Telia Company and the Finnish postal service Posti have jointly developed a new type of smart mailbox that is first in the world to utilize the new NB-IoT technology.
NB-IoT, Narrowband Internet of Things, is a new network technology that can be used to connect a large number of devices. A connected mailbox will provide information in real time on its use, such as if mail is dropped in the mailbox, if it’s full or empty, or if it has been opened or vandalized.
For example, if the time needed to process each item sent via Posti would take just a second longer than today, annual expenses would increase by 13 million euros. If we are able to save even 30 seconds of working time on unnecessary mailbox visits, the total benefit is significant.
Posti operates some 3,300 vehicles in Finland and their daily mileages add up to six times around the world, so the management of logistics flows is a crucial issue.
In the three-month pilot project, Posti and Telia will smarten up five postboxes in Helsinki and Oulu. If the trial is successful, the next goal is to turn all 5,000 boxes nationwide into smart postboxes, said the companies in a joint statement.
Sami Reponen, Chief Process Officer, Posti
With a billion addressed mail items each year, this sort of information will safeguard the environment and save costs.
Mikael Sundholm, Project Coordinator, Telia
We installed the first sensor just before Christmas, and the results have been promising. Posti's test group is also able to continuously monitor the use of the postboxes with mobile phones.
