New LPWA service is now available in Tokyo, to be rolled out nationwide by 2020 and will contribute to the advent of a safer and more comfortable society.
Kyocera Corporation (President: Hideo Tanimoto) announced today that its subsidiary, Kyocera Communication Systems Co., Ltd. (KCCS) has started providing Internet of Things (IoT) network services in Japan based on the Sigfox global IoT network. The service is now available in Tokyo, Kawasaki City, Yokohama City and Osaka City, to be further planned for Japan’s 36 major cities by early 2018 and nationwide by 2020 with an annual sales target of JPY10 billion by FY2021.
The IoT market continues to grow worldwide with the number of connected devices estimated to reach around 53 billion by 2020*1. However, there continues to be barriers to mass adoption for use in locations with no electric power source, especially for applications such as sensors with extremely low data volumes. In order to address those issues, KCCS is deploying the Sigfox LPWA (low power wide area) network which brings a breakthrough IoT solution with the lowest costs and longest battery life — two barriers to entry for many companies in Japan seeking to leverage mass IoT.
This partnership marks the first availability of the Sigfox network in the fast-growing Japanese market, which is the third largest IoT market in the world behind the U.S. and China*2.
KCCS has formed partnerships with around 70 companies from various fields such as device makers and IoT service providers. The Sigfox network will target the following IoT services and applications in Japan:
- Utilities: Remote meter reading and water leakage detection
- Retail: Remote monitoring for vending machine repair and restocking
- Environmental: Monitoring for temperature, precipitation, wind, and river levels
- Logistics & Transportation: Container, pallet and chassis location information management
- Assets: Tracking and tracing rental equipment in case of loss or theft
- Medical: mHealth applications such as data collection and monitoring, and monitoring of the elderly, children and pets
- Agricultural: Monitoring of greenhouse temperature and humidity, soil condition monitoring and machinery management
Smart Parking System with OPTEX Company Limited
– Coin-operated parking spaces in Tokyo use smart vehicle detection sensors connected by Sigfox.
– Each parking space has OPTEX’s vehicle detection sensor, “ViiK,” to directly notify the cloud server of its usage and vacancy.
– Eliminating work associated with trenching and cabling underground, the parking management system can be installed with less cost and less time
Temperature Monitoring with Ai-Cynap Co., Ltd.
– Temperature monitoring case study of home delivery pizza chain operated by Strawberry Cones. Especially, the temperature of refrigeration and freezer facilities and working space are monitored.
– By performing the temperature monitoring more closely, it becomes possible to maintain higher food quality.
– Temperature data, such as pizza dough, is sent to the cloud every 15 minutes and monitored with a special application.
*1 White Paper 2015 on Japan’s Information and Communications featuring “Past, Present and Future of ICT” published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
*2 Source: Machina Research
*Product specifications and launch dates are subject to change without prior notice.
*All product names and company names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.
About Sigfox
Sigfox is the world’s leading provider of global communication solutions powering the Internet of Things (IoT). The Sigfox network’s features include:
(1) Cost effectiveness: Low cost plan suitable for IoT use
(2) Simple devices: Simple, open & royalty free technology
lowering the initial cost of communication modules
(3) Energy efficient: Several years of battery life
(4) Global reach: One network over the world (32 countries as of March 31, 2017)
About Kyocera
Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as “advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of mobile phones, electronic components, printers, copiers, solar power generating systems, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial ceramics. During the year ended March 31, 2016, the company’s consolidated net sales totaled 1.48 trillion yen (approx. USD13.1 billion). Kyocera appears on the “Top 100 Global Innovators” list by Clarivate Analytics and is ranked #531 on Forbes magazine’s 2016 “Global 2000” list of the world’s largest publicly traded companies.
Kyocera Communication Systems Co., Ltd. (KCCS) is a subsidiary of Kyocera Corporation and a provider of ICT, telecommunications engineering, environment and energy engineering and management consulting services.
