The shameless PR stunt that had attendees joining arms and supporting the cause.
UK-based smarter infrastructure specialist, Connexin, launched a new movement at The Things Conference to encourage the UK government to recognise LPWAN as critical infrastructure. In a bid to call attention to a legitimate issue while embracing a bit of silliness, the Connexin team donned their campaign t-shirts, raised their picket signs, and marched around the venue, shouting “Liberté, Egalité, Connectivity: LPWAN for All”.
But what does that mean? And why should we care?
Despite the fact that governments across the world seem to recognise the role of sensors, the value of big data analysis and the application of connected devices as smarter infrastructure, reports from the UK Wireless Infrastructure Strategy and Ofcom’s Gigabit Britain fail to mention LPWAN. The UK Government instead sees Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) and the ubiquitous roll-out of 5G wireless infrastructure as the answer to all connectivity challenges.
If governments continue to only talk about 5G and FTTP as the answer, deployment and adoption of IoT solutions will continue to be frustrated - commercial investment will slow and the benefits such as innovative new service models and important operational efficiencies will not be realised at a pace that is needed.
So how do we change this thinking and secure the endorsement of governments and the public sector to make room for the development of scalable smarter infrastructure?
As an investor in LPWAN infrastructure, Connexin wants the UK Government and all relevant departments and agencies to be advocating for the right kind of connectivity for the right use case.
As governments are exploring the concept of smarter homes and cities, we should be encouraging them to be consider the nuance, and advocate for LPWAN to complement the current roll-out of 5G and fibre.
The Things Conference provides an excellent opportunity for key players in the IoT industry to meet in person, discuss the market, and push forward the shared goal of scaling smarter solutions to improve outcomes for citizens. It’s for this reason Connexin chose to launch the campaign at the conference, with the support of The Things Industries, of course.
Jason Legget, who leads Connexin’s Public Sector & Enterprise IoT Solutions, took to The Things Theatre in a panel discussion with fellow members of the movement from organisations including Multitech, FarrPoint, and Semtech. They discussed why smart city innovations foster healthier and more prosperous societies and argued the importance for governments to sit up, take notice and truly endorse the use of the technology.
He said, “We're looking to work with UK partners and businesses who see LPWAN as a vital part of their operations. We want to create solutions for customers that build evidence of LPWAN’s benefits and drive confidence in it as a solution. We also want to bring together consortiums, working together with the LoRa Alliance to agree on the right policy message to deliver to our new government.”
Watch the full panel discussion here:
If you’d like to learn more, or join Connexin in endorsing LPWAN as critical infrastructure, go to https://www.connexin.co.uk/liberte-egalite-connectivity.