The initiative is backed by 26 mobile operators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), chipset, module and infrastructure companies. They include Vodafone, AT&T, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Huawei, Qualcomm and Huawei.
The body expects initial specifications for LPWA solutions to be completed by the end of 2015, with a first implementation scheduled for early 2016 and a full commercial rollout later in the year.
“LPWA will be a significant driver in the development of the internet of things and it’s essential for the industry to address the requirements for the solution early on,” said Alex Sinclair, acting director general and CTO at the GSMA.
“The industry is clearly united behind the mobile IoT initiative, providing a common vision to accelerate the availability of industry standard solutions, removing market fragmentation and accelerating adoption.”
In addition, the GSMA and industry body 3GPP will work together in standardising technologies.
LPWA networks are designed for M2M applications with low data rates and long battery lives. According to analyst firms Analysys Mason, Machina Research and Strategy Analytics, 2.7 billion LPWA connections are expected to be deployed by 2022.
