IoT Scotland Extends to the Scottish Borders
IoT Scotland network connectivity is now available across the Scottish Borders, with towns, villages and rural areas including Peebles, Melrose, Selkirk, Jedburgh, and Hawick all benefiting. The announcement will enable local businesses and organisations to take advantage of the wide-ranging transformational benefits IoT offers.
Eildon Housing has partnered with North to deliver a Scottish Government funded transformational Internet of Things (IoT) network across the Borders area. The Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) is a wireless network that allows effective long-range communications at a low bit rate using very little power.
To enable the network roll-out, North worked with Eildon Housing Association to install a small number of IoT gateways across the Borders. Eildon Housing Association has 2500 properties across the Scottish Borders and provides housing, care, and support services to people in the region.
IoT Scotland connectivity will enable Eildon Housing Association to deliver benefits to their organisation and tenants, as well as to the wider Scottish Borders community. Helping to facilitate this local network will enable Eildon Housing Association to pave the way for their organisation, as well as other across the region to make use of smart technologies.
IoT technologies offer transformational benefits to businesses and Local Authorities, and are predicted to transform the social housing market, with a number of solutions available to tackle key challenges including tenant safety, air quality, fuel poverty, legionella, damp and disproportionate maintenance costs.
Eildon Chief Executive Nile Istephan said:
“We are proud to be helping to make IoT connectivity available. It will bring benefits to us as an organisation, benefits to our tenants and also benefits to the wider Scottish Borders community”.
“We’re aware of IoT enabled technologies coming on stream that could allow us to improve the efficiency of processes, the cost-effectiveness of services and help in making the lives of our tenants easier.”
“For example, automated heating and environmental control systems that constantly monitor and report any potential issues, or smart technologies monitoring the wellbeing of residents, perhaps enabling them to remain at home or be allowed home from hospital sooner than might otherwise have been the case.”
“By helping to facilitate this local network we can pave the way for not only our organisation but others across the region to make use of these smart technologies.”