Silver Spring Networks, Inc. recently announced Starfish, an international wireless IPv6 network service for the Internet of Things. Silver Spring has already delivered more than 22 million connected devices for IoT networks on five continents. Building on this footprint, Starfish will enable commercial enterprises, cities, utilities, and developers to access a reliable, secure, and scalable IoT network service with service level agreements (SLAs) that meet their needs. Starfish will first be available in the North American cities of Chicago, San Antonio, and San Jose; the European cities of Bristol, Copenhagen, and Glasgow; and in Calcutta, India. Silver Spring intends to expand Starfish’s IoT service coverage across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand throughout 2016 and beyond. Silver Spring today also unveiled a 2016 IoT Hackathon Series planned for cities including Bristol, Calcutta, Chicago, Copenhagen, San Jose, and Singapore, and new tools that will make it easier for device makers and software application developers to participate in the benefits of the international IoT network buildout.
Starfish builds on the open IEEE 802.15.4g wireless interoperability standard (Wi-SUN) and raises the bar on what should be expected from an IoT network by delivering up to 1.2 Mbps in speed, 10 millisecond latency, up to 50 miles in point-to-point range, nearly limitless mesh range, multiple network transports, and industrial-grade security, reliability, and scalability. Starfish will also provide world-class device and application management and control functions, an IoT-scale data platform, and access to one of the industry’s largest open partner ecosystems.
While many other IoT network offerings suffer from extremely limited bandwidth, are based on proprietary technology, face severe reliability and scalability challenges, and offer virtually no modern security, Starfish combines a globally proven Internet of Things networking platform with full SLAs and brings industrial-grade security to every device. As part of Starfish’s larger set of tiered service offerings, Silver Spring also introduced the Haiku™ service plan, which will deliver 5000 messages x 16 bytes per month for free, ideal for users with smaller data needs who wish to access a proven IoT service.
“We have entered a new era – ubiquitous connectivity of billions of devices and real-time data across massive-scale networks are unlocking untold social and economic opportunities,” said Mike Bell, President and CEO, Silver Spring Networks. “Today, with the Starfish IoT network service, Silver Spring is opening up one of the most reliable, scalable, and secure IoT networks on the face of the earth. We want to make connecting to the potential of the Internet of Things as simple as subscribing to the plan of your choice.”
“We are proud to work with an innovative company like Silver Spring Networks on a project to deploy a citywide Internet of Things network across our city,” said Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San Jose, California. “This type of secured network will help us further our Smart City goals by connecting the next generation of critical infrastructure, power modern smart city services, and establishing a platform for future IoT innovations, business investment, and entrepreneurship. I’d like to thank Silver Spring for choosing to demonstrate this next wave of growth right here in the heart of Silicon Valley.”
A Groundbreaking New Network Service for the Internet of Things
For more than a decade, Silver Spring has delivered wireless IPv6 mesh networks for some of the most rigorous customers and applications in the world – with more than 22 million Silver Spring-enabled devices delivered, designed for 99.9% reliability, across hundreds of thousands of square miles of dramatically varied dense urban and remote rural topographies, in harsh outdoor environments, and with some field lifespans of a dozen years or more.
With Starfish, entities such as city departments, utilities, public lighting operators, highway and transportation administrations, infrastructure services companies, large campuses and port authorities, commercial enterprises, and device makers and developers will be able to access a proven, secure, reliable, and scalable IoT network that is already connecting millions of critical devices today. Silver Spring intends to rapidly expand the availability of Starfish to additional geographies and cities in 2016 and beyond.
The initial international rollout of Starfish includes collaborations with the Bristol is Open (BIO) smart city program, CESC in Calcutta, the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, and a demonstration partnership with the City of San Jose; as well as additional planned Starfish availability in the City of San Antonio, the City of Copenhagen, and the City of Glasgow.
For more information on Starfish and the free Haiku offering visit www.silverspringnet.com/Starfish
New Global Hackathon and Partner Tools to Accelerate Participation in the IoT
Since its inception, Silver Spring has embraced open standards and ecosystems to ensure choice, interoperability, and innovation. Extending its heritage of openness, Silver Spring is making it simpler for IoT device makers and software developers to access and accelerate the vast IoT marketplace:
- Device Makers: Silver Spring will provide a new IoT Hardware Development Kit (HDK) and Software Development Kit (SDK) to speed integration development and testing. The new HDK and SDK will provide specifications and documentation, access to test hardware and networks, a verification process, and development support.
- Software Application Developers: Silver Spring will provide a new IoT Software Development Kit (SDK) that will include a cloud-based development sandbox, access to APIs and documentation, reference material and sample code, a verification process, and development support.
Members of the Silver Spring Global Partner Program will also receive ongoing lifecycle management and multi-tiered product support.
Along with its key partners, Silver Spring plans to host a Global IoT Hackathon Series for device makers, software developers, students, and entrepreneurs throughout 2016 in cities such as Bristol, Calcutta, Copenhagen, Chicago, San Jose, and Singapore. Participants will be able to develop and test their latest innovations in real-world environments and collaborate with leading IoT technologists around the world. Winners will receive development grants and an opportunity to offer their products into the global Silver Spring customer and partner ecosystem.
Registration for the Global IoT Hackathon Series will open in January 2016.
About Silver Spring Networks
Silver Spring Networks is a leading networking platform and solutions provider for smart energy networks. Silver Spring’s pioneering IPv6 networking platform, with over 22.3 million Silver Spring enabled devices delivered, is connecting utilities to homes and business throughout the world with the goal of achieving greater energy efficiency for the planet. Silver Spring’s innovative solutions enable utilities to gain operational efficiencies, improve grid reliability, and empower consumers to monitor and manage energy consumption. Silver Spring Networks’ customers include major utilities around the globe such as Baltimore Gas & Electric, CitiPower & Powercor, Commonwealth Edison, CPS Energy, Florida Power & Light, Jemena Electricity Networks Limited, Pacific Gas & Electric, Pepco Holdings, Progress Energy, and Singapore Power, among others.
