IoT Africa Launches Sigfox in Nigeria to Enhance Network Connectivity

Emma Okonji

IoT Africa Networks Limited one of the emerging leaders of internet of things in Africa, has signed an agreement with Sigfox, the world’s leading IoT service provider, to become the official Sigfox Operator in Nigeria.

Launched in 2019, IoT Africa’s mission is to enable and power the Internet of Things (IoT) in Africa through the provision of affordable and reliable IoT network connectivity and solutions, and to empower homes and industries to have full visibility and control of their assets.

CEO of IoT Africa, Mr. Lare Ayoola, while speaking about the partnership with Sigfox, said: “IoT Africa is the exclusive partner of Sigfox France in Nigeria. This means that we will build the low power wide area network, and we will allow connectivity of Sigfox compliant devices to connect on the network. The relationship is one of over 65 relationships in the world. Over 65 countries today have Sigfox technology running in their IoT. Nigeria is one of the 65 countries, as IoT Africa is now the Sigfox operator for Nigeria.”

He further said:” Our responsibility is to build the network, operate, maintain, support and build the channel partners who will sell connectivity to the network. Our job also for now, until our channel partners take over, is to provide sufficient devices and solutions, software platforms, dashboards and other components of the IoT ecosystem to be able to supply the customers with a complete solution. Our job is also to provide our partners with technical support, websites that feed, marketing training and marketing support and ensure customer service is first class.”

With IoT Africa as a Sigfox operator in Nigeria, I think the Nigerian economy should expect a substantial boost. The provision of IoT services and solutions in Nigeria enables improved productivity, minimizes waste, maximizes loss, makes decision making much faster by providing a massive amount of data that can be analyzed and presented for decision-makers, Ayoola added.

The demand for dedicated IoT networks is growing worldwide and most importantly here in Nigeria and considering billions of connected devices, the timing of the network deployment, is highly significant. IoT Africa is currently deploying the Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN), which will provide a national infrastructure to facilitate the growth and penetration of IoT and Industrial IoT in Nigeria, Ayoola further said.

In addition to its network expansion and IoT service offerings, IoT Africa has collaborated with some of the best in the IoT sector, to enable it provide the right solution for every challenge. “Some of our device makers are Connected Finlad, OleumTech, CleverFarm, among others.