Another free Internet of Things network launches in Sydney

A low power, long range wireless network for Internet of Things devices has launched in Sydney’s Barangaroo.

The ‘Barangaroo Community’ network is based on the LoRaWAN Open Standard and allows anyone within a 3.5km radius to connect their IoT devices for free.

The gateway, a partnership between KPMG, Meshed, Internet of Things Alliance Australia (IoTAA) and International Towers Barangaroo, will support up to 1000 IoT devices and is intended to help local companies, agencies, institutions and students to tap into the potential of the IoT.

Research undertaken for IoTAA predicts that the IoT has the potential to add up to $120 billion to the Australian economy by 2025.

“This represents an uplift of up to 2 per cent in Australia’s GDP across a range of environments including factories, retail outlets smart cities and homes, motor vehicles, other transport modes and even human health and fitness – IoT is a pervasive disruptor,” said chair of the IoTAA executive council, John Stanton.

“IoTAA’s mission is not only about grabbing opportunities – it is also about managing the risks to network integrity and personal privacy that could occur if we are not vigilant and well prepared.”

Launching the network as part of an IoTAA event, minister for communications Mitch Fifield said: “The Internet of Things has the potential to transform a wide range of Australian sectors from agriculture to aged care, by placing sensors in everyday objects that can send and receive data. This data can then be analysed and used to increase the efficiency of services and develop new applications.

“The government is committed to working with industry to realise the full potential of IoT technologies and to ensure Australia takes a leadership role in this area.”

Network widens

In July, Meshed and University of Technology Sydney announced the launch of an IoT gateway based at the university’s Ultimo campus. Like that gateway, the Barangaroo Community network operates in the Industrial and Scientific Spectrum at 915MHz.

Meshed launched a publically accessible LoRaWAN network at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus in April.

The IoTAA was founded in July, emerging from the Communications Alliance IoT Think Tank. It represents more than 125 organisations and is based at UTS’s Broadway campus.