Australian telecommunications company Telstra has announced an exclusive partnership with Arduino to develop the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem in the country.
In an article posted in the company website on November 30, 2018, Håkan Eriksson, Telstra’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) said both companies will soon release the new Arduino MKR NB 1500 IoT developer board.
Arduino is an open-source hardware and software company, project and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers. It is popular tool for IoT product development as well as one of the most successful tools for STEM and STEAM education.
Eriksson said the project will support both Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and LTE Cat M1 networks.
“Cat M1 & NB-IoT are cellular technologies designed for IoT sensors operating at very low data rates inside machines, vehicles, and inside buildings and are designed for a battery life of years rather than hours and days,” he said.
“Telstra has over three million square kilometres of Cat M1 coverage across Australia, and earlier this year we rolled out NB-IoT coverage in major Australian cities and many regional towns,” he added.
The Arduino MKR NB 1500 board will be available to purchase in early 2019 from Telstra and will include an M2M SIM via the Telstra Developer Portal.
The Telstra CTO believes that Australia is on the cusp of a fourth industrial revolution and for the industry to grow, “it will require a vibrant IoT ecosystem of developers driving to challenge and change the face of innovation.”
