X-Telia roaming partnership extends Helium in Canada

  • January 26, 2022
  • Steve Rogerson

Canadian LoRaWan specialist X-Telia and decentralised wireless network Helium have launched a roaming partnership expanding coverage for IoT devices across Canada, USA and around the world.

This roaming integration is made possible by the Helium blockchain, which allows LoRaWan compatible devices already supported by X-Telia to use seamlessly coverage provided by the Helium network.

The number of IoT devices worldwide is forecast to almost triple to more than 25.4 billion by 2030. As more devices are deployed, the greater the need for an IoT network with ubiquitous and uninterrupted coverage on a global scale. Helium says its network is providing the answer.

In just over two years since the network’s launch, there are over half a million Helium-compatible hotspots deployed across 38,000 cities internationally providing decentralised LoRaWan coverage to billions of IoT devices. Through partnering with X-Telia, the network will expand its usage and accelerate its presence in Canada, while empowering X-Telia’s customers with the power of a global IoT network.

“At X-Telia, we understand the power of IoT technology in achieving new levels of insight and efficiency and have made it our mission to make it accessible to industries, businesses and cities across Canada,” said Eric Bourbeau, CEO of X-Telia. “By leveraging the power of the Helium network, we are now able to provide our clients with a global network, allowing our fleet and asset tracking customers to track their assets internationally.”

X-Telia strives to take the complexity out of IoT by offering end-to-end IoT for a range of clients from smart cities, agriculture, smart building, infrastructure to industrial. Its IoT Hub platform and carrier-grade network make it simple for users to track and view data in real time through custom applications and interactive dashboards. Notably, its devices have been used to track climate change, snow removal and flood warnings, and read water meters, measure the temperature at the bottom of the ocean and even prevent heat stroke in cows.

“Democratising access to the internet has been Helium’s core mission since inception,” said Amir Haleem, CEO of Helium. “As we continue to grow the world’s largest decentralised wireless network on a global scale, we are proud to partner with companies like X-Telia whose commitment to expanding access to IoT connectivity resonates with our mission. We are excited to welcome X-Telia and their customers to roam on the Helium network.” 

Co-founded by Shawn Fanning and Amir Haleem in 2013, Helium is building a decentralised wireless network to simplify connecting devices to the internet by rewarding anyone to become a network operator.

X-Telia is a Quebec-based company that operates a carrier-grade wireless network dedicated to the IoT. The group supports businesses and cities that want to deploy applications that depend on highly secure, low-cost and low-power long-range connectivity.