Published:  7.5.2020

Already for a long time, homes have been equipped with smart home security systems, and housing companies have been able to monitor water consumption in real-time. With the Internet of Things (IoT), traditional infrastructure can be made smart and entirely new applications can be developed to support increasingly smart everyday life.

“Imagination is the only limit,” summarises Digita’s Ari Kuukka, Director, IoT Services.

Digita is a Finnish operator, whose IoT network covers nearly all of Finland. According to Kuukka, IoT networks offer possibilities to all business sectors. Deploying technology in existing business operations may increase their efficiency or enable the development of entirely new business – and everything in between.

“In recent years, business related to IoT has grown rapidly,” Kuukka says.

IoT is entering all sectors

In Finland, Digita’s IoT network is already utilised by many basic infrastructure operators, such as water, electricity and heat distribution companies. The user base is constantly expanding.

“For example, the water supply service sector in Finland has started to exploit the IoT technology rapidly,” Kuukka estimates.

Smart, remote-readable water meters enabling real-time water consumption monitoring and the discovery of hidden leaks can already be found in many buildings.

In addition, the measuring of indoor air quality and means to save energy are interesting to not only building owners but also to building residents and other building users. For example, measuring the temperatures in apartments may help detect sites with excess heating and thus enable cost savings.

“For parties providing heating, such as district heating companies, it is sensible and beneficial to lower the need for maximum output.

In terms of healthier indoor air, the efficiency of mechanical ventilation can be monitored to see if ventilation has been adjusted to a sufficient level.

You can save a lot of money by automating familiar functions.

Asset tracking, such as tracking the location of machines and other assets, is another sector where the possibilities provided by IoT networks have raised a lot of interest.

For example, in the construction industry, tracking the location of tools and machines makes it easier to monitor the movements of valuable equipment at large construction sites. The same technology can also be applied to elderly care: an increasing number of elderly persons are living at home and thus using home care services. Technology could help monitor, for example, how much the home care customers have moved about during the day, while respecting privacy. Monitoring of movement could also help detect if someone falls.

Regardless of the sector, IoT helps streamline and automate many functions that currently require, for example, a personal visit on site.

“All customers who have started to use the IoT network have wanted to collect more data than they previously had access to and, above all, they wanted to do this in real time. Such data could be used to provide better services and to achieve cost savings,” Kuukka says.

Network covering all of Finland enables new business

IoT will soon provide new business opportunities to Finnish companies. Digita’s IoT network is an existing, complete infrastructure, with exceptionally wide coverage extending to nearly all areas of Finland.

“IoT solutions are often implemented at a project level, with the network covering only a specific location. However, Digita’s network covers nearly all areas of Finland with its 99% population coverage, which makes it easy to deploy IoT solutions nationwide. Guaranteeing network coverage and reception is extremely important to us,” Kuukka says.

Digita’s history goes back nearly 100 years. Digita was previously known as Ylen Jakelutekniikka (Yle’s distribution technology operations), which was converted into a separate company in 1998. Digita thus has a stable history as a significant antenna network distributor in Finland.

“We are a stable company with a long history. We have operated in the field of our basic business covering radio and television network distribution for decades already. This is a foundation on which we have also been able to build completely new business in the form of an IoT network,” Kuukka says.

The IoT network, which was deployed in 2016, uses the existing radio and television network infrastructure. Other access point sites have also been used and new ones built. The IoT network is based on LoRaWAN technology and designed for the transmission of small data volumes. According to Kuukka, this is why Digita’s IoT network does not compete with the networks maintained by other mobile operators and authorities in Finland.

“Many of our customers have previously used, for example, a mobile operator network with higher power consumption, which meant that device batteries had to be replaced more often, and that made it expensive and difficult. Digita’s IoT network has low power consumption, which means that batteries may last even longer than for 10 years. This is why their use is very cost-efficient. Therefore, the greatest customer benefit is that there is no need for fixed electric cables or battery replacements,” Kuukka says.

LoRaWAN technology is currently widely used worldwide. The LoRa Alliance, which coordinates the standardisation of the technology, is a non-profit organisation with hundreds of technology companies from all over the world as members.

“The technology is therefore not limited to Finland’s borders or to Digita as the operator, but the technology is widely used in the world. Openness enables competition, which is a huge benefit for its users,” Kuukka says.

Digita’s IoT network

• A national network that can be used for IoT (Internet of Things) solutions
• Designed for wireless and energy-efficient data transfer
• Based on LoRa (Long Range) technology, which is especially well-suited for sending and receiving small data volumes over long distances
• The key characteristics include two-way data transfer, portability, low energy consumption and easy deployment
• Sensors used to collect data are lightweight and easy to install without the need for cables
• A wide range of sensor solutions available

This article was originally published on the mtvuutiset.fi website through commercial cooperation.