The Nodal Trust Network uses smartphones as “nodes” to create a decentralized physical infrastructure network designed to validate real-world data. (Image: online)
IoT coverage turns location data into evidence: a specific object at a specific location at a specific moment. It's the difference between 'we think it's there' and 'we can confirm it's there'. But traditional tracking and sensor networks are expensive to scale and often constrained by fixed infrastructure.
Global IoT connectivity provider iONLINE Connected Network, a decentralized Bluetooth wireless network, is expanding crowdsourced, ultra-low-power IoT connectivity in South Africa, in collaboration with Nodal. This will help scale up asset tracking and lightweight sensor deployments with minimal infrastructure investment.
Karel Wessels, Head of IOT Solutions at iONLINE, says: “Together with Nodal, we are enabling a fundamentally new approach to IOT connectivity in South Africa that is low-cost, massively scalable and able to provide real-world asset visibility without the complexity and power consumption traditionally associated with tracking technologies.”
Micah Anthenor Benoliel, co-founder and CEO of Nodal, says: “South Africa is one of the most mobile-first enterprise markets in the world, and iONLINE has the customer relationships, applications and operational depth to bring the Nodal network to scale there. Together, we can give South African enterprises a more affordable and verifiable way to know where their assets are.”
A connectivity model built on network effects
The Nodal Trust Network is built with Nodal's own networking stack and mobile platform. It uses smartphones as “nodes” to create a decentralized physical infrastructure network designed to help validate real-world data. These nodes can use their respective cellular data, WiFi, and in the future, direct-to-cell (DTC) satellite to relay data to the IoT backend.
By combining crowdsourced Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) signal capture with secure verification, the Nodal Trust Network enables enterprises to move from updates and check-ins to more reliable, real-world proof of presence.
Carel Wessels, Head of IOT Solutions at iONLINE Connected Networks.
Unlike traditional gateway-dependent IoT networks that require dense fixed infrastructure, the nodal model grows through partnerships, leveraging BLE crowdsourcing and the existing footprint of mobile devices to create a highly scalable connectivity layer for low-cost tracking and telemetry.
What changes is the scale. As participation grows, network density increases – improving coverage and positioning over time and creating a country-level connectivity layer built on the devices people already have.
“The real power of this partnership lies in the shared network effect,” Wessels says. “Any connected mobile device effectively becomes part of the IoT infrastructure, allowing us to build one of the densest and most accessible IoT coverage networks in the region.”
The collaboration is designed to support use cases where ultra-low power and cost-effective scale are essential, such as asset tracking and lightweight sensor telemetry. Ultimately, use cases become more affordable and more reliable. Thanks to the nodal trust network unlocking the low costs of asset tracking, asset classes that were previously uneconomical to track or verify are now things like parcels, equipment, pallets, spare parts, pharmaceutical shipments, consumer returns, and more.
iONLINE's FlexiTag devices will also run on this network. Any compatible third-party BLE-enabled tag can do the same.
Read more at Sense Hub here.
A scalable alternative to traditional IoT deployments
“We believe crowdsourced BLE connectivity represents a major evolution in how sensors and assets will be connected on a national scale, particularly for low-power, low-cost, and large-scale scalable deployments,” Wessels says.
He noted that beyond end-user benefits, the collaboration opens up opportunities for partners and ecosystem participants to contribute to network development and participate in the value created through expanded coverage.
The more people choose the option, the better the overall coverage, improving safety, security and recovery for connected assets, customers and the communities that depend on the network.
The Nodal Network grows through an opt-in model, which is intended to be straightforward and low-impact for consumers. It is designed to be secure and privacy-preserving: data is encrypted and use can remain anonymous. It is designed to be lightweight, with minimal impact on battery life and data usage.
There are clear benefits to joining: each participating device helps increase network coverage and density, thereby improving asset visibility. The more people choose the option, the better the overall coverage becomes – helping to improve safety, security and recovery for networked assets, customers and communities.
“This creates exciting opportunities not only for enterprise customers but also for ecosystem partners who can actively contribute to network development and participate in the value created through expanded connectivity,” Wessels says.
“At iOnline, we are focused on building the right connectivity rails for real-world IoT challenges, and BLE crowdsourcing is a powerful complement to technologies like cellular IoT, satellite, LoRaWAN, Sigfox, and RFID,” he concluded.
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