Tracking provider Sensolus has moved its IoT estate onto Citymesh’s Sigfox network in Belgium. The move follows Citymesh’s 2021 purchase of the local Sigfox network from French multinational utility company ENGIE, which had managed the infrastructure in the country under the ENGIE M2M brand. The transfer will see existing and new Citymesh customers directed to Sensolus for IoT tracking, and Citymesh expand its IoT service portfolio.
A statement said: “Sensolus will gain access to the portfolio of Citymesh customers who will switch to the Sensolus platform with their trackers. Citymesh in turn expands its multi-technology offering with the IoT products from Sensolus… Existing and new customers get a one-stop shop for all their connectivity needs… Customers [can now] take the step from merely asset localisation, to process optimisation, and efficiency gains.”
The portfolio from Ghent-based Sensolus – including for tracking containers and returnable packaging (RTPs) in the logistics and automotive industries – will sit alongside Citymesh’s broader connectivity portfolio. A press statement makes play of the memory function in Sensolus trackers, enabling tracking routes to be reconstructed after a signal is lost. Its trackers can be connected to other sensors, such as for measuring the temperature or fill-levels of cargo.
Private networking specialist Citymesh, based in West Flanders in Belgium, has a nationwide deal with Proximus to offer mobile and fixed services on the Proximus network in Belgium, extending to a wholesale-based MVNO arrangement, running alongside localised private cellular services in its own spectrum and enterprise Wi-Fi in the unlicensed band.
It means Citymesh can run localised enterprise traffic from its private LTE and 5G setups in its own spectrum into wider-area coverage under its own brand. It offers a single-SIM solution in Belgium to provide nationwide coverage along with dedicated local-area private coverage in venues and campuses.
Koen Vanwalle, sales executive at Sensolus, said: “This partnership means a lot of additional business. As we roll out this switch to our technology, customers will gradually make this transition to the trackers and platform of Sensolus. We will integrate the data from their current trackers into our platform for the time being, and when the battery of their trackers runs out, we will replace them or expand our services with Sensolus trackers.”
Maarten van Aerde, market manager for industry and enterprise at Citymesh, said: “Together we offer all-in-one solutions for the connectivity of our customers. We want to strengthen each other. When we spot opportunities for each other, we share them without hesitation. By doing so we can support the customer to the best of our abilities. Through working closely together, we can leverage all the potential in the market today, and tomorrow.”
