Australian-first IoT network established in Launceston

An Internet of Things (IoT) network is due to be established in Launceston, making it the first Australian city to be covered by this type of network.

The network will enable a host of innovative new projects involving transport, monitoring, inventory control, traffic, health and sensing, all in real time.

Gateways and sensors will be manufactured by Launceston-based IT company Definium, while the project will run from the new Enterprize Launceston innovation hub. In some cases sensor batteries can last up to 10 years, making the network suitable for a huge range of applications.

The Tasmanian Government has committed $100,000 to fund the city-wide LORA network — a long-range, low-power network that is similar to Wi-Fi and ideally suited to IoT applications. It will consist of approximately 10 base stations, each with a maximum range of about 20 km.

The LORA communications standard is driven and controlled by the non-profit worldwide LORA Alliance association. It includes companies such as IBM, Cisco, Semtech and SingTel.

Launceston was selected by the federal government as one of the three initial Smart Cities and the state government is kickstarting the project with a community-driven IT network that will become a showcase for the rest of the country.

Project partners include UTAS, the CSIRO, Sense-T and Definium.