Australia-based Telstra became the latest operator to target IoT services at consumers and businesses, unveiling a range of products which will use low-power LTE-M and NB-IoT networks it has deployed over the past year.

In a statement, the operator noted a range of location products form part of a customer connectivity strategy announced in June. The services, branded Location of Things, will focus on solving “everyday problems for Australians,” Michele Garra, head of Innovation and Strategy, explained.

“We’ve already deployed the most advanced IoT technology on our mobile network; we’re now focused on harnessing IoT technology to introduce services that make customers’ connected lives easier.”

Services
Top of the list is Telstra Locator, a series of tags attached to easily-lost items which are paired to a dedicated smartphone app. A Bluetooth tag is available for keys and wallets, with a Wi-Fi tag for pets, pushbikes and bags.

Telstra said it will add an LTE tag to the range in early 2019 to cover high-value items including vehicles and machinery. This unit will connect to Telstra’s LTE-M network, which the operator said is one of the biggest in the world with coverage of around 3 million sq/km.

A product enabling users to locate missing SIM-enabled phones or tablets is set to launch in September: users with the operator’s 24×7 App can opt-in to use the service.

The operator also plans to equip 6,000 of its own vehicles and 6,000 taxis with Bluetooth tags to expand the market.

From October, the operator will also offer Track and Monitor, a system enabling large businesses to track large volumes of assets across multiple warehouses and retail sites, or while in transit.

“As low powered network technology evolves, we are seeing customers looking to introduce and expand their asset tracking capability, far beyond current fleet tracking, to a whole range of items such as equipment, pallets and packages in mass volumes,” Garra explained.