AT&T Completes U.S. LTE-M Deployment in IoT Push

AT&T is rolling out a major piece of its strategy for 5G and the Internet of Things.

The telecommunications giant on Thursday announced the completion of its LTE-M network. U.S. businesses can operate their IoT devices on the newly deployed network.

“Our nationwide LTE-M deployment is another example of AT&T’s continued investment and leadership in IoT,” said Chris Penrose, AT&T’s president of IoT Solutions. “We can now reach new places and connect new things at a price that’s more affordable than ever before. Our LTE-M starter kit will also spur developers to open the doors to IoT innovation.”

The LTE-M network is available on AT&T’s 4G LTE network in the U.S. The company says it will deploy LTE-M in Mexico before the end of 2017.

This is a step AT&T says will help build toward “5G and massive IoT.” LTE-M helps provide longer battery life for IoT devices and improved coverage when the devices are underground.

AT&T also announced a list of rate plans for LTE-M. The company also noted that businesses can upgrade their IoT starter kits to be compatible with LTE-M. AT&T Partner Exchange made the starter kit available back in April.

The company has been pushing out an almost constant flow of products and services for IoT, and it has conducted several trials for 5G.

Watch an IoT presentation from Lisa Park, assistant vice president of AT&T IoT solutions, at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo.