The LoRa Alliance, the global consortium promoting the open LoRaWAN standard for low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs) in the IoT sector, has expanded its leadership. Rob Zagarella, the CEO of NNNCo, has been appointed to the LoRa Alliance Board of Directors.
Zagarella has an extensive background in smart grids, telecoms, and the IoT. He also brings considerable, hands-on success in deploying LoRaWAN networks and practical solutions across diverse industries to the LoRa Alliance board.
The recruitment of Zagarella comes at a time when the LoRa Alliance is doubling-down on its efforts to grow the adoption of LoRaWAN in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
Based in Australia, Zagarella has a profound understanding of the IoT landscape in his home country, New Zealand, and the wider APAC region. His addition to the LoRa Alliance board is anticipated to fortify the consortium’s initiatives and direct support mechanisms for these expanding markets, which are demonstrating a notable appetite for IoT applications.
Alper Yegin, CEO of the LoRa Alliance, said: “Rob and NNNCo have supported the Alliance since its inception in 2015 as a member company, driving several initiatives and evangelising on behalf of the LoRaWAN standard across Oceania and beyond.
“Rob’s broad LoRaWAN experience is an excellent fit for the board, as NNNCo develops and delivers the full range of LoRaWAN products and services. This background and Rob’s knowledge of the broad IoT market and regional considerations will add tremendous value to our work.”
It’s no secret that the global market for all IoT communication technologies and their associated solutions is experiencing robust, almost explosive, growth. Within this environment, LoRaWAN has distinguished itself, being widely recognised as a leading connectivity technology due to its long-range and low-power capabilities.
To maintain and, indeed, build upon this position, the LoRa Alliance acknowledges the pressing necessity for strong, insightful global leadership. Such leadership is absolutely crucial for extending the technology’s footprint into additional high-growth sectors, fostering the development of complementary technological solutions, accelerating the pace of innovation through enhanced ecosystem collaboration, and importantly, strengthening engagement with regulatory bodies worldwide.
NNNCo’s established global presence, coupled with its market standing and technical capabilities, presents a powerful asset to the Alliance. These attributes are expected to yield substantial benefits not only for the LoRa Alliance’s diverse international membership base but also for the continued advancement and practical refinement of LoRaWAN technology itself.
NNNCo has been at the forefront of many practical LoRaWAN deployments, consistently demonstrating the standard’s efficacy and reliability in challenging real-world scenarios.
Expressing his enthusiasm for the new role, Rob Zagarella commented, “It’s an honor to join the LoRa Alliance Board of Directors at a time when the global momentum behind LoRaWAN is accelerating.”
“At NNNCo, we’ve seen the real-world impact of deploying scalable, low-power IoT networks across sectors like utilities, cities, and infrastructure. As a long-standing member of the Alliance with operations in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and across the Asia-Pacific region, we’re committed to advancing LoRaWAN as the foundation for massive IoT, driving interoperability, innovation, and market expansion.”
His appointment is being interpreted within the industry as a clear signal of the LoRa Alliance’s dedication to consolidating its leadership in the demanding LPWAN space and aggressively pursuing fresh growth opportunities. This is particularly true for the APAC region where NNNCo has a significant operational footprint and invaluable, deep market intelligence.
By bringing Zagarella onto the board, the Alliance gains not only his individual expertise and NNNCo’s influence, but also a strengthened, more direct pathway to better serve and expand within these crucial territories.
The immediate focus will undoubtedly be on further driving the adoption of LoRaWAN in smart cities projects, advanced utilities management, modern agriculture, and a wide array of industrial IoT applications, where its unique long-range and low-power characteristics offer compelling and cost-effective advantages.
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