Finnish operator Elisa teamed with indoor air measurement company Airyn Technologies to employ IoT to tackle various internal environmental conditions it stated could prove hazardous to peoples’ health.

The operator’s NB-IoT set-up will collect and transmit data from Airyn Technologies’ environmental sensors in real time, an approach it stated could improve air quality in homes and workplaces.

Elisa explained the system transmits data securely and offers the potential “for intelligent control” of Airyn Technologies indoor monitoring systems.

It referenced a European Commission estimate that poor indoor air quality costs the bloc €82 billion per annum in healthcare and lost working days. In Finland, alone, there are problems with “mould, formaldehyde and humidity”, with older buildings particularly prone to “indoor air problems”.

“Deviations in limit values harmful to health can be detected with the help of analytics,” Elisa explained, adding the system will enable a “digital leap for the wider industry, as IoT sensors can be used to ensure that valuable resources are not wasted”.

Joni Oksanen, director of IoT solutions with Elisa, said equipment used so far has been “inadequate”, providing “no information about degraded air quality” or leakage.

“Our vision is that with the help of these sensors, it will also be possible to automate various remedial functions”.

The service is scheduled to go live next month.