to start pilot service which indicates the proximity of commercial service.

One of the key elements included in this contract was Samsung’s virtualized core solution for Cellular IoT (C-GSN). As the demand for IoT services continues to grow, the current LTE network needs to accommodate large amounts of connectivity generated from the ever-growing number of IoT devices. Samsung’s C-GSN provides scalability, flexibility, cost-effectiveness and easy operation compared to other legacy core systems.