IoT and smart city operator Connexin is to expand its LoRaWan connectivity across the UK to support the development of national smart networks.

The Hull-based company says it will expand its IoT network nationwide, providing carrier-grade roaming LoRaWan connectivity and infrastructure to customers all over the UK for the first time.

The national low cost wide-area network rollout should support the increasing demand for smart networks throughout the UK. The universal connectivity could lower the barriers to entry and better enable every type of organisation across the UK to adopt IoT to provide insights, promote a better quality of life and create environmental improvements.

“With low-cost wide-area networking becoming available to all organisations across the UK, it opens up opportunities for those looking to deploy IoT for a fraction of the cost of existing cellular infrastructure,” said Furqan Alamgir, CEO of Connexin. “Not only does this promote the development of new IoT-based technology but it allows existing solutions to be rolled-out nationwide to encourage further adoption and will allow more people to utilise and benefit from affordable, carrier-grade IoT connectivity.”

Following regional deployments, Connexin raised £80m in September for smart infrastructure and end-to-end IoT deployment in the UK. Connexin has regional LoRaWans in place in East and South Yorkshire following deployments in Sheffield with Amey and Yorkshire Water, Hull with Hull City Council, and the south coast with Icosa Water.

The expansion of the national IoT network to cover other areas of the UK is now underway, cementing Connexin’s position as a provider of densely populated low powered metropolitan networks and demonstrating the importance of having carrier-grade IoT infrastructure nationwide to support technologies and innovation across UK industry.

“Connexin is committed to changing the status quo in a previously stagnant smart city and IoT market,” said Alamgir. “This announcement builds on our successes to date and will make available high quality LPWAN infrastructure to all. Regionally, we have seen our network used by a variety of sectors and individuals from entrepreneurs and innovation centres to the utility, private and public sectors, and have seen continued success with the likes of Amey in Sheffield and Yorkshire Water. These results have demonstrated the effectiveness of low powered networks across multiple use cases and we’re excited to be providing carrier-grade networks now across the entire UK.”

Winning smart city deployment of the year for its smart street project in Newcastle in 2018, Connexin went on to deliver the UK’s first purpose built smart city operating system for Hull City Council and this year helped Amey implement the CityOS platform to improve highway maintenance services across Sheffield.

“I would like to congratulate Connexin on the milestone of rolling out a nationwide LoRaWan in the UK, as a result of numerous successful projects and use case demonstrations,” said Donna Moore, CEO of the LoRa Alliance. “This is a significant achievement for IoT in the UK that will open up tremendous business opportunity and deliver new service offerings that will improve the lives of customers in this market. As the leading IoT network technology, LoRaWan has the most networks deployed and is the global de facto LPWAN standard. Connexin’s growth is a great example of how LoRaWan users are able to achieve business success.”

Founded in Hull in 2006, Connexin specialises in building and operating smart city infrastructure to support the IoT. It provides end-to-end smart city applications, such as smart water, smart parking, smart lighting and smart waste.