INTERVIEW: Telenor Group’s VP of IoT said he is “very excited” about all operators “going full speed” on low-power wide-area (LPWA) networks in the world’s largest mobile market China as this will help the operator roll out IoT services in its own Asian markets.

While most of the current technology in Telenor’s Asian markets (including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan and Thailand) is still running on 2G and 3G, Mikael Lindholm (pictured) believes the uptake of LPWA in China will mean module prices will come down “to the level we would like” as Telenor operates in very price sensitive markets where “total cost of ownership doesn’t work as well as it does in Europe”.

“It’s critical that China succeeds with this and then I think we will benefit in our markets as well,” he stated.

In an interview with Mobile World Live, he explained while lessons learned from Europe are important, the key is to adapt and personalise services to each local Asian market.

Examples of IoT use cases in Asia include services in the agricultural sector, for instance soil monitoring, as well as around health and education.

He said that as a result of urbanisation in Asia, IoT services will also centre on mobility and transportation.

Click here to view the full interview.