EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: As a number of US operators push forward with LTE-M network rollouts, AT&T’s VP of IoT product development Cameron Coursey said the operator is aiming to differentiate its low power IoT service with cross-border capabilities.

In May, AT&T announced it completed deployment of its US LTE-M network ahead of schedule. The operator indicated it was turning its attention to doing the same in Mexico, with planned completion by the end of this year.

According to Coursey, the international roaming capabilities enabled by the Mexico rollout and other partnerships will help set AT&T’s LTE-M network apart (Verizon has also launched LTE-M while Sprint is set to deploy the low power technology next year).

“I lead the LTE-M taskforce within GSMA, and we’re really working with operators on different continents right now who are also deploying LTE-M. We want to make sure that we have a consistent deployment where we can roam between countries,” Coursey said.

“In fact, our AT&T Mexico market just recently did a pilot with LTE-M in two cities and we did the first data session across the border, so roaming LTE-M. So, we really think that that’s going to be another differentiator for our technology, being able to take it anywhere in the world where there’s LTE-M and get service.”

For more from Coursey on the lessons learned during the US deployment, and its future IoT strategy, click here.