Finnish operator Elisa has signed a cooperation agreement with the University of Helsinki’s MegaSense research programme to develop air-quality monitoring in large cities.
The idea behind MegaSense is to cover a dense urban area with a network of air-quality sensors capable of detecting air pollutants. The large number of sensors helps to generate a real-time snapshot of air quality. Elisa provides the project network technology for developing further innovations.
The MegaSense research programme already uses the NB-IoT network in Helsinki. Elisa launched a 5G network in Helsinki and the next step is to expand Elisa’s 5G network to the MegaSense test area. As well as being at the disposal of the project, the 5G network will also be available for startups in the area to use. In addition to Helsinki, the project will operate in Beijing.
The MegaSense programme is an integral part of the UrbanSense project, which brings together 5G test platforms and conducts research into network technologies and their use. The aim of the project is to create an open 5G innovation platform and a good framework for developing network and service operations.
Sasu Tarkoma, Head of the Department of Computer Science, University Helsinki
The new network technology inter-connects sensors, enables efficient data collection and supports smarter sensor management. We are developing a new kind of air quality sensor network, one that automatically detects the operating environment of each sensor and minimises measurement error.
Petteri Svensson, Business Director of Subscriptions, Elisa's Corporate Customer Unit
IoT services are one of the first ways in which the benefits of 5G technology are being put in concrete use, and the effort to improve air quality is a good example of this.
