Comcast has joined the the LoRa Alliance, a group that backs the LoRaWAN standard for low-power wide-area IoT networks, as a Sponsor member and will also join the LoRA board.
Examples of other LoRA sponsor members include Cisco Systems, IBM, ZTE, Semtech and Orange.
Comcast is also on tap to host the group’s all-member’s meeting, set for June 12-14, at the The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
Comcast’s membership in the group follows some recent IoT-facing pursuits by the company. Last fall, Comcast introduced machineQ, trial venture focused on developing a low-power IoT network for enterprise customers. In February, machineQ announced it had begun to deploy a LoRaWAN network in Philadelphia that aims to monitor things like public infrastructure and enable predictive maintenance on consumer appliances.
RELATED: Comcast Launches IoT Trial Venture Called machineQ
Comcast is also organizing a “smart-city themed hackathon” for local startups, independent developers and universities to explore LoRaWAN technology.
"Comcast's successful citywide deployment in Philadelphia exemplifies the power of standardizing LPWANs to fully realize the worldwide potential of IoT technology," Geoff Mulligan, chairman of the LoRa Alliance, said in a statement. "Comcast's decision to become a Sponsor member is a strong endorsement of LoRaWAN technology.”
"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," added Alex Khorram, general manager, machineQ.
