OTIO, a subsidiary of Groupe HBF specializing in electrical equipment, lighting and home automation, has chosen the SIGFOX network to deploy its new international offer of connected devices.
Groupe HBF, which commercializes wireless home-automation and security equipment under its OTIO brand, has sold 6 million devices in retail and specialty stores. With its leading experience in smart-home solutions, Groupe HBF is developing a new range of connected objects using the SIGFOX network, which is dedicated to the Internet of Things.
Connected devices from the OTIO ALERT product line detect domestic incidents such as smoke or carbon monoxide emissions, dramatic temperature changes, power failure or house intrusion, and immediately inform users by SMS.
After a successful test of the technology, Groupe HBF and SIGFOX, the world’s leading provider of communications service dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT), have signed an international connectivity contract for 1 million OTIO ALERT devices, initially focusing on the French, Spanish and German markets.
Groupe HBF will benefit from the quality of service available in the SIGFOX network, which is available nationwide in France and Spain. SIGFOX, which offers the widest IoT network coverage in the world and recently announced its deployment in Germany, will accelerate the international deployment of the OTIO ALERT offer.
The OTIO ALERT line will include a hundred different products by 2020, designed by the R&D center of the brand, in close collaboration with an ecosystem of startups and technology partners deployed around SIGFOX and Groupe HBF.
Designed and assembled in France, OTIO’s SIGFOX Ready™ certified products will be available beginning in September 2016. The SIGFOX Ready™ certification ensures compatibility of the devices on the entire SIGFOX network and seamless connectivity for users.
By providing access to a wide range of partners that provide radio components for connected-object manufacturers, SIGFOX offers the only low-throughput and low-power IoT communication service capable of sustaining industrial production of devices required for large-scale commercialization of IoT applications.
“SIGFOX is the only IoT network company capable of receiving a product offer that could be made available in retail businesses in multiple countries,” said Marc Bergougnoux, general manager of Groupe HBF. “Beyond the quality of the network we have seen, it is also, and above all, the strength of the SIGFOX business model that attracted us: one contract, no concept of roaming, for the deployment of an international and competitive offer.”
“We are proud to support OTIO in its strategy of international development, and strengthen its position as an innovative company in the 14 countries where we are already present,” said Stuart Lodge, SIGFOX executive vice president, global sales and partners.
“The new OTIO ALERT offer perfectly illustrates the competitive advantages of SIGFOX connectivity: very long battery life and a solution that does not require local Internet connectivity, which is a real advantage compared to existing home-automation devices. As soon as the battery is inserted in the object, it is immediately connected to the network.”