SoftBank claims that it has succeeded in completing the world's first connection test in a commercial environment for NIDD (Non-IP Data Delivery), which has been newly defined in the 3GPP for NB-IoT.
Accordingly, SoftBank will solicit service providers and launch experimental services in a commercial environment.
NIDD is a new technology that enables users to transmit data to IoT devices without allocating an IP address. By not using an Internet protocol in transmission, the risk of being subjected to a malicious attack targeting an IoT device is low, making it possible to build a highly secure network. Through the elimination of the data such as header information additionally required in conventional data communications, the electric power needed for communication is reduced and, in addition to extending battery life, a broader area can be covered. Furthermore, by enabling connection on a closed network with IoT platforms provided by service providers and with external application servers, it is possible to build a highly secure network from end to end.
With the introduction of NIDD technology, in addition to the conventional NB-IoT and Category M1 (Cat. M1) services it currently provides, for which an IP address is allocated, SoftBank aims to introduce and commercialize devices tailored to various businesses and fields such as crime prevention, social infrastructure and agriculture, making full use of its distinctive features of high security, low power consumption, and high area coverage.
Hassan Ahmed, Chairman & CEO, Affirmed Networks
Their latest innovations in the area of NIDD technologies are further evidence of this commitment and are providing a more secure and efficient solution for serving the wide range of IoT services that will be deployed over 4G and 5G networks.
Satoshi Uchiyama, CEO SB Cloud
SoftBank's introduction of this new technology makes it possible to connect to the Alibaba Cloud IoT Platform to transmit data with the high security level that can be obtained by NB-IoT devices. I expect this to promote further advances in the use of IoT data in various industries.
