An Israel-based company called hoopo has officially launched today, with the goal of creating precision geolocation solutions for use with IoT devices over low-power wide area networks (LPWA). For those who may not be aware, LPWA is a relatively new solution, in and of itself, which offers ubiquitous and power-efficient out-of-the-box connectivity – with a more direct focus on solving problems that pertain to IoT related enterprise and industrial devices in an IoT configuration. Moreover, it encompasses solutions which could be applied to other IoT circumstances such as might arise with smart cities and other new innovations. Meanwhile, the devices on those networks often require precise geolocation services in order function properly or accomplish the intended tasks. Today’s GPS-based solutions simply aren’t up to the task, either because of power consumption or accuracy, and that’s where hoopo’s solutions come in.
Unfortunately, the company hasn’t provided too many specifics about its solution – or offered a name for it. However, according to hoopo CEO Ittay Hayut, the idea centers around a new method for triangulation which uses LPWA transmissions to pinpoint device locations. The company says it is far more accurate than GPS and, beyond that, is uncompromising in terms 0f both cost-effectiveness and energy-efficiency. In fact, Hayut says that the company’s solutions have a battery life of up to 10 years, once deployed. The improvements have even prompted some industry experts, such as former Intel CTO Dr. Eli Fogel, to make comparisons between the advent of GPS and hoolo’s new geolocation solution. Fogel predicts that, as with that prior technological advancement, hoolo’s solution will become much more widespread over time and will grow to encompass uses that had not previously been imagined. Although that is a relatively big prediction to make, it would not necessarily be surprising for a new company to accomplish that. That’s especially true with consideration for the incoming wave of self-driving cars and other IoT-related products, which will need low-power networks to sustain them and geolocation solutions to aid with geofencing, movement alerts, and other location-based data transmissions.
It bears mention, of course, that whether or not any of those predictions turn out to be accurate remains to be seen. However, the company isn’t resting on its announcement either. Instead, it plans to demonstrate its solution daily during this year’s upcoming Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona – which runs from February 26 through March 1.