Heliot Europe, already the largest Sigfox operator in Europe, has said its new networks in the UK and Denmark have now been integrated into its infrastructure portfolio, which includes Sigfox networks in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Liechtenstein. The Switzerland-based firm acquired the UK and Northern Ireland and Danish networks earlier this year, from Latin American Sigfox specialist WND and Danish outfit IoT Denmark respectively.
The move consolidates its position as the largest Sigfox operator in the region, it said; its entire Europe-wide infrastructure serves 1.3 million IoT devices, it claims. It also gives the firm more reach as it prepares to add LoRa and MIOTY based low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technologies to its portfolio, alongside the ‘0G’-branded ultra-narrowband Sigfox technology – in the hands of Singapore-based Unabiz since the start of 2022.
A statement reinforced the Sigfox message about the convergence of once-volatile LPWAN space, which Unabiz has forced through with tie-ups with a number of LoRaWAN specialists, including LoRa owner Semtech itself. It said: “Through this consolidation, integration and expansion, Heliot Europe plans to optimise its networks to meet customer-specific needs… [and] fully supports the convergence of sub-gigahertz radio protocols on its networks and in its geographies”.
Thomas Scheibel, chief executive at Heliot Europe, commented: “Heliot Europe is already well represented in the heart of Europe. This acquisition and expansion of network operations… is the next logical step in our growth strategy. These acquisitions open up completely new opportunities for us, providing greater reach into these regions… We are pleased Unabiz is happy to entrust Heliot Europe… to operate its network in three additional countries in Europe – a responsibility that we take seriously and are fully committed to.”
Patrick Griffin, chief commercial officer at Heliot Europe, said: “The UK and Denmark are typically at the forefront of technology usage and adoption. Integrating these regions… enables innovative knowledge sharing that can only benefit all of our partners and customers. We are actively collaborating across the region to create innovative use cases of IoT in the supply chain, logistics, and packaging sectors; for smart cities; energy and water utility sector solutions; and for facilities management. The UK, in particular, has been a pioneer in IoT for years – the time is ripe for IoT to scale across the UK and Europe.”
