Zain Bahrain, a leading telecommunications operator in Bahrain and part of the mobile voice and data services group that has a commercial footprint in seven Middle Eastern and African countries, has said that it has deployed the “most innovative Internet of Things (IoT) technology” in collaboration with Ericsson.
The announcement says that Zain Bahrain is the first operator to enable the new technology commercially in Bahrain. Called narrowband IoT or NB-IoT, it’s based on the narrowband radio standard and aims to support the country in achieving the aims of Bahrain’s fifth National Telecommunication Plan (NTP).
On IoT this plan says, “The Government, in coordination with the Authority and other relevant stakeholders, shall prepare a strategy roadmap to ensure that the Kingdom is ready for the “second and third phases” of 5G services, i.e. M2M / IoT services and specialised low-latency services using 5G networks.”
Quoted in ITP.net, Ali Isa Al Yaham, technology director at Zain Bahrain, stated, “The Internet of Things will play a key role in realising Bahrain’s smart vision 2030, and Zain Bahrain is committed to addressing the growing demand for cutting-edge technologies to service both the enterprise and consumers. Zain Bahrain’s newly deployed NB-IoT technology will open connectivity platforms that enable any devices or services to interact with a broader coverage and using little power for longer battery life.”
Zain Bahrain went live with the NB-IoT technology a year after the company announced its intention to collaborate with Ericsson.
