Naga made a significant step towards becoming a full-fledged Smart City with the formal turnover to the City Government of an Internet of Things (IoT) Disaster Management Solution, and the launch of an IoT Connectivity Infrastructure by Packetworx and ThingsPH last January 30, 2024.
With this, Packetworx and ThingsPH has made a notable contribution to the city’s game changing initiative. They officially donated flood and rainfall monitoring devices as part of an IoT Disaster Management Solution. These companies also installed and provided free access to LoRaWAN gateways. These gateways form the backbone of a connectivity infrastructure that allows IoT devices to communicate.
Packetworx is the first and only LoRaWAN connectivity provider in the country. ThingsPH is a Nagueño startup that provides IoT software platforms and solutions.
Packetworx and ThingsPH’s connectivity infrastructure and IoT Platform will significantly spur the growth of IoT innovations and startups in the city. Together with the ADNU MAGIS TBI’s IoT Laboratory (set up in partnership with the City Government of Naga, Ateneo de Naga University, and NEDA) and the city government’s startup development efforts, this donation will create a better environment for innovators to create impactful solutions and for leaders to make data-driven decisions for the overall welfare and benefit of the community in the long run.
The LoRaWAN connectivity infrastructure, which now covers 80% of the city, will also complement the city’s Startup Development Program (under local Ordinance No. 2021-057) by providing a network that IoT developers and their prospective clients can use. Currently, the ADNU MAGIS TBI, Naga City Investment Board, Packetworx, and ThingsPH are supporting more than a hundred local IoT development projects.
Near the conclusion of the event, Packetworx and ThingsPH officially announced that the regional leg of the 2024 IoT Conference in the South Luzon area will be held in Naga City, an indication of Naga’s technological innovation for the Philippines’ IoT ecosystem. (Krizia Francine Coronel, ITPO)
