The uCIFI Alliance

Unified data model on IoT networks
and open source wireless sub-GHz mesh for Smart Cities and Utilities
The end of proprietary wireless communication networks for Smart Cities and Utilities

The Smart Streetlight and the Smart Metering markets both started with the first projects about 10 years ago. Even if dozens of projects were deployed since then, these markets are still growing, not yet mature and only addressed by proprietary single-source-supplier networking systems.

Cities and utilities ask for open and multi-supplier wireless networking solutions. The mission of the uCIFI Alliance is to develop a Multi-Transport, Multi-Supplier & Cost Efficient Wireless Network Reference Implementation that includes an open-source long-range mesh network, as well as supports LoRaWAN, NB-IoT and Bluetooth, so that IoT devices communicates through various networks using the same unified uCIFI data model.

01.

Open Source

Cities (public money) and Utilities can’t afford to be locked with only one vendor.

02.

Multi-Transport

uCIFI provides high-speed device-to-device (D2D) and device-to-central (D2C) communications for any type of devices on-grid and off-grid.

03.

Multi-Supplier

Like other large markets (e.g. computers, phone, video), Smart Cities and Utilities require openness and the ability for customers to chose amongst many vendors.

04.

Cost Efficient

The uCIFI reference implementation is designed to be cost efficient, so that both end-customers and solutions suppliers have another compelling reason to adopt uCIFI.

uCIFI members

End-customers and industry players together to create an open future

INDUSTRY MEMBERS

uCIFI is a non-profit alliance of industrial companies, cities and utilities with the goal to unlock the Smart City & Utility markets. The uCIFI Alliance specifies a unified data model and interface across multiple IoT Networks, including LoRaWAN, NB-IoT and an open-source sub-GHz long distance mesh network, to provide both device-to-device and device-to-cloud IoT communication to cities and utilities independently from any proprietary vendor. uCIFI offers various membership levels including Sponsor, Contributor, Adopter and Observer.

The uCIFI Alliance is created by market leaders with a unique technology expertise and a wide market reach, joined by end-customers. Altogether, the uCIFI Alliance members sell and connect millions of devices every year. uCIFI welcome other Sponsors, Contyributors, Adopters and Observers to create the most open, secured and reliable wireless network to create smarter cities and utilities.

Join the uCIFI team and contribute to design the uCIFI open source communications reference for Smart Cities and Utilities.

Become a member

END-USERS

uCIFI rely on end-users to create technologies that solve real field pains and provide compelling benefits. Cities and Utilities are welcome to participate to the Workgroups and to field tests.
Nantes Metropole
Sibelga
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uCIFI News

Members speak about uCIFI

Yannick Delibie

Yannick Delibie, CTO and co-Founder of Kerlink

“Kerlink’s existing LoRaWAN Gateway will soon be upgradable to provide the unified uCIFI data model on existing LoRaWAN networks and to support uCIFI opensource wireless sub-GHz mesh networks, providing our customers’ customers with the ability to control, command and monitor millions of both constantly powered and battery-powered devices thanks to the uCIFI mesh and LoRaWAN networking technologies, without the need to deploy extra infrastructure”

NS How

How New Seng, CEO at EDMI

“We are really excited about uCIFI. It will enable EDMI to offer a new generation of smart energy solutions, providing our customers with an alternative option for connecting their smart devices both in the utility and IoT space. With more bandwidth and an even more reliable network, we will provide more data and more services to our customers. Joining forces in the uCIFI Alliance with other IoT market leaders makes it possible to develop the only open and interoperable sub-GHz mesh network, requested by many of our customers”

Nicolas Keutgen

Nicolas Keutgen, Chief Innovation Officer at Schréder

“With uCIFI, Schréder will provide the first truly open and interoperable smart city mesh network, while existing solutions are proprietary and make cities depend on a single network or device supplier. The uCIFI Alliance is a real opportunity for Schréder to continue being the most innovative company in our field and to provide a new generation of smart city applications to our customers around the world”

Quote-Gianni

Gianni Minetti, President & CEO, Paradox Engineering

“Open standards and interoperability have always been part of Paradox Engineering’s technology vision and approach to Smart Cities and Internet of Things. We believe that a unified data model for open wireless networks will unlock Smart City and IoT projects for the good of citizens, communities and industries: uCIFI is a real opportunity to boost a future of massive adoption and onboarding of actors that can benefit from a connected world. We are glad to be part of uCIFI and contribute to this mission”

Quote-Minnea

Michiya Kagami, Chief of Engineering Headquarters MinebeaMitsumi

“MinebeaMitsumi aims at contributing to the IoT era with its outstanding technology solutions, and is proud to support the vision of uCIFI towards the possibility for Customers to build true future proof Smart Cities interconnecting services and devices improving the life of people and society”

Questions and Answers about uCIFI

Who can join the uCIFI Alliance ?

The uCIFI Alliance is open to any industrial company, consulting firm, end-customer, public authority, utility and other entity who are committed to develop open non-proprietary solutions to unlock the smart city and smart energy markets.

The uCIFI Alliance offers 4 membership levels:

  • Sponsor Level ($25k) which includes board seat (only for elected sponsor members), participation and vote in technical, certification and marketing workgroups. Sponsors have the right to implement uCIFI in their product and get free certification.
  • Contributor Level ($10k) which includes participation in technical, certification and marketing workgroups. Contributors have the right to implement uCIFI in their product and get free certification.
  • Adopter Level (free of charge – open only when version 1.0 is available) which enable access to the specification. Adopters have the right to implement uCIFI in their product but have to pay for product certification.
  • Observer Level (free of charge) which includes participation in technical, certification and marketing workgroups. Observer do not have the right to implement uCIFI in any product. Observer Level is dedicated to end-customers (e.g. cities and utilities) and any other academic or public entity who does not develop/commercialize products.

Are there synergies between uCIFI and other standards ?

The goal of uCIFI is to bring solutions to existing market pains, particularly to provide a unified data model and an open source wireless sub-GHz mesh technology to Smart City and Smart Energy applications that require long-range device-to-device communication. To do so, uCIFI shall not reinvent the wheel but will work hand in hand with other consortia and initiatives including OCF, LoRaWAN, WISUN and TALQ:

  • OCF: the uCIFI device profiles will be based on OCF profiles.
  • LoRaWAN: uCIFI shall provide a unified data model for LoRa devices to be interoperable and easy to integrate in central management software.
  • WISUN: the uCIFI opensource wireless sub-GHz mesh shall be compatible with the WISUN specifications and pushes the device interoperability to a higher level.
  • TALQ: gateways that would implement the uCIFI opensource wireless sub-GHz mesh technology would be interfaced with Central Management Software using the TALQ Version 2.0 RESTful Protocol.

How does it position with existing wireless technologies ?

Cities and Utilities need a variety of wireless networks to support their needs. LPWAN networks may be fine for battery-based devices, particularly when device-to-device is not needed and data bandwidth is limited to few kilobytes per second. The main issue with such open LPWAN networks is the lack of standardization for data format. Each device supplier uses proprietary data payload that only vendors can decode, which results into cities being dependent from vendor’s proprietary cloud systems. On such LPWAN networks, uCIFI shall provide a standardized data model/data payload that vendors can use freely to unlock these networks and drastically reduce vendor’s dependence in smart city applications.

When higher bandwidth or device-to-device communication is needed (e.g. dynamic outdoor lighting, demand/response in smart metering), long-range wireless mesh is required. uCIFI shall develop an open source wireless sub-GHz mesh technology which is the ideal complement to the LPWAN STAR low-bandwidth communications technologies. The uCIFI open source wireless sub-GHz mesh shall provide a long-range wireless communication network that allows devices-to-device communication (e.g. a presence sensor to several streetlights) with a bandwidth of 300 kbits per second or more. Newticity, the open source Linux Foundation project that implements the uCIFI technical specification, shall provide both device-to-device as well as device-to-central communication. The uCIFI open source mesh is positioned on top of and is fully compatible with WISUN. Products which shall comply with the uCIFI open source wireless sub-GHz mesh shall also be certifiable by WISUN.

Will uCIFI also provide an open source gateway to link end-device to the cloud ?

uCIFI shall specify a gateway software to interface end-devices, which shall implement the uCIFI unified data model or the uCIFI open source wireless sub-GHz mesh technology, with Central Management Software, through the TALQ Smart City version 2.0 protocol. Other application protocol may be implemented at a later stage. The open source Linux Foundation project called Newticity shall propose a reference software implementation of such an interface.

When will the first software stack be released ?

The uCIFI technical workgroup has started to specify the unified data model as well as the first version of the open source wireless sub-GHz mesh technology. The implementation of these specifications is developed by the open source Linux Foundation project called Newticity. The team working on this open source project has started and plans to release a first version of a software stack reference implementation in Q4 2018.

Pilot sites will start with few selected cities and uCIFI member companies in Q3 2018 to release a version in Q4 2018 that shall have been tested in the field.

Where is uCIFI officially based ?

uCIFI is an international Industry Alliance founded by global players. Members from any country are welcome. The uCIFI Alliance is founded in the USA to ease the management of the Alliance which is subcontracted to the VTM Group, an independent agency specialized in managing Consortia and Industrial Alliances.

Who will do the certification of the products ?

Once the uCIFI technical specifications are documented and the software implementation developed under the Linux Foundation project called Newticity, uCIFI will focus on developing a “Test and Certification Process and Tool” that will enable companies to test that their product conforms to the uCIFI Technical Specifications and help them get certified. The certification process shall be discussed and agreed by the uCIFI Alliance Members. It is not yet decided whether certification will be performed by external authorized agencies or whether it will be a self-certification process.

Will uCIFI work globally ?

The uCIFI unified data model shall apply to any LPWAN network, regardless of wireless frequencies. The uCIFI open source wireless sub-GHz mesh technology shall utilize free, unlicensed spectrum, allowing it to operate globally within sub-GHz bands. Each product will need to go through proper compliance testing, but chip vendors already have products ready for the global market.

Does uCIFI meet city's security requirements ?

The uCIFI open source wireless sub-GHz mesh network includes a reference implementation for device authentication, secure provisioning, data encryption, and key management. Unlike many proprietary solutions that use pre-shared keys, uCIFI is built on PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) using secure cryptographic algorithms specified in the NSA Suite B standard. The same secure manufacturing images and provisioning system can run across communications protocols, giving a customer true visibility and confidence into the security of its solution.

Become a uCIFI member

Want to implement an open-source multi-transport wireless communication stack in your IoT end-device, then become a member of uCIFI and propose open interoperable solutions to Cities and Utilities.