Huawei and Telefónica Launch NB-IoT Open Lab to Lead Innovation in the IOT Space and Boost IOT Business Ecosystems

Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider and Telefónica, a world leading telecommunications service provider and recognized industry leader in the IoT space, announce the opening of an NB-IoT Open Lab to work on the development of products and applications related to Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) technology.

Telefónica´s NB-IoT Open Lab will be opened in Chile in the next few months aimed at boosting the IoT business ecosystem and lead innovation in the IoT space. It will allow IoT players such as equipment vendors, service providers, end-user OEM device makers and application developers, to faster deploy their services and applications over Telefónica´s networks. They will also have early access to new IoT developments by combining Huawei’s resources and capabilities with Telefónica Chile´s well established R&D Centre facilities, resources and know-how.

Hernán Orellana, Executive Director of Telefónica Chile´s R&D Centre, said, “This Open Lab will allow us to put Chile at the forefront of technology, especially in the IoT networks arena, more precisely NB-IOT, where our experience is already recognized in the industry.”

This Open LAB will have a permanent showroom in Telefónica´s headquarters in Madrid where the newest IoT solutions coming from Chile will be demoed regularly.

Telefónica Chile’s R&D Centre, is a joint initiative between Telefónica and the Chilean government with the goal of promoting an open and participatory Internet of Things ecosystem. The IoT Competence Centre of this NB-IoT Open Lab in Chile will be a meeting point for the IoT community in order to foster the use of the new technologies by organising events such as ‘plug-fests’, collaborative design and testing, tutorial sessions and co-development programmes for start-ups amongst others. It will be a fruitful networking space where different players in the delivery chain can work together to boost the adoption of new IoT services.

Telefónica and Huawei jointly deployed the first field NB-IoT smart metering service in Chile during 2016. This initiative will enable the roll out of similar services to many other areas and applications.

Vicente Muñoz, Chief IoT Officer at Telefónica, said, “Telefónica NB-IoT Open Lab is an IoT space that aims at building a complete ecosystem of partners, manufacturers, technicians, developers and designers to bring the best solutions to market around Mobile IoT networks. The Chilean NB-IoT Open Lab will accelerate the development of IoT commercial solutions and ensure they are supported by a broad ecosystem.”

Patrick Zhang, President, Huawei Marketing and Solutions Department said, “We are proud to be partnering with Telefónica in the creation of the NB-IoT Open Lab. The NB-IoT Open Lab will strengthen the strategic cooperation between Huawei and Telefónica on technology innovation and eco-system maturation relating to NB-IoT. Huawei will work closely with Telefónica to launch the NB-IoT Open Lab for continuous technology evolution and acceleration of the commercial deployment.”

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Our aim is to enrich life and improve efficiency through a better connected world, acting as a responsible corporate citizen, innovative enabler for the information society and collaborative contributor to the industry. Driven by customer-centric innovation and open partnerships, Huawei has established an end-to-end ICT solutions portfolio that gives customers competitive advantages in telecom and enterprise networks, devices and cloud computing. Huawei’s 180,000 employees worldwide are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises and consumers. Our innovative ICT solutions, products and services are used in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over one-third of the world’s population. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.

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About Telefónica

Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world by market capitalization and number of customers with a comprehensive offering and quality of connectivity that is delivered over world class fixed, mobile and broadband networks. As a growing company it prides itself on providing a differential experience based both on its corporate values and a public position that defends customer interests.

The company has a significant presence in 21 countries and 347 million accesses around the world. Telefónica has a strong presence in Spain, Europe and Latin America, where the company focuses an important part of its growth strategy.

Telefónica IoT is the Internet of Things global department at Telefónica, dedicated to developing and implementing IoT solutions in all industry segments. It offers its clients global end-to-end solutions around the world with the very best connectivity, and is available in all countries via its presence there or via roaming agreements and partnerships. Some of the main business areas covered by Telefónica IoT include Smart Mobility, Smart Retail and Smart Energy.

For more information about Telefónica IoT, visit iot.telefonica.com or follow us on twitter @telefonica IoT or on LinkedIn.