Swisscom and Swiss Post have jointly announced that they will work together to develop a joint network for the Internet of Things (IoT).

Swisscom operates a “Low Power Network” (LPN) which offers a narrow bandwidth with a high range and is very energy-efficient in the transfer of data, making it suitable for IoT purposes.  The LPN went live in the autumn of 2016.

Swiss Post is going to contribute to the LPN through bringing additions for base stations as well as offering its experience from using a network it piloted recently.

The two partners are focusing on a common network on which they plan to develop applications jointly and which is also open to third parties.

In a statement Swiss Post explained the benefits of IoT:  “The digital networking of things offers countless possibilities. Swiss Post has developed and tested a wireless smart button used for reordering products that are running low in a hospital’s medicinal cabinet at the touch of the button. Swiss Post has also placed smart buttons around its headquarters in Berne in the building for Facility Management. At the touch of a button, employees can inform Facility Management if something needs to be cleaned or, for example, if a coffee machine is not working.”

Commenting on the Swiss Post and Swisscom tie-up, Claudia Pletscher, Head of Development & Innovation at Swiss Post, said: “Thanks to this partnership, we can focus on the development of specific applications and build more flexible and intelligent services based on the networking of things. Good coverage and network quality are key to this.”

Christian Petit, Head of Swisscom Enterprise Customers, added: “We are looking forward to working with Swiss Post. The partnership also has benefits for the Swiss economy – which can already use the network for new applications. The first commercial applications, such as parking spaces, status, customer feedback measurements and environmental data collection are now in operation.”  
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