IOT network company Sigfox hopes more consumer IOT companies will use its network now that it has published its radio specifications.

The company made the specifications public this week, enabling developers to create Sigfox-compatible applications without having to ask permission and sign non-disclosure agreements. The specifications don’t include Sigfox base stations and infrastructure.

The specifications are aimed at engineers doing radio design and developing embedded software. Sigfox also wants academics and researchers to assess and contribute to the capabilities and security features of the Sigfox protocol.

They can use the specifications to optimise applications running on the Sigfox Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWA) network – for example, by improving the memory footprint or power consumption.

Sigfox is positioning the move as a significant milestone, with the company optimistically predicting a “boom in the number of objects connected to its network”.

While Sigfox has plenty of B2B applications, from container tracking to environmental monitoring, the company’s co-founder Christophe Fourtet is also looking to the consumer IOT market.

Fourtet said “it’s not only about B2B but especially, with the opening of the specs, we think we will have a lot of B2C applications…”. 

The company boasts coverage in 60 countries, including Australian coverage though Thinxtra. Local customers includes Rail Maintenance Services, councils and WaterGroup.