With technology that is just a few months on the market, it is possible to build an internet network for things without 3G or WiFi. It reaches way further than WiFi, around 10-15 kilometers, and it does not need a mobile subscription like 3G. Next to that, the energy consumption is very low which makes devices last three years on a single charge. This technology is called LoRaWAN™, an acronym for Long Range Wide-area network.
“If we leave this task up to big telcos, a subscription model will be enforced and we will be excluded from 99% of the cool use cases. Instead, let's make it a publicly owned and free network so businesses and use cases will flourish on top of it."
“This new technology LoraWAN is very powerful. It can provide the city of Amsterdam with coverage using only 10 gateways because of LoraWAN's long range. And devices can last for years because of the low battery usage."
- Wienke Giezeman, initiator of The Things Network.
One of the Amsterdam gateways is at the Waag, since last Friday.
What exactly is LoRa(WAN)? This Instructable explains.