Internet of Things

Talking devices provide
valuable insights

Cars are getting smarter and safer, companies are managing their stocks more efficiently and online drug dispensers signal when a user forgets to take his pills. The physical world is becoming rapidly connected: that is the Internet of Things. KPN developed the LoRa network to ensure that devices can send information quickly and reliably.

The Internet of Things (IoT) offers an infinite amount of new possibilities. By connecting objects with each other, we gain unprecedented new insights. So that we know the exact location of a suitcase at Schiphol airport or a stolen bicycle. Systems can automatically take action based on this valuable information. Think of a heart rate monitor that lets you know if there are any irregularities, a garbage container that indicates that it is almost full, or office spaces where the heating and the light automatically switch off when no more people are present. This is how IoT acquires meaning.

Thousands of devices and objects are coming online every day that can communicate and share their data. That is just the beginning and that is good news. The IoT helps people use resources more efficiently. And, for example, to deploy employees only when necessary.

KPN connects IoT

KPN is the connecting factor between these smart, talking devices and the solutions they offer people. With our fast and reliable networks, we ensure that machines and objects are digitally connected. Our LoRaWAN network forms the basis of many IoT innovations. In 2016, KPN introduced this economical and efficient technology. This made the Netherlands the first country in the world to have a nationwide LoRa network.

We are also helping IoT grow with our connections. We are at the forefront of this. First with our mobile 4G network, since 2017 with a nationwide coverage LTE-M network. And we are always working on the IoT connections of the future. 5G, the next generation of network technology, is already ready. Today in our Field Labs, tomorrow throughout the Netherlands. In this way we ensure that the way is clear for all the new smart solutions that the IoT will bring.

From start with IoT, from sensor to insight

The applications of IoT are of great significance, for organizations and for society as a whole. Discovering these opportunities can be complex. Together with organizations, KPN is considering the value of IoT and provides practical knowledge to actually use the Internet of Things.

We have expertise in every building block of IoT solutions. Hardware with a sensor, for measuring and monitoring. Connectivity: the best networks to connect objects digitally. Data processing, to translate digital data into valuable insights. And finally the application: how organizations use their new insight to work better.

KPN has experience with hundreds of different IoT issues. Every day we help organizations with the development of new applications. From discovering IoT, within the Internet of Things Academy we have established, to managing connected devices with our simple and scalable IoT platform.

Always keep cycling

For connected objects we know exactly where they are. Consider a sent package, a container or a bicycle. A good example of this is the Blijven Fietsen Verzekering, which KPN developed in collaboration with ANWB and Unigarant. Increasing claims for stolen bicycles require innovative service models. With our technology we help find a stolen bicycle. Bicycle owners take out insurance at the bicycle dealer, who places a track & trace transmitter on the bicycle. Is the bike missing? A stolen bicycle can be found via an app within 48 hours. That way people can keep cycling on their own bikes.

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IoT saves lives

Vaccines, for example against polio, save lives. But if they are not cooled during transport, they are no longer effective. To guarantee the quality of vaccines, KPN developed together with B Medical Systems a solution to monitor the temperature of vaccines during transport worldwide. We equipped the B Medical Systems cooling systems with a smart logger, a device that measures the condition of vaccines and that gives a real-time signal when vaccines get too hot. Wherever in the world, via the machine-to-machine (M2M) connection from KPN. In this way IoT helps to save human lives.