Just attach it to the elderly, school buses, bicycles, etc., and you're safe. The initial production quantity is almost sold out.

SK Telecom has launched its first service utilizing the LoRa network, an IoT-dedicated network that is the only one in Korea to be built and operated nationwide.

SK Telecom has launched the LoRa-based location tracking terminal 'Gper' through Spacosa, a startup specializing in positioning services, and announced that it has almost sold out the first production run of 2,000 units and plans to move on to second production due to the enthusiastic response from B2B markets such as daycare centers and individual consumers.

The zipper is a square design measuring 5cm in width and length, 1.6cm in thickness, and 48g in weight. If you install the dedicated app 'Fami' on your smartphone and register the zipper, you can track its location in real time. The zipper can be used as a safety service for children or elderly people with dementia, and if you are in danger, you can press the SOS button to ask for help from a guardian.

When attached to a school bus, the daycare center can check the information of all vehicles in operation in real time, and the guardians of children can check the location and arrival time of the vehicle in real time to protect the children more safely. In addition, it can be used not only for daily necessities such as bicycles, but also for the logistics industry such as container vehicles. A test terminal is being provided to a domestic logistics company for trial operation, and SK Telecom and Spacosa plan to expand the service in the future.

SK Telecom’s partner support program played a major role in the development of Zipper. SK Telecom’s support, including free support of LoRa modules for terminal development, preliminary testing in an open test bed, and support for connection with the IoT platform ThingPlug, led to the launch of the first service of the LoRa network.

Free module support for development, test space support, etc.

This process has also been very helpful in upgrading SK Telecom’s support process. As terminal authentication has been carried out up to the fifth stage, authentication items have been refined, and the know-how gained from the pilot number assignment and field test process is expected to contribute to making the development of LoRa-based services easier in the future.

▲ Service concept diagram

The development of Zipper also saw the participation of ordinary people through social crowdfunding. Spacosa posted its service development plan on the crowdfunding site 'Wadiz' in the early stages of service development and succeeded in receiving funding from about 200 ordinary people.

The zipper sold through open markets such as 11st is priced at 49,800 won, and the monthly fee is 5,500 won. Due to the low power consumption of Lora, it can be used for about 5 days with a 90-minute charge (when transmitting location every 10 minutes). SK Telecom plans to continue launching various services, including tracking services such as Safe Watch and monitoring services such as portable wireless gas detectors, following the launch of this zipper, and plans to commercialize around 30 LoRa-based services within the year.

SK Telecom IoT Business Division Head Cha In-hyeok said, “Affordable and convenient lifestyle services based on a dedicated IoT network have begun in earnest,” and “We will continue to expand the IoT industry ecosystem utilizing LoRa through cooperation with small and medium-sized partners.”