Dutch telecoms group KPN said Thursday that The Netherlands had become the first country in the world to implement a nationwide long range (LoRa) network for the so-called Internet of Things. Connecting everyday objects to networks, allowing them to send and receive data, is widely seen as the next major evolution of the Internet and one that may transform how many businesses operate and people live.
The rollout of a low data rate (LoRa) mobile communications network is critical to connect objects as many may not be able to link up with home or work Wi-Fi networks to gain Internet access. "As from today the KPN LoRa network is available throughout The Netherlands," KPN said in a statement. "This makes The Netherlands the first country in the world to have a nationwide LoRa network for Internet of Things (IoT) application."
In the initial phase, the network was rolled out in Rotterdam and The Hague in November. But it was stepped up across the country due to "substantial customer interest", said KPN.