Largest Rural Broadband Testbed in the Nation

Wabash Heartland Innovation Network and Watch Communications are partnering to deploy 10 LoRaWAN gateways in the WHIN region creating the largest rural broadband testbed in the nation. The 10 gateways will be placed in each county in the WHIN region to create contiguous coverage in the 10-county region.

LoRaWAN is a low power, wide area networking protocol that is designed to wirelessly connect devices to the internet to form a regional network. This technology will allow areas in the WHIN region the ability to deploy internet-based sensors for agriculture, manufacturing, or any number of IoT devices in the future.

“We are excited for the opportunity to partner with Watch Communications and further expand broadband capabilities in our region,” said Johnny Park, CEO of WHIN. “This partnership will allow us to reach more areas of the WHIN region and continue our mission of developing our region into a global epicenter of digital agricultural and next-generation manufacturing.”

Watch Communications is one of the leading rural broadband solution providers in the Midwest and is committed to providing LoRaWAN coverage in the WHIN region. With their partnership, we’re building the largest LoRaWAN internet-connected region in the country. Right here in Indiana.

“The partnership with WHIN to create an IoT testbed will give us invaluable feedback as we work to expand high-speed Internet and related services throughout Indiana,” said Watch Communications CEO and President Chris Daniels. “We understand the challenges of rural communities because we live and work here. We’re committed to improving the internet services we offer these regions, and we look forward to working with WHIN in this endeavor.”