KDDI, Chubu Electric Power, SME Support Japan Chubu, and Cisco Starts Initiative to Create Businesses for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises with IoT: Providing LPWA Network Environment in Chubu Area

KDDI Corporation (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Takashi Tanaka, hereinafter KDDI), Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (Headquarters: Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, President & Director: Satoru Katsuno, hereinafter Chubu Electric Power), Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, JAPAN's Chubu Head Office (Chubu Head Office: Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Director-General: Fumio Hanazawa, hereinafter SME Support Japan Chubu), and Cisco Systems G.K. (Address: Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and General Manager: Miyuki Suzuki, hereinafter Cisco) are to start accepting applications from April 26, 2017 within the Chubu area for business partners in the Internet of Things (IoT). This move is intended to create businesses for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

For this new initiative, the four firms will call for service, business ideas, and systems that harness the Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) network, which is a new communication technology tailored to IoT. They also will seek IoT business partners with whom they can work on verification tests together. The LPWA network is an IoT-geared communication technology that offers such advantages as low power consumption and a wide connection range. Given that the network is relatively accessible in basements of buildings and within the premises of various facilities, expectations are high that it would create new service and businesses.

KDDI and Chubu Electric Power will build a LPWA network environment in line with ideas and technologies they receive. Together with IoT business partners, the two companies will perform verification tests in the Chubu area to put into practical use the concepts that were applied.

Also, by promoting the use of IoT through the new initiative, efforts will be made to create new value and to vitalize the Chubu area and SMEs alike.

SME Support Japan Chubu is planning to support the initiative by using a matching site they run called J-GoodTech.