The pioneers in the core IoT connectivity services: Sigfox

Billions of objects worldwide are connected to the Internet and their data are stored in the cloud. Having a global, simple, low-cost and low-power connectivity solution is fundamental. This is the challenge that Sigfox addresses by deploying a low-bandwidth dedicated network, already present in 45 countries. 

Created in 2010, the company is a recognized global pioneer and leader in a sector that is already disrupting business models and will revolutionize the whole of society. The ambition of Sigfox, embodied in the slogan "Make Things Come Alive", is to give voice to the physical world around and to allow these billions of objects to play a role in economic and social development.

Sigfox Services

Connection

Sigfox Admiral Blue: The Sigfox core connectivity solution is a unique approach for device-to-cloud communications by making it possible for devices to send and receive data over the Internet without the need to manage complex connections or SIM cards.

Sigfox Admiral Ivory: It is a simplified connectivity service which now makes it possible to transform any short-range wireless device into a long-range IoT, with a hardware component as little as $0.20, and as simple as the one that you find in a garage door remote control. 

Cognition

Sigfox Monarch: It provides a unique radio recognition service to devices equipped with a simple Sigfox Verified certified module, without any additional hardware such as GPS or Wi-Fi chipset. Sigfox’s technology operates in unlicensed bands worldwide, with radio frequencies ranging from 862 to 928 MHz

Location

Sigfox Atlas: Previously known as Sigfox Geolocation, it is a low energy and low price location service for all devices equipped with the simplest Sigfox module, without GPS. There’s no need to retrofit to upgrade specific hardware or to update software.

Sigfox Sunrise

In addition to its IoT Network services, Sigfox also provides a streamlined, onboarding process, Sigfox Sunrise. Designed to help partners cut their development time and costs, Sunrise include: 

Partner Network

The one-stop source for all resources partners needs for their IoT project, from hardware to devices, development kits, platforms and end-to-end solutions. 

Sigfox Build

Sigfox offers an online onboarding and supports web portal dedicated to devise makers and solution providers. Called as simply as “Build” this service aims at accelerating the deployment of IoT solutions, by distributing content, services, and tools, offering projects design management features, and by guiding device makers to the best solutions to speed up their time to market.

Sigfox Buy

Sigfox offers an online purchasing platform for connectivity packs to connect from one to hundreds of devices. It offers the possibility for makers & developers to purchase connectivity subscriptions online with a credit card.

Technology Breakthrough

Sigfox is rolling out the first global IoT network to listen to billions of objects broadcasting data, without the need to establish and maintain network connections. This unique approach in the world of wireless connectivity, where there is no signaling overhead, a compact and optimized protocol, and where objects are not attached to the network. Sigfox offers a software-based communications solution, where all the network and computing complexity is managed in the Cloud, rather than on the devices. All that together, it drastically reduces energy consumption and costs of connected devices.

Ultra Narrow Band radio modulation

Using the Ultra Narrow Band modulation, Sigfox operates in the 200 kHz of the publicly available band to exchange radio messages over the air. Each message is 100 Hz wide and transferred at 100 or 600 bits per second a data rate, depending on the region. Hence, long distances can be achieved while being very robust against the noise.

Lightweight protocol

Sigfox has tailored a lightweight protocol to handle small messages. Fewer data to send means less energy consumption, hence it has a longer battery life.

Small payload

An uplink message has up to 12-bytes payload and takes an average 2s over the air to reach the base stations which monitors the spectrum looking for UNB signals to demodulate. For a 12-byte data payload, a Sigfox frame will use 26 bytes in total. The payload allowance in downlink messages is 8 bytes.

Greet the leader

Ludovic Le Moan, Founder, and CEO of Sigfox: Ludovic Le Moan co-founded SIGFOX, the first and only company to provide global solutions to power the Internet of Things (IoT). In order to support SIGFOX’s global expansion, he has raised a total $150 million round of financing from strategic and financial investors in Europe, the U.S., and Asia.

Le Moan has been involved in the machine-to-machine space since 2000 when he co-founded Anyware Technologies, which enabled the connection, management, and monitoring of remote equipment through a Web interface. After selling Anyware Technologies to Wavecom in 2008, Le Moan co-founded Goojet, a B2C services company that offered a simple, personal experience of the mobile web and allowed users to share and exchange messages and content. He served as COO of the company, now repositioned as scoop.it, from February 2008 to March 2011.

“The high quality of service of the Sigfox network relies on spatial diversity coupled with the time and frequency diversity of the radio frame repetitions.”