Internet of Things network to cover the city in 2018

China’s first regional Internet of Things (IoT) network will be established in 2018, making Shanghai more intelligent with connected cars, industrial devices and home appliances, China Mobile said today in Shanghai.

As the world’s biggest mobile carrier with 880 million subscribers, China Mobile plans to adopt a NB-IoT (narrow band-IoT) network in Shanghai, which will be the first province-level network of its kind in China, Chen Li, general manager of Shanghai Mobile said.

With a special industry alliance founded today, and the push of China Mobile, Shanghai will have 35 million IoT devices across more than 1,000 industrial applications.

Popular IoT applications include cars with smart driving features, intelligent public utility charging systems, and food tracking systems. They represent both technological development and a better quality of daily life.

China Mobile plans to have 320 million IoT connections in 2018 compared with 200 million now. It will set up a special fund of 2 billion yuan (US$303 million) to support an IoT ecosystem, the carrier said in Guangzhou last month.

Meanwhile, Shanghai Mobile has started a trial IoT network using the coming 5G standard through partners like Huawei, Shanghai Daily learned.