Cisco Removes LoRaWAN Products

Cisco has announced it intends to sunset its LoRaWAN portfolio. New sales of LoRaWAN gateway products will stop at the beginning of next year, and LoraWAN product support will end on December 31 2029.

Cisco will remove 47 products including sensors and antennaes.

LoRaWAN uses nlicensed spectrum to connect devices. The LoRa Allince defines LoRaWAN as "Low Power, Wide Area (LPWA) networking specification designed to wirelessly connect battery operated ‘things’ to the internet in regional, national or global networks, and targets key Internet of Things (IoT) requirements such as bi-directional communication, end-to-end security, mobility and localization services."

The future of LoRa and IoT

Despite the news, the LoRa Alliance, an industry association that supports the technology, remains very optimistic about the future of the technology and the IoT enablement it provides.

The LoRa Alliance points to the growth in IoT, as well as the space now opened up to competitors in the market with Cisco's exit.

LoRaWAN is just one technology enabling IoT, among a list of others, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, depending on the range, power required, and other factors.

There is always some level of hype around IoT in general. In 2012, IBM predicted there would be 1 trilllion connectd devices in 2015. Now, almost 10 years later, there is closer to 18 billion. We were supposed to be at any where from 28 - 50 billion in 2020, according to numerous forecasts.

Still, the use of IoT, not just in homes and cities, but industrial and other business applications, environmental conservation, medicine, etc. is likely to increase, provided the technology is affordable and capable of delivering on its promises.