Arqiva this week switched on the first sites in its U.K. Internet of Things (IoT) network.

As announced in May, the infrastructure provider is working in partnership with France's SigFox to roll out an ultra-narrowband network, running on unlicensed spectrum, that can carry small amounts of data over long distances at a low cost and with low power consumption.

Arqiva aims to deploy its network nationwide, starting with the U.K.'s 10 largest cities. To that end, the first sites in each of these cities have now gone live.

"Our network is truly unlocking the promise of the Internet of Things. Together with existing connectivity, such as street-level WiFi, these cities are becoming hubs for digital innovation," said Wendy McMillan, managing director of smart metering and machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions at Arqiva, on Wednesday.

"A whole host of smart city and intelligent building applications can now deliver strong benefits – from smart parking and waste level monitoring through to connected smoke alarms," she said.

One of the first live sites in Arqiva's IoT network is located in the London borough of Greenwich.

"Greenwich recognises that all the U.K.'s leading cities are engaged in a global competition and that cities with a clear vision for the digital economy will be in a stronger position," said Denise Hyland, leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. "This kind of technology will bring benefits to all our residents right across the whole of our borough and in time will really help enhance how we deliver services."

The 10 launch cities are Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Sheffield.

The launch forms part of a broader push in the U.K. to address the Internet of Things.

In March, the U.K. government announced an extra £45 million of public funding for IoT research, bringing the total to £73 million.

Meanwhile BT partnered with M2M specialist Neul to roll out an open access metro network in the city of Milton Keynes for use as a test bed for M2M and IoT services.