PHILADELPHIA – April 20, 2017 — The LoRa Alliance™, the global association of over 400 companies backing the LoRaWAN™ standard for low-power wide-area IoT (Internet of Things) networks (LPWANs), today announced that Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) has formally joined the Alliance as a Sponsor member, and will join the Board of Directors. Additionally, Comcast will host the Alliance’s 8th All-Members Meeting, Open House and Marketplace Exhibition from June 12-14, 2017, at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
“Comcast’s successful citywide deployment in Philadelphia exemplifies the power of standardizing LPWANs to fully realize the worldwide potential of IoT technology,” said Geoff Mulligan, chairman of the LoRa Alliance. “Comcast’s decision to become a Sponsor member is a strong endorsement of LoRaWAN technology. Though it only formalized its membership last month, Comcast is already stepping up to help drive the Alliance because it believes in the value of collaborating to further the LoRaWAN protocol’s global success.”
The type of global collaboration offered by the LoRa Alliance was one of the key reasons Comcast joined. The company announced its selection of LoRaWAN technology for its machineQ™ enterprise, low-power IoT network in October 2016. Taking a leadership role in the Alliance will allow the company to collaborate more effectively with other members, and provides Comcast with greater access to a broad range of ecosystem providers.
“As we continue to deploy the LoRaWAN protocol in the United States, the core technology is exceeding our expectations in terms of network propagation and coverage. We are seeing increasing demand and interest from a diverse client set,” said Alex Khorram, general manager, machineQ. “It’s exciting to commence our formal membership with the Alliance by bringing its respected global membership to the city of Philadelphia. We believe there is significant value in driving international collaboration and growth opportunities for LoRaWAN technology.”
The first two days of the 8th Annual All-Members Meeting are open to current members and will focus on ongoing collaboration to advance the LoRaWAN protocol’s capabilities and push the boundaries of IoT innovation, including committee, working group and board meetings, as well as “marketplace” demonstrations by member companies.
On the third day, the event will open its doors to the community, prospective members, invited guests and journalists for an Open House and Smart City Summit. The Summit will begin with a keynote by Philadelphia municipal leaders, followed by presentations and panels from a wide range of experts involved in smart city trends, technology developments and deployments around the world.
Finally, Comcast is actively organizing a smart-city themed hackathon designed to bring local startups, independent developers and universities together to explore the capabilities of LoRaWAN technology and its vast potential for enabling Smart City initiatives. The winning application concepts derived from the hackathon will be presented at the close of the Smart City Summit.
Participation and Contact Information
For those interested in joining the LoRa Alliance or attending this June event as a prospective member, please visit themembership page for more information. For member event registration and information, please visit the events page.
For media who need more information or would like to attend this event, please contact Eric Lawson at 480-276-9572 oreric@impresslabs.com.
About LoRa Alliance
The LoRa Alliance is an open, nonprofit association that has grown to more than 400 members since its inception in March 2015, becoming one of the largest and fastest-growing alliances in the technology sector. Its members are closely collaborating and sharing their experience to promote the LoRaWAN protocol as the leading open global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWAN connectivity. With the technical flexibility to address a broad range of IoT applications, both static and mobile, and a certification program to guarantee interoperability, LoRaWAN has already been deployed by major mobile network operators globally with wide expansion anticipated in 2017.
About LoRaWAN Technology
The technology used in a LoRaWAN network is designed to connect low-cost, battery-operated sensors over long distances in harsh environments that were previously too challenging or cost-prohibitive to connect. With its unique penetration capability, a LoRaWAN gateway deployed on a building or tower can connect to sensors more than 10 miles away or to water meters deployed underground or in basements. The LoRaWAN protocol offers unique and unequaled benefits in terms of bi-directionality, security, mobility and accurate localization that are not addressed by other LPWAN technologies. These benefits will enable the diverse use cases and business models that will grow deployments of LPWAN IoT networks globally.
