LoRa Alliance

The LoRa Alliance is an open, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the interoperability and standardization of low-power wide area network (LPWAN) technologies to drive implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT).

LP WANs enable machine-to-machine (M2M), industrial IoT, civic and commercial applications. LP WANs have lower costs and power requirements and longer range than mobile networks. Those advantages mean they can enable a much wider range of M2M and IoT applications, which have been constrained by budgets and power issues.

Here’s how the LoRa Alliance explains their mission:

By guaranteeing interoperability and standardization of Low Power Wide Area Networks internationally, the Alliance will consolidate the fragmented wireless space and significantly improve the ROI, which will drive large scale volumes for IoT.

The LoRa Alliance promotes its Long-Range WAN (LoRaWAN) protocol as an open global standard. According to the Alliance, LoRaWAN could provide coverage for entire cities or even countries with just a few base stations.

The Alliance has members throughout North America, Europe, Africa and Asia  including telecommunication companies, original equipment manufacturers (OEM), system integrators, sensor and semiconductor manufacturers. Founding members of the LoRa Alliance include IBM, MicroChip, Cisco, Semtech, Bouygues Telecom, Singtel, KPN, Swisscom, Fastnet and Belgacom.

See a brief introduction to the LoRa Alliance and the LoRaWAN protocol: