Sigfox and Kyocera Communication Systems Partner to Expand Sigfox Network to Japan - the World's Third Largest IoT Market

LABÈGE, France AND KYOTO, Japan, November 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

• Strategic partnership to cover the third largest Internet of Things (IoT) market, with 6% of a global IoT revenue that is set to reach no less than 3 trillion USD by 2025 (cf. Machina Research^[1])

• The 25^th country to deploy Sigfox's network, supporting its global ambition to reach 60 countries by 2018.

Today, Sigfox, the world's leading provider of a global communication solution powering the Internet of Things (IoT), and its partner KYOCERA Communication Systems Co., Ltd. (KCCS) announced the nationwide roll-out of the Sigfox network in Japan - the world's third largest IoT market.

The partnership is a strategic move to tap into this fast-growing market which represents 6 per cent of global revenue that is set to reach no less than 3 trillion USD by 2025. With key Japanese corporations investing heavily in the IoT sector, Japan will also be a major contributor to the global IoT ecosystem (cf. Japan Times^[2]).

As Sigfox's network operator in Japan, KCCS, a subsidiary of Kyocera Corporation - a leading global supplier of printers, copiers, mobile phones, solar power generating systems, electronic components, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial ceramics - will deploy Sigfox's network nationwide and distribute the service to its customers.

Sigfox connectivity service now spans across 25 countries. This move marks another key milestone of Sigfox's rapid expansion in the Asia Pacific region, following roll-outs in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan earlier this year.

The roll-out of the Sigfox network in Japan will provide main territory coverage in 2018, initially starting in Tokyo in early 2017.

KCCS will target applications across all vertical markets, with a particular focus on public utility, infrastructure, healthcare, logistics, agriculture and manufacturing industries.

Global scalability, cost and energy consumption have been the three greatest barriers to IoT mass adoption. Sigfox entered the global IoT market to break down these barriers. Rather than using existing technologies, Sigfox has taken a unique approach. The company 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 game-changing shift, that drastically reduce energy consumption and costs, will fuel the IoT mass market deployment.

Rodolphe Baronnet-Frugès, Sigfox Executive Vice President of Networks and Operators, said: "We are proud to be entering a partnership with KCCS to enable the huge potential of Japanese corporations and society. I am confident that the Japanese solutions, powered by Sigfox, will meet the fourth industrial revolution challenge head-on."

Roswell Wolff, President, Sigfox Asia Pacific, said, "As the third largest IoT market in the world, Japan is strategic for Sigfox, both for its significance as a connected market in its own right, and as a key global contributor to the development of smart connected devices fuelling the growth of the internet of things worldwide.

"We expect exponential growth in demand to connect millions of devices over a simple, low cost, low power and long range network. We look forward to a strong partnership with KCCS to drive the expansion of the Japanese IoT market'’.

Yoshihito Kurose, President, KYOCERA Communication Systems Co., Ltd., said, "I am delighted with our partnership with Sigfox, to deploy the Sigfox network in Japan. There are already a number of Sigfox use cases in the global market that we can learn from. KYOCERA Communication Systems Co., Ltd., KCCS, will deploy the Sigfox network in Japan as well as create many applications and contribute to the global success of the Sigfox network".

About KCCS 

KCCS, a subsidiary of Kyocera Corporation- a leading global supplier of printers, copiers, mobile phones, solar power generating systems, electronic components, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial ceramics-will deploy Sigfox's network nationwide and distribute the service to its customers. For more information, visit http://www.kccs.co.jp/english/

About Sigfox    

Sigfox is the world's leading provider of global communication solutions powering the Internet of Things (IoT). Its solutions introduce a game-changing 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, as the Sigfox network and devices simply listen in and capture specifically formatted radio messages from around the globe, needing something as simple as a silicon chip that you find in a remote control. The unique Sigfox solutions enable devices to consume so little energy that soon batteries will become redundant and energy harvesting solutions will power data transmission.

The vision of the company is to "Make Things Come Alive". By giving a voice to the physical world we live in, and connecting it to the Cloud, Sigfox allows objects to play a role in our social and economic development.

Currently present in 25 countries, and on track to reach over 60 by 2018, the Sigfox network today covers a population of 397 million people. Millions of connected objects are already registered on the network across all five continents, enabling companies to accelerate their digital transformation, develop new services and create value.

Founded in 2010 by entrepreneurs Ludovic Le Moan and Christophe Fourtet, the company is headquartered in Labège near Toulouse, France's "IoT Valley". Sigfox also has offices worldwide in Paris, Madrid, Munich, Boston, San Francisco, Dubai and Singapore. For more information, visit http://www.sigfox.com and follow us on Twitter at @SIGFOX.

^[1] See here.

^[2] See here.

PressContacts
Laurence Collet, Sigfox
Laurence.collet@sigfox.com
+33-7-86-27-36-43

Simon Chan, Edelman for Sigfox
simon.chan@edelman.com
+44-(0)7875-198-091