Outstanding volume and quality of submissions highlights that adoption of solutions using LoRaWAN™ is accelerating globally across multiple application spaces and markets

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The LoRa Alliance™, the global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN™ standard for Internet of Things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs), announced that Tech4Race has won the third LoRaWAN Challenge. Held in conjunction with the Navispace IoT/WT Innovation World Cup^®, the Challenge is a global IoT competition that encourages companies and individuals to develop products that leverage the LoRaWAN protocol.

“Since the launch of the LoRaWAN Challenge in 2015 we have seen an increase in the quality and innovative nature of applications, but this year was exceptional,” said Jaap Groot, VP of Business Development for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group and a Board Member of LoRa Alliance. “It is clear that the LPWAN market penetration of LoRaWAN is growing rapidly, evidenced by the outstanding 400% increase in entrants in this year’s competition. We’re confident the participants will benefit from the power of the LoRa Alliance’s global ecosystem and that the LoRaWAN networks in over 100 countries will drive their solutions to their full market potential.”

Tech4Race was selected by a panel of judges representing the LoRa Alliance’s diverse ecosystem. The panel felt that its product excelled in the areas of innovation, market readiness, and scalability.

“We congratulate Tech4Race and all of the finalists who impressed us with their IoT solutions across diverse verticals such as city, utilities, healthcare, transport, and agriculture demonstrating the maturity and diversity of the LoRaWAN ecosystem,” said Charles Paumelle, co-chair of the Marketing Committee for the LoRa Alliance and co-founder of member company Microshare. “Tech4Race leverages the unique aspects of LoRaWAN such as geolocation, long-range, affordable sensors, and connectivity options across public and private networks to make competitive sports events more enjoyable, fairer and easier to administer, with real-time data from the participants made available to the event organizers, participants, and spectators."

Tech4Race is a real-time tracking solution that helps outdoor sports events organizers who seek strong security and visibility. It provides an overview of the event location and an up-to-date view of race progress by geolocating all the participants on a map using a GPS tracker leveraging the LoRaWAN protocol on private and/or public networks. Additionally, it is the lightest device with the longest battery life for tracking applications in the outdoor sports market.

“We’re genuinely honored to be named the winner of the LoRaWAN Challenge,” said Fabien Letort, Co-founder of Tech4Race. “The LoRaWAN network is often used for industrial and logistical purposes, however, the Challenge offered an opportunity for us to showcase another aspect of its usefulness, specifically in sports. It has been amazing to meet the other IoT start-ups using LoRaWAN here in Barcelona and even in our short time here we have learned much from them.”

Tech4Race was declared the winner after all six finalists delivered live pitches of their products today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The other finalists included: 

Transponders for Small Aircraft and Small Maritime Vessels by FAME Inc. (Philippines)
FAME makes air and sea travel safer through the use of its affordable and easily deployable transponders for small aircraft and small maritime vessels. The transponders installed on airplanes and boats use LoRaWAN to send location data to gateways deployed on ports and airports and have sensors incorporated to send telemetry data. The gateways send the data to the cloud that is displayed on a web and mobile platform. The transponders are customizable, durable and can even offer instant messaging if connected to a phone or tablet.

Global Environmental Monitoring Network by MagnaSCI SRL (Romania)
The uRADMonitor brings together IOT technology, sensors, and big data, so connectivity is essential. uRADMonitors are IoT devices equipped with sensors for monitoring the air quality of cities, offices, and homes. A growing global network of 800 such devices in more than 40 countries generate uniform and comparable environmental data to help understand the big picture on pollution. LoRaWAN empowered MagnaSCI’s sensors to transmit data in the most convenient way, even in remote locations.

Insulclock^® by Insulcloud S.L. (Spain)
Insulclock^® transforms the insulin pen into a smart-pen, taking advantage of the moment of insulin administration to register the dose injected and connecting it with the digital world, so caregivers can look after dependent patients. LoRaWAN technology is used in the system to enable elderly and juvenile patients to use it without a smartphone, making it more approachable from the consumer perspective.

Advanced Steam Trap Monitoring by SteamIQ (United States)
SteamIQ is an ultrasonic steam trap monitoring solution harnessing the power of LoRaWAN to enable deep building penetration and long battery life. Producing steam is expensive, so ensuring that energy is not wasted enables facilities to operate at peak efficiency.

TABS by TrackNet (United States)
Tabs is an all-in-one smart home and locator solution that provides busy families with peace of mind. Tabs is the first solution widely available to consumers based on LoRaWAN technology and turns smart homes into smart neighborhoods with each Tabs Hub covering an entire neighborhood rather than limited to inside a home. Tabs is one of the first products to make LoRaWAN affordable and accessible to consumers.

Tech4Race and some of the other finalists will join the LoRa Alliance in its booth, Hall 8.0 Stand 8.0D3 in the Fira Gran Via for the remainder of Mobile World Congress. Stop by to learn more about this award-winning product and how it benefits from LoRaWAN technology.

About LoRa Alliance
The LoRa Alliance is an open, nonprofit association that has grown to more than 500 members since its inception in March 2015, becoming one of the largest and fastest-growing alliances in the technology sector. Its members closely collaborate and share experiences to promote the LoRaWAN protocol as the leading open global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWAN connectivity. With the technical flexibility to address a broad range of IoT applications, both static and mobile, and a certification program to guarantee interoperability, the LoRaWAN protocol has already been deployed by major mobile network operators around the world, with continuing wide expansion ongoing.

For information about joining the LoRa Alliance, please visit http://www.lora-alliance.org/join.

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Eric Lawson
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Company & Onsite Contact
Emma Pearce
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