Sigfox Introduces New Services to Target Asset-Tracking Market

Subscribe To Download This Insight

4Q 2018 | IN-5298

Sigfox Connect is an annual event that brings together the Sigfox ecosystem, including chipset Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), module vendors, device OEMs, network operators, and software platform vendors. The second Sigfox Connect event was held in Berlin, Germany. Sigfox used the event to provide insight into recent successes and innovations that are driving their market strategy. The top highlights from the event are listed below.

Registered users can unlock up to five pieces of premium content each month.

Log in or register to unlock this Insight.

 

Sigfox Connect 2018 Highlights

NEWS


Sigfox Connect is an annual event that brings together the Sigfox ecosystem, including chipset Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), module vendors, device OEMs, network operators, and software platform vendors. The second Sigfox Connect event was held in Berlin, Germany. Sigfox used the event to provide insight into recent successes and innovations that are driving their market strategy. The top highlights from the event are listed below.

  • Active connections: As of October 25th, there are about 3.9 million active Sigfox connections.
  • Bubbles: Sigfox introduced a new beacon-based indoor location service. Sigfox claims the solution can provide geolocation with an adaptive range of 1 to 10 meters. The battery-operated beacons can work for three to five years, and the tags can send 1,000 messages. The solution is currently in the beta phase and was developed in collaboration with Amadeus, an airport bag handling solution vendor.
  • Batteryless tracker: Japanese electronics components manufacturer Alps Electric showcased their batteryless connected seal for the transport and logistics industry. The connected seal uses energy-harvesting technology and transmits an alert on the Sigfox network when the seal is opened or if the seal has been tampered with. Sigfox’s chief executive officer, Ludovic Lemoan, also announced that Alps Electric will become an investor in Sigfox.
  • Atlas Wi-Fi: Sigfox introduced a new Wi-Fi-based location service by integrating the Sigfox network with the HERE Location Suite.
  • ZeroG standardization: Sigfox wants to propose discussion around a new wireless connectivity standard that would complement existing cellular networks and act as a safety net for fallback alerts in case of emergencies.
  • Partnership with Eutelsat: Sigfox and Eutelsat jointly announced plans to launch a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite with Sigfox connectivity in 2019 to test and to optimize Sigfox technology. According to Eutelsat’s Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), if the 2019 tests are successful, Eutelsat will launch multiple LEO satellites in 2020 that will support global coverage with Sigfox connectivity. This will allow Sigfox end devices to directly communicate with Eutelsat’s LEO satellites in regions where they do not have base-station coverage.
  • Sigfox Frequency Identification(SFID): Currently under development, the Sigfox Frequency Indicator can possibly bring to market a passive Sigfox tag that will work with beacons and cost US$0.02. Sigfox is currently working with chipset vendors to develop the solution and claims that it will be commercially available by 2022.

Sigfox’s Multitier Horizontal Geolocation Offering

IMPACT


At this year’s Sigfox Connect, Sigfox announced that its network will be available in 53 countries, which include eight new additional countries as follows: Austria, Liechtenstein, Romania, Norway, Kenya, Peru, Guatemala, and Honduras. Sigfox Network Operators (SNOs) are contractually obligated to first cover their respective regions’ strategic transportation hubs, such as ports, airports, and train stations. The Sigfox base stations deployed in the transportation hubs support the Monarch service, and this allows Sigfox’s connected assets to roam across networks by hopping among different Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio frequencies. According to Sigfox, there has been significant market pull for asset-tracking solutions, with container tracking witnessing initial adoption from Michelin, BPW Group, and CMA-CGM Group. Since its initial success with intermodal tracking solutions, Sigfox wants to further diversify its connectivity network and modem offering to build a horizontal solution that can address various vertical applications.

Sigfox’s Location Services can be broadly segmented into three tiers. In the first tier, Sigfox’s Atlas service (combined with Monarch) offers Received Signal Strength Indication(RSSI) based localization with an accuracy of about 1 kilometer, which addresses applications such as intermodal container tracking. In the second tier, with Atlas Wi-Fi, Sigfox integrates its geolocation service with the HERE Location Suite to provide location accuracy both indoors and outdoors in the tens of meters. Both Sigfox Atlas and Atlas Wi-fi are commercially available; Sigfox claims to have already been integrating it into device OEMs and solutions vendor offerings.

Finally, the Bubble is a beacon-based solution which can provide location tracking of tagged assets with an accuracy of 1 to 10 meters. To communicate with the Bubble, the tagged asset will need to have a specific application library installed that will allow for devices to listen to a Bubble. The battery-operated Bubble device transmits its location data, and the tagged assets send that location to the Sigfox base station once they are within the range of a Bubble. The Bubble also communicates with base stations twice per day to send out device notifications and alerts in case the device has been moved or tampered with. Bubble was demonstrated at the event by using credit-card-sized tags to track the location of Sigfox employees at the venue, and it is expected to be commercially available in second half of 2019.

Growing Opportunity for System Integrators and Solution Vendors

RECOMMENDATIONS


According to ABI Research estimates, asset trackers—with 565 million connections—will account for nearly half of all the Low-Power, Wide-Area (LPWA) network connections by 2023. Sigfox has a strong value proposition as the only LPWA network solution to provides interregional asset-tracking capabilities. The growth in network footprint and the maturity of Sigfox’s chipset/module offerings has fostered an ecosystem of device vendors. Currently, there are Sigfox-based tracker devices from established OEMs such as Alps Electric, Amosense, and BFO Mobility and from a number of startups such as Sensolus, LoKa, HideNseek, and Invoxia. Early implementations of tracking solutions have been developed either by startups or by Sigfox itself through its professional services team (now called the IoT Agency) and by consulting companies such as Argon Consulting, PwC, and Roland Berger.

Systems integrators with deep vertical industry expertise have a significant opportunity to pull together connectivity, devices, analytics, and security providers to address end-market demands. LPWA network technologies offer service providers that are currently offering tracking solutions based on Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi a means to complement their existing solutions by using LPWA network connectivity to offer extended visibility of their assets beyond campus networks. LPWA network solutions will largely remain complementary to existing solutions. This will expand rather than create new value propositions. However, as Sigfox technology matures, network-based geolocation will make Global Navigation Satellite System– (GNSS-)based solutions redundant in dense urban environments when tracking non-powered assets.

For example, the logistics and transportation business is anchored in being able to run its operations transparently with near real-time visibility of its assets, both internally and for customer-facing functions. Currently, most asset-tracking applications are used to track high-value assets that are mobile. Oscaro, a European e-commerce platform that specializes in the sale of automotive parts, has plans to track millions of parcels using Sigfox. Oscaro—in collaboration with Leti Technology Research Institute—has developed and will launch a tracker that costs about US$2 to track parcels shipped to its customers by 2019. As connectivity and hardware gets increasingly commoditized, asset tracking as a service offering that integrate hardware, connectivity, and software will be integral for wider adoption.

Services

Companies Mentioned