Deutsche Telekom announced its narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) rollout in Europe is on track after launching networks in eight markets across the continent, as well as in the US.

The Germany-based operator said in a statement it had brought NB-IoT technology to six of its European markets at the end of 2017, adding to launches in Germany and the Netherlands earlier in the year.

In Austria, Deutsche Telekom said its subsidiary T-Mobile became the first operator in the country to launch NB-IoT commercially, with the city of St Polten fully covered, and plans to extend coverage nationwide during 2018.

The company also launched in cities across Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Greece in late 2017, “with nationwide coverage expected in many countries by the end of 2018 as well”.

Deutsche Telekom launched NB-IoT in Germany in 2017, and the company added the network was now available in approximately 600 towns and cities across its home market, with more than 200 companies trialling the technology.

It rolled out its first nationwide network in the Netherlands, in May 2017.

In addition to Europe, Deutsche Telekom also talked up its progress in the US. T-Mobile US is the only major US carrier to deploy NB-IoT as its low power wide area (LPWA) network of choice, while its rivals Verizon, AT&T and Sprint have all opted for LTE-M, another LPWA technology standardised by 3GPP.

Deutsche Telekom expects to complete a nationwide NB-IoT launch in the US by mid-year. Rivals AT&T and Verizon, however, completed their nationwide LTE-M launches in 2017.

Earlier this week, Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Hoettges talked up the industry opportunities which exist with IoT in the era of 5G during an interview with Bloomberg.