Sprint Curiositytm IoT Helps Smart Mobile Machines Get Smarter Using Mapbox Precision Mapping

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprint (NYSE: S) and Mapbox are launching precision mapping technology with Curiositytm IoT, allowing automated services that run on Sprint's dedicated IoT network to move around the ever-changing world with pinpoint accuracy. Smart machines, from drones to autonomous delivery carts, will be able to make fast location and routing decisions using highly detailed, accurate maps that are updated as the environment changes.

"Smart machine-based services need to be able to make immediate mobility decisions similar to the way a driver might react to construction, traffic or other obstacles on a street," said Ivo Rook, senior vice president, IoT & product development at Sprint. "The launch of Mapbox's precision mapping technology allows all intelligent machines to move at a level of precision never seen before. Our fully dedicated Curiosity IoT network and operating system ? soon to be powered by Sprint's mobile 5G connectivity makes this possible. From autonomous vehicles to advanced AI-based machines, precision mapping is a big step forward in making smart service models a reality for the immediate economy."

"As maps guide new smart machines on IoT networks, you remove the human in the middle that used to compensate for differences between the map and the real world. Precision mapping services need to reflect the world as it is, at that precise moment so that those smart machines can travel safely and efficiently," said Eric Gundersen, CEO of Mapbox. "Sprint's Curiosity IoT network with mobile 5G provides platform services that make that real with high bandwidth, edge computing for object detection and data processing and super low latency."

Sprint and Mapbox: High Accuracy, Precise Detail and Instant Decision-Making
Mapbox has pioneered the "Live Map"; a map built not from traditional data surveys months or years before, but rather from data collected from hundreds of millions of location-enabled sensors that feedback information about the world in real time. Mapbox uses AI to turn those massive data flows into a picture of real time transit paths that can be used for precise, up-to-date routing.

Through its relationship with Sprint, Mapbox will leverage the inherent advantages of Curiosity IoT with 5G to take mapping to the next level. The network's extreme bandwidth and low latency will allow Mapbox to collect higher volumes of richer data from the sensors, including high resolution video. That data can be processed to identify and detect changes in the physical environment. Those changes are then incorporated into updated maps which can be distributed at scale to a wide variety of smart machines. The result is more accurate, more up-to-date maps that reflect the world in real time. 

Curiositytm IoT with 5G: Driving the Connected Device Revolution
Sprint 5G and Curiosity are creating the new standard in IoT which features device data intelligence, over-the-air device management and chip-to-cloud security. When coupled with Sprint mobile 5G technology, Curiosity IoT's dedicated, distributed and virtualized IoT core network is capable of supporting artificial intelligence, robotics, edge computing, autonomous vehicles and other IoT systems requiring extreme low-latency and high-bandwidth.

For more information on Sprint Curiositytm IoT, Mapbox precision mapping and/or to schedule an interview or briefing with Sprint executives, contact [email protected].

About Sprint:
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 54.5 million connections as of Sept. 30, 2018 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Today, Sprint's legacy of innovation and service continues with an increased investment to dramatically improve coverage, reliability, and speed across its nationwide network and commitment to launching the first 5G mobile network in the U.S. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

About Mapbox:
Mapbox is the live location platform for over 1.2 million developers. Mapbox provides a global map, real-time traffic, location search and navigation via our APIs and SDKs. Our services power industry leaders, including Bosch, CNN, Facebook, General Electric, IBM, Instacart, Lonely Planet, Porsche, Snapchat, Tableau, Tinder, and The Weather Channel. Mapbox is the foundation for other platforms, letting enterprises analyze their data, drone companies publish flyovers, friends find each other, real estate sites visualize properties, satellite companies process cloud-free imagery, and insurance companies track assets. Founded in 2010, Mapbox offices in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Berlin, Helsinki, Minsk and Shanghai. Learn more at Mapbox.com and follow our blog. Or follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE Sprint