Skylo Technologies has certified Sony’s Altair ALT1250 chipset for its satellite network. The certification enables seamless support for both cellular and native satellite connectivity in devices without manual switching. Sony’s Altair ALT1250 chipset, meeting Skylo’s high standards, opens up opportunities for remote tracking, IoT devices, wearables, and global communication solutions. The integration of this chipset with Skylo’s network accelerates the deployment of satellite-connected IoT solutions across industries such as fleet management, logistics, and agriculture.

Skylo Technologies, the pioneer in satellite network connectivity, today announces the certification of Sony Semiconductor Israel’s (Sony) ALT1250 chipset as part of the Skylo Certification Program.

All devices incorporating the chipset will seamlessly support both cellular and native satellite connectivity without requiring the user to manually switch between the two. Connectivity plans and devices are available through a Skylo mobile service provider partner.

Sony’s Altair ALT1250 has passed rigorous testing and evaluation, proving its capability to meet Skylo’s high standards for connectivity, power efficiency, and reliability. Now, devices equipped with the ALT1250 chipset can operate on Skylo’s satellite network, providing endless opportunities for remote tracking and sensing, IoT devices, wearables, and global communication solutions.

“We are excited to have Sony’s Altair ALT1250 achieve certification under Skylo’s program. This certification milestone will simplify module and end-device onboarding to Skylo’s enabled NTN,” said Dima Feldman, VP Product Management and Marketing at Sony Semiconductor Israel. “Our OneSKU technology now includes satellite communication and opens up a myriad of possibilities for innovation providing connectivity in multiple countries around the globe, both in urban and remote areas.”

Skylo’s Certification Program empowers manufacturers and developers by endorsing chipsets and devices that are fully compatible with its satellite-based communication platform. By doing so, Skylo is fostering a vast ecosystem of connected devices that can operate anywhere in the world. The integration of Sony’s Altair ALT1250 chipset with Skylo’s network will accelerate the deployment of satellite-connected IoT solutions globally, enabling data-driven decision-making across a host of industries including fleet management, logistics, agriculture, and beyond.

“This achievement under the Skylo Certification Program is no small feat. Sony’s Altair had to pass rigorous testing to ensure reliability, efficiency, and seamless integration for efficient operations over Skylo’s satellite network,” said Prasanna Iyengar, Sr. Director of Product Management for Skylo.

“It marks a significant milestone in IoT and wearables connectivity, enabling manufacturers to effortlessly incorporate NTN connectivity into their devices without the need for additional hardware modifications. This ensures that NTN is not just a feature but the foundation of ubiquitous connectivity.”

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Fibocom Wireless Inc., a global leading provider of IoT (Internet of Things) wireless solutions and wireless communication modules,
announces the cooperation with Sony Semiconductor Israel (Sony), a leading provider of Cellular IoT chipsets, in launching the 5G LPWA module MS18 series which will be announced officially at Embedded World 2023.

Powered by Sony’s Altair, best in class ALT1350 chipset, the Fibocom MS18 module series is designed to provide ultra-low power consumption and reliable wireless connectivity for the 5G massive IoT market.

With optimized power consumption, Fibocom MS18 series is a SOC integrated LPWA module with an AI engine for edge processing, supports the latest 3GPP Release 14 through 17 of LTE-M/NB-IoT, unlicensed spectrum communications protocols, Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) satellite communications, Wi-Fi SSID-based location, and Short-range radio. MS18 series will also adopt a compact footprint of less than 200 sq millimeters to be best utilized in the 5G Massive Machine Type Communication (MTC) applications such as smart metering, asset tracking and connected health. It is worth mentioning that the MS18 series adopts LGA form factor, with ultra-compact size and optimized low power consumption, offering unprecedented battery life up to 15-20 years.

Jason Zhu, General Manager of MTC BU, Fibocom: “By collaborating with Sony and combining Fibocom’s 23+ years of know-how in the cellular module industry, we are excited to bring to the market an ultimate LPWA module with excellent performance yet best in class power consumption, compact size, broad communications protocol with vast integrated features such as Open CPU, iSIM, hardware based application security, and FOTA.”

“MS18 series provides a rapid and flexible integration experience for our customers launch their devices in LPWA applications, such as smart metering, tracking, telematics, telehealth, smart city, consumer electronics. Fibocom is very honored to be a partner of Sony, to bring our new MS18 series, powered by ALT1350 to the 5G IoT Ecosystem.”

Engineering sample of MS18 series will be available in Q3 2023. Welcome to visit Fibocom Booth 3-222 at Embedded World 2023, Nuremberg Germany, to learn more about Fibocom module portfolio and solutions.

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• The most secured 5G LPWA modules with best-in-class power consumption, helping device OEMs in smart metering, asset tracking, telematics, and more to deploy and safely maintain their IoT solutions securely connected in the field for years
• Future-proof design includes support for 3GPP Rel. 15/16/17 and next-gen LTE-M/ NB-IoT, as well as eSIM/ iSIM and non-terrestrial networks (NTN)

Telit Cinterion, a global enabler of the intelligent edge, today announced new ultra-compact 5G low-power wireless access (LPWA) modules for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor IoT applications that require long battery life and long service life.

The modules feature the ALT1350 chipset from Sony Semiconductor Israel (Sony), the world’s first chipset that supports both unlicensed spectrum and satellite connectivity in a single chipset, enabling faster development, lower power, smaller size and new use cases.

The new modules have several next-generation features that make them ideal for device OEMs, systems integrators and enterprises such as utilities that need to dramatically extend the service life of their IoT devices beyond what traditional designs enable:

• Compliance with 3GPP release 15/16/17 features such as IoT data communication over non-terrestrial networks (NTN). This provides users with future-proof flexibility to switch between cellular and satellite technologies to meet criteria such as coverage, performance, fallback, tariffs and more.
• Support for embedded SIM (eSIM) and integrated SIM (iSIM) technologies. This provides additional future proofing over the full project lifecycle and faster deployments, as well as enterprise-grade security based on integrated Secure Element (iSE), with compliance to CC EAL 5+.
• Best-in-class power consumption. This extends the service life of battery powered IoT devices to a decade or longer, which eliminates the expense of periodically replacing batteries.
• Support for multiple location technologies, including Wi-Fi scan and GNSS. This maximizes flexibility when choosing technologies for indoor and outdoor positioning applications such as tracking high-value medical equipment around a hospital campus.
• Support for the most secure and flexible connectivity solutions. This enables rapid, easy integration with wireless networks and seamless operation across multiple technologies.

The new modules leverage the advanced capabilities in Sony’s ALT1350 chipset, designed to meet the unique and demanding requirements of the 5G LPWA massive IoT market. The ALT1350 SoC features ultra-low power consumption in a variety of modes, including 3GPP PSM and eDRX, which significantly increases the longevity of battery-operated devices.

The ALT1350 also has an AI engine for edge processing, as well as indoor and outdoor positioning technologies bundled with a sensor hub that collects data from the sensors while maintaining its ultra-low power and high security. The SoC integrates multi-layered security architecture, including hardware and software-based secure elements to ensure end-to-end security.

The new modules have pin-to-pin compatibility with Telit Cinterion’s widely deployed module families, enabling integrators to design a single PCB layout and deploy any combination of cellular technologies, with a “design once, use anywhere” strategy.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Telit Cinterion to serve the growing IoT market connecting utilities, logistic solutions, mobility solutions, health products and more to the cloud,” said Dima Feldman, VP Product Management and Marketing at Sony Semiconductor Israel. “ALT1350 based modules will expand the device battery life to 20 years, allow hybrid connectivity and location options, and ultra-low power processing on the module to make the Telit Cinterion modules the real core of many IoT devices.”

“The new modules are the latest example of Telit Cinterion’s commitment to providing future-proof solutions and value-added services that device OEMs, systems integrators and customers rely on for their IoT deployments. We accelerate time-to-market, help to scale deployments through the full life cycle, and provide reliable, secure connectivity,” said Manish Watwani, Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Telit Cinterion.

“Sony’s new ALT1350 chipset is the ideal foundation for these modules because it deftly balances 5G LPWA and NTN with ultra-long battery life to maximize connectivity options and service life.”

To learn about the new LPWA modules, visit Telit Cinterion at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2023 in Hall 5, Stand 5A32.

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Truphone announces that in collaboration with Sony Semiconductor Israel Ltd. (Sony), a leading Cellular IoT chipset provider, and Kigen, a global security leader, Truphone has successfully enabled its IoT platform and global connectivity to run on the integrated SIM of Sony’s Altair cellular IoT chipsets, powered by Kigen iSIM OS.

This milestone will see Truphone significantly expand the reach of its industry-leading IoT connectivity solutions, providing global out-of-the-box connectivity to Sony’s Altair cellular IoT chipsets that will enable massive IoT deployment.

Truphone’s leading industry IoT platform and global connectivity are now integrated with Sony’s Altair cellular IoT chipsets. The chipsets currently connect millions of devices, including wearables, vehicle telematics, logistic trackers, home appliances, consumer electronics, and smart utility meters using the integrated SIM technology hardware. This connectivity is securely integrated in Sony’s Altair chipsets and the low-footprint of Kigen’s highly portable iSIM OS software.

This new solution creates a new paradigm for connecting IoT devices at scale with a completely pre-integrated, secure connectivity solution. It paves the way for new ideas and solutions that were never possible before, due to the cost and complexity of distributing SIMs and negotiating with different network operators around the world.

The collaboration represents another significant milestone in Truphone’s growth in connecting millions of people and devices globally.

Truphone has been recognised as a leading provider of end-to-end cellular IoT solutions with a platform that works at the highest levels of digitisation. The first chipsets to obtain Truphone’s connectivity solution are Sony’s Altair CAT-M/NB ALT1250 and NB-only ALT1255 cellular IoT chipsets, which are the smallest and most feature-rich solution in the industry.

Truphone’s unique multi-IMSI SIM provides Sony Altair’s cellular IoT chipsets with access to Truphone’s growing global footprint for low power wireless access.

Ralph Steffens, CEO at Truphone said:

“This collaboration demonstrates Truphone’s strength and leadership in enabling connectivity for IoT. This merging of technologies will create powerful, scalable IoT deployments. We’re thrilled to be joining Sony and Kigen in bringing seamless connectivity to a breadth of industries—from vehicles to wearables and everything in-between.”

Aviv Castro, VP Business Development at Sony Semiconductor Israel, said:
“Sony is playing a crucial role in the evolution of connected devices, and collaborating with Truphone via our integrated SIM enables global connectivity without roaming, which is absolutely vital for large-scale IoT applications. In addition, Truphone provides unique, affordable business models for connectivity, which further encourages the adoption of IoT”.

Vincent Korstanje, CEO at Kigen said:
“Enabling a new model of partnerships for simpler and wider adoption of secure, cellular IoT has been a driver for Kigen that led the vision for the iSIM. This collaboration with Truphone and Sony will simplify and accelerate the journey for OEMs and enterprises for new battery-efficient devices with straightforward, global out-of-the-box connectivity.”

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Proof of Concept addresses needs of advanced IoT devices and smaller form factors.

Soracom, Inc., a global provider of advanced IoT connectivity, today announced completion of a Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrating integrated SIM (iSIM) capability designed to support the next generation of IoT devices.

This demonstration represents a joint effort between Soracom, Sony Semiconductor Israel Ltd. (Sony), a leading cellular IoT chipset provider, and Kigen, a global security leader, which provides secure authentication for cellular IoT devices.

In conventional cellular applications, a device uses a hardware communications module to establish a network connection and a SIM card or eSIM to validate identity. The iSIM technology combines these functions within a single, purpose-built system-on-a-chip (SoC).

By eliminating the need for a physical SIM (or eSIM), iSIM technology addresses multiple key challenges at once, streamlining supply chains and allowing significant reductions in the circuit board footprint, circuit complexity, manufacturing cost, and power requirements while increasing processing capacity. In addition, iSIM is considered highly threat-resistant and is attracting attention as a next-generation SIM technology.

“We are honored to collaborate with industry-leading technology partners on this demonstration of iSIM capability,” said Kenta Yasukawa, co-founder and CTO, Soracom.

“We believe that iSIM technology will support a new wave of innovation in industry and in everyday life, and we look forward to democratizing this capability as we have with eSIM technology and ‘subscription containers’ for over the air (OTA) subscription management.”

In this working PoC, a hardware-secured area was established within Sony’s Altair ALT1250 cellular IoT chipset and a unique Soracom carrier profile was then provisioned on the Kigen iSIM OS. This solution delivers full functionality, including the generation of Soracom’s unique key information, secure loading of the carrier profile information onto the module, connection to the cellular network, and connection to Soracom’s advanced platform services.

“Sony is a pioneer in developing the iSIM and we have seen this technology play a key role in the ongoing growth and adoption of cellular IoT,” said Dima Feldman, VP Product Management and Marketing at Sony Semiconductor Israel. “Our chipsets are the industry’s smallest and most feature-rich solutions, providing the longest battery life in the market for numerous IoT applications. We are excited to see Soracom’s use of iSIM technology on its network, as it enables customers worldwide to provide easily integrated, economical, long-lasting, and secure IoT solutions on a massive scale.”

Based on this initial success, Soracom, Sony and Kigen will continue joint development with the intention of offering iSIM solutions for commercial use.

“We believe innovation for the next shift to billions of IoT devices will need foundational security that is easy to build with and manage at scale, which iSIM technology provides,” said Loic Bonvarlet, VP Product and Marketing at Kigen.

“The combination of Kigen’s market-leading secure iSIM OS, provisioning services and market expertise, SONY’s iSIM chipsets and Soracom’s global connectivity will pave the way for power-efficient, compact and secure-by-design IoT solutions.”

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New chipset completes Sony’s Altair Cellular IoT solution portfolio to address NB only and NB/2G applications.

Sony Semiconductor Israel (Sony), a leading provider of cellular IoT chipsets, announced the launch of the Altair ALT1255, a new low-power NB2 chipset.

The ALT1255 is 5G ready, designed with an integrated SIM (iSIM), user MCU, rich application layer, and GSM/GPRS fallback modem.

The ALT1255 chipset empowers device manufacturers to develop low-power, cost-sensitive connected devices at a global scale to monitor, manage, and control critical infrastructure, medical devices, logistic trackers, and a large variety of LPWA applications.

The ALT1255 platform is now commercially available and has been selected by key module players.

The ALT1255 was developed in-house by Sony Semiconductor Israel, based on the LTE-M/NB ALT1250 chipset, and leverages its mature, broadly accepted, and globally certified NB/2G technology. The chipsets share software architecture, modem application and networking layer, and APIs for fast and easy integration within the Altair product family.

Dima Feldman, VP of Product Management and Marketing at Sony Semiconductor Israel, said:

“The market shows a growing need for a feature-rich, fully integrated NB-IoT cellular chipset with 2G fallback.”

“Module designs based on the ALT1255 will provide reliable connectivity for smart meters, logistics, telematics, and smart cities applications.”

The ALT1255 built-in iSIM removes barriers related to cost, size, and power, as well as adds an additional layer of security. The GSM/GPRS modem fills the gaps in LPWA network coverage and allows future-proof technology deployment in countries with mixed 2G/NB coverage. In addition, ALT1255 integrates a low-power ARM Cortex-M4 MCU, fully separated from the modem functionality and designed to run a variety of IoT and sensing applications, as well as an adaptation layer to interconnect within the existing ecosystem.

The solution provides out-of-the-box secure cloud connectivity, utilizing numerous industry-accepted communication protocols such as power-efficient COAP and LWM2M.

As part of Sony’s Altair family of products, the ALT1255 is trusted by carriers, iSIM ecosystem partners, and developers designing IoT devices and has already received broad acceptance across the industry. The chipset has received the Global Certification Forum (GCF) certification, which allows customers to accelerate module and device certification.

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The partnership brings 5G-ready NB-IoT over satellite for the first time and delivers massive cost and interoperability advantages for the IoT industry.

Skylo, maker of the world’s most affordable and ubiquitous network that connects any machine or sensor, today announced a partnership with Sony Semiconductor Israel (Sony, formerly known as Altair Semiconductor).

With the partnership, Skylo and Sony are the first to develop and deploy cellular IoT chipsets (branded “Altair”) that can connect via geostationary satellites and that leverage the standardized, 5G-ready, NB-IoT protocol.

The partnership also makes significant contributions to 3GPP future specifications, which will help standardize and accelerate the adoption of NB-IoT over satellite.

In addition, this innovative new use of Sony’s Altair cellular IoT chipsets dramatically reduces the cost for IoT applications to connect via traditional satellite networks; until the launch of this solution, satellite connectivity was cost-prohibitive and required custom-built protocols.

Skylo, which was founded in late 2017 by foremost researchers including Dr. Andrew Kalman, is building an efficient, global NB-IoT network over satellite for millions of presently unconnected devices, machines, and sensors. Sony Semiconductor Israel is a leading provider of cellular IoT chipsets and, through this partnership, both parties have extended existing cellular IoT chipsets to communicate directly over Skylo’s hosted satellite network.

Dr. Andrew Nuttall, Skylo’s co-founder and CTO, said:

“For industries with assets deployed all over the globe — including marine vessels, vehicles, and industrial equipment — having access to a ubiquitous fabric of carrier-grade, affordable IoT connectivity that is enabled by Sony’s Altair cellular IoT chipsets is a game-changer.”

“This partnership ensures our ability to continue to quickly scale the manufacturing and deployment of connector Skylo Hubs to our customers around the world.”

“We are glad to collaborate with Sony Semiconductor Israel on this important technological breakthrough, which provides an entirely new method of connectivity for IoT for customers around the world and also contributes greatly to the development of future 3GPP standards,” said Moshe Noah, Vice President of Engineering at Skylo.

“We are excited to work with Skylo and launch an entirely new IoT category for industrial machines,” said Dima Feldman, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing at Sony Semiconductor Israel.

“We’re impressed by the innovative way that Skylo has extended our chip functionality over satellites to expand the connectivity reach to the most remote locations and we look forward to helping Skylo bring billions of sensors online for the first time.”

“In addition, the Altair field proven, ultra-low-power and ultra-small chipset solutions are ideal for the type of data exchange for industrial use cases,” added Feldman.

This new geostationary satellite connectivity is a technological breakthrough for Skylo. Any customer who is building IoT into their remote businesses can use familiar technologies like Bluetooth and WiFi in order to connect existing sensors to Skylo Hub. Those IoT sensors are already programmed for these communications protocols, so adding Skylo’s satellite connectivity is a seamless extension for customers that in addition to terrestrial networks can now use satellite connectivity, virtually in any place on the planet. In addition, because Sony’s Altair cellular IoT chipsets are mass-produced for terrestrial cellular networks, Skylo can affordably manufacture the Skylo Hub and pass along that savings to its customers.

Skylo is launching commercially this year over South Asia and can be accessed using the Skylo Hub, which is a portable satellite NB-IoT antenna terminal. The Skylo Hub costs less than $100 USD and integrates seamlessly with existing machines & sensors. The Skylo Network is hosted on existing geostationary satellites and enables immediate connectivity for customers without the need to add new infrastructure in space. Skylo is venture-backed by leading investors in telecom and space including SoftBank Group, Boeing HorizonX, Innovation Endeavors and DCM Ventures.

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Deutsche Telekom’s Certification Completes Chipset’s Global Certification.

Altair Semiconductor, a leading provider of cellular IoT chipsets, received its fifth operator certification of 2019 for its dual-mode cellular IoT Chipset, ALT1250, from Deutsche Telekom AG, one of the world’s leading mobile operators.

The ALT1250 is now globally certified, with 15 carrier certifications dating back to 2018.

Deutsche Telekom is currently developing a portfolio of certified chipset modules, allowing end-users to add their devices to the network. Their certified LTE-M chipset, ALT1250, will allow for interoperability, faster time-to-market, wide deployment options, and reduced operating costs.

Altair’s dual-mode cellular IoT chipsets are the most advanced in the industry, providing the market’s lowest power consumption, thus enabling the longest battery life for cellular IoT devices. Commercially available, they feature a hardware-based security framework and a rich set of features, including integrated SIM (iUICC), MCU, and GNSS, ideal for industrial and consumer IoT applications.

As a globally certified chipset, IoT product manufacturers can use the ALT1250 to design and manufacture connected devices for global markets without having to create alternate product versions for different markets or global regions.

“Deutsche Telekom’s certification process is one of the most rigorous in the industry, and we are proud to have the ALT1250 validated by them,” said Dima Feldman, VP of Product Management and Marketing at Altair Semiconductor.

“As a globally certified chipset with over 15 carrier certifications, IoT developers and manufacturers can now use the ALT1250 chipset in connected devices in all markets.”

The 15 CAT-M and NB-IoT carrier certifications of the ALT1250 chipset or ALT1250 based products include AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, Softbank, KDDI, Docomo, Deutsche Telecom, Vodafone, Telstra. In addition, ALT1250-based products are approved by most operator’s networks accepting GCF or PTCRB certifications.

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Multiyear Battery Life, Connectivity, and Compact Size Helps Automotive Dealers and Financiers Overcome Barriers in High-Risk Car Financing.

Altair Semiconductor is providing the cellular IoT technology that powers the new PassTime Encore automotive tracking device.

The device uses Altair’s cellular IoT chipset, the ALT1250.

The Altair chipset’s ultra-low power consumption enables the Encore unit to maintain functionality for several years with only a small internal battery. The small battery gives Encore its groundbreaking and industry-leading small size, allowing dealers to place the device almost anywhere inside a car unobtrusively. The multiyear battery life allows dealerships and automotive lenders to track a vehicle throughout the life of the loan.

The wire-free, self-powered unit doesn’t require the services of a professional installation technician and can be placed in the vehicle in just minutes. This significantly reduces the logistical challenges and overall costs in vehicle tracking.

“Encore is a revolutionary product for auto dealers, auto finance companies, and car fleets,” said Todd Goodnight, EVP of Product Management at PassTime. “It was enabled by Altair, the only vendor capable of delivering a cellular IoT chipset with the multiyear battery life in the chassis size our solution required.”

“The Encore is a really innovative application of our chipset,” said Dima Feldman, Head of Product Marketing at Altair Semiconductors.

“It utilizes the ultra-low-power consumption and compact size of the ALT1250 to facilitate vehicle tracking, and opens new opportunities in the vehicle telematics market.”

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Renesas Microcontroller Technology and Altair Cellular IoT Technology Bring Best-in-Class Solutions to the Cellular IoT Market.

Renesas Electronics Corporation and Altair Semiconductor, jointly announced a partnership aimed at bringing ultra-small and ultra-low-power cellular IoT solutions to the global IoT market.

Cellular IoT device makers will be able to use this combination of best-in-class solutions to create highly differentiated IoT products and services that offer much greater efficiencies and faster time to market. These integrated solutions will be delivered through Renesas’ sales channels, enabling cellular connectivity to all of its markets.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Altair to deliver the industry’s best cellular IoT solutions to the booming IoT market,” said Sailesh Chittipeddi, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Renesas’ IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit.

“Our combined technical excellence and differentiated IP will allow us to design the smallest and lowest power multi-protocol cellular chip-to-cloud solution for Industrial IoT applications desired by our customers for their next-generation products.”

With billions of devices expected to be deployed by 2024, the IoT market demands products that operate seamlessly out of the box. Sensors, cameras, metering, tracking, and smart devices all rely on ultra-low power consumption, offering the potential for a sensor to operate in the field for 10 to 20 years without requiring any hardware maintenance.

“This collaboration makes Altair’s technology accessible to the full breadth of Renesas customers and partners ecosystem,” said Oded Melamed, CEO of Altair Semiconductor. “The Integration of Altair’s differentiated cellular IoT technology with Renesas’ industry-leading MCUs will make this great technology immediately accessible to the mass market of IoT devices and service providers.”

As a first step of this collaboration, Renesas and Altair plan to develop cellular IoT solutions with CAT-M and NB-IoT dual mode chipsets and technologies. They will also design a variety of development tools and software to further streamline the adoption of cellular IoT solutions for industrial and consumer applications. This partnership aims to achieve technical leadership in size reduction, power consumption, and IoT security.

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Altair Semiconductor integrates Polte’s Cloud Location over Cellular (C-LoC) technology with Altair’s ALT1250 dual-mode CAT-M & NB-IoT chipset.

Polte Corp., a leading innovator in accurate Cloud Location over Cellular technology, and Altair Semiconductor, a leading provider of cellular IoT chipsets, today announced a collaboration to integrate Polte’s cellular-based location technology with Altair’s ALT1250 cellular IoT chipset.

The ALT1250 is Altair’s dual-mode CAT-M& NB-IoT solution. It is the market’s smallest and most highly integrated commercially available cellular IoT chipset, featuring ultra-low power consumption, GNSS location positioning, a hardware-based security framework, and an RF front-end supporting all commercial LTE bands. Enabling miniature module sizes of less than 100 square millimeters, the ALT1250 is ideally suited for a range of industrial and commercial IoT applications.

Polte’s patented Location-as-a-Service (LaaS) solution leverages ubiquitous 4G & 5G cellular networks and cloud computing to enable highly accurate location data indoors and outdoors. Business processes, customer self-service automation, and better decision making insights enable consumer, commercial, and industrial businesses to capitalize on location, which is essential to how we all work, live, and play.

Oded Melamed, CEO of Altair Semiconductor, said:

“With the explosive demand for smaller and low powered IoT devices, Polte’s C-LoC technology is a great complement to the integrated GPS and GNSS capabilities of our dual-mode ALT1250 chipset.”

“Location is a key function in numerous IoT applications, such as smart meters, telematics, and trackers, where low power and small form factor are crucial. We look forward to the opportunity of working with Polte to offer our customers the best solutions to meet their needs.”

“Polte is poised to disrupt the location services market. As more and more IoT use cases demand indoor, outdoor, and everywhere in-between location, Polte’s software-only solution embedded on Altair’s dual-mode ALT1250 chipset delivers location services – at a lower cost, using less battery, more securely,” said Polte CEO Ed Chao. “We are excited about the opportunity to bring the power of Polte’s location services platform to Altair’s leading Cellular IoT chipset.”

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Japan’s largest Mobile Service Provider approves Altair’s Cellular IoT chipset for use on its network.

Altair Semiconductor has announced ALT1250’s validation for NB-IoT and CAT-M at NTT DOCOMO, INC. Following this announcement, the chipset is now active on the NTT DOCOMO network.

Altair’s validation enables ALT1250-based products to operate on NTT DOCOMO’s network. It addresses the demand for low power cellular-connected smart meters, vehicle telematics devices, smart trackers, connected wearables, home appliances, and more.

Altair’s cellular IoT chipsets are the industry’s most advanced, providing the market’s lowest power consumption, thus enabling the longest battery life for cellular IoT devices. Commercially available, they feature a hardware-based security framework and a rich set of features, including MCU and GNSS, ideal for industrial and consumer IoT applications.

Takeshi Higuchi, Vice President & General Manager of Communication Device Development Department at NTT DOCOMO, said:

“Completing the interoperability testing of Altair’s ALT1250 chipset on our cellular IoT network will help enable the integration of affordable and battery-operated IoT devices.”

“ALT1250 will open up the market for even more IoT devices to run on our network.”

“We’re looking forward to enabling the expansion of cellular IoT through our partnership with Japan’s largest telecommunications company. As Japan is one of the world’s most advanced cellular markets, NTT DOCOMO’s interoperability test completion is a large step towards supporting the country’s growing cellular IoT developments”, said Ilan Reingold, VP of Business Development and Marketing at Altair Semiconductor.

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Altair’s Cellular IoT chipset, ALT1250, provides LTE Connectivity for a host of inter-connected farming solutions in Brazil, where agricultural workers are embracing the IoT revolution, connecting millions of acres to a global cellular network.

Altair Semiconductor has announced that its ALT1250 dual mode CAT-M/NB-IoT chipset can now operate on the 450 MHz spectrum.

In an industry first, the ALT1250 chipset is powering the Asiatelco LM66 IoT module, which provides LTE connectivity for a range of connected devices, and has been developed to provide agricultural solutions for large-scale farming in Brazil.

Operating on the 450 MHz LTE spectrum and utilizing Ericsson’s LTE eNBs, Altair’s cellular IoT chipset enables agricultural companies using smart sensors and connected tractors applications to optimize farming practices. The solution uses location tracking, driver behavior monitoring, and fuel consumption optimization.

“Altair is looking to revolutionize cellular IoT connectivity across Brazil. The solution was field tested and demonstrated the potential of 450 MHz’s frequency reach in agriculture use cases. It will certainly enable an exciting range of transformative applications in rural areas”, said Paulo Bernardocki, Head of Solutions Radio, Ericsson LATAM South.

Altair’s dual-mode cellular IoT chipset, ALT1250, is the only available CAT-M and NB-IoT solution trialed to run on 450 MHz. ALT1250 is the most highly integrated dual-mode CAT-M/NB-IoT chipset, with the most extended battery life in the market. The chipset supports Global LTE bands within a single hardware design and supports both satellite and cellular positioning tracking. The Altair-powered LM66 modules are capable of connecting and delivering data over the LTE450 network as well.

“There’s a global trend resulting in a significant amount of 450 MHz spectrum being re-allocated for new use cases on LTE450 networks, as legacy 2G and 3G networks are being retired,” said Igor Tovberg, Altair’s Director of Product Marketing.

“450 MHz is ideal for agricultural IoT applications, providing superior network coverage essential for the wide and often remote farming locations that exist in Brazil.”

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Initial Implementation to Utilize Altair’s Cellular IoT Chipset Platform to Facilitate New Range of On-Board Telematics Devices Without Connection to Car’s Power Supply.

Altair Semiconductor today announced it is partnering with ERM Advanced Telematics, a global provider of automotive technology and IoT solutions, to develop a new range of low-powered and installation-free automotive IoT solutions.

ERM’s new set of IoT and asset management solutions leverages Altair’s optimized cellular IoT chipsets to provide installation-free solutions for IoT, asset management, stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) and vehicle financial services. These will include event-based platforms for automatic vehicle location and asset management applications using various sensors. The ultra-low power consumption of Altair’s chipsets allows the device to be connected without having to be powered by the vehicle’s battery, significantly reducing installation costs.

Kfir Lavi, Senior VP and Deputy CEO at ERM Advanced Telematics, said:

“As installation costs continue to rise in comparison to hardware prices, Altair’s unparalleled low power figures and extended battery life means we can provide on-board solutions with minimal installation requirements that are able to remain in the field for up to two years.”

“This will usher in a new dawn for IoT and asset management, opening up a whole new market of applications for a wide range of automotive IoT scenarios.”

Altair’s cellular IoT chipsets are the industry’s most advanced, providing the market’s lowest power consumption and enabling the longest battery life for IoT. Commercially available, they feature a hardware-based security framework and a rich set of host, peripheral and sensor interfaces, ideal for integration in a range of industrial and consumer IoT applications.

“Low power consumption is essential for the efficient and long-term growth of the automotive IoT space,” said Gili Friedman, Director of Business Management for Altair Semiconductor. “We are delighted that ERM Telematics has selected Altair’s cellular IoT technology to provide the low cost and power-efficient connectivity necessary to enable new markets and use cases.”

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Alliance Leverages Altair’s Cellular IoT Technology and JIG-SAW’s Expertise in Automation Solutions.

Altair Semiconductor announced today it has partnered with JIG-SAW Inc., a leading provider of A&A (Auto sensor-ing and Auto Direction) solutions for IoT, to develop LTE-enabled sensors for a wide variety of global industrial IoT applications.

The partnership combines Altair’s dual-mode Cat-M/NB-IoT ALT1250 chipset with JIG-SAW’s software control technology to enable developers to create new IoT business models that can drive new efficiencies across their organizations. Potential market applications include IoT sensors for warehouse site management, equipment monitoring, logistics, and more.

“We are pleased to partner with Altair Semiconductor to bring end-to-end, power and cost-optimized LTE-connected solutions to IoT users around the world,” said Hiroto Ozaki, Chief Operating Officer of JIG-SAW. “The IoT market is expanding rapidly, and enabling control not only via the cloud, but also within the modem chip layer, offers significant value for IoT users by providing high monitoring quality and stabilized, consistent services.”

The collaboration will enable users with connected IoT devices to control and monitor individual devices and their statuses at all times via a modem chip connection. Additionally, auto-control services will enable users to address alerts in a timely manner.

“Because Wi-Fi is not always feasible or efficient for many industrial IoT applications, cellular is a strategic alternative for reliable, secure and low-cost connectivity to the cloud,” said Ilan Reingold, VP of Business Development and Marketing for Altair Semiconductor.

“We are excited to collaborate with JIG-SAW to bring the most secure and effective LTE-enabled solutions to the global industrial sensors market.”

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Next-Generation Integrated SIM Will Meet the Needs of an Expanding Global Internet of Things Market.

An advanced SIM promises to help usher a new chapter for the Internet of Things by making it easier for businesses to deploy IoT devices.

AT&T is working with Giesecke+Devrient Mobile Security (G+D), which is collaborating with Altair Semiconductor, to integrate a SIM into the modem chipset for deployment across licensed Low-Power Wide-Area cellular networks.

Right now, manufacturers buy Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM) cards for IoT devices. The SIMs securely identify and authenticate the subscriber for the mobile network — just like for smartphones.

With the integrated SIM, this model changes. The integrated SIM securely embeds SIM functionality into the chipset, processor and other module components. This all-in-one approach will enable modules to power smaller, less costly and more energy-efficient IoT devices. All with the same carrier-grade security of a physical SIM.

Traditional SIMs will still be in use for years to come. But we expect the integrated SIM will make it easier for large-scale global deployments of low-cost asset trackers, smart sensors and more over LPWA networks designed for the IoT.

The solution integrates G+D’s industry-leading SIM solution with Altair’s ALT1250 chipset and AT&T’s nationwide U.S. LTE-M network. We expect to make the integrated SIM commercially available by the first half of 2019.

“This advance represents the next generation of secure SIM solutions for the IoT,” said Cameron Coursey, vice president, IoT Solutions, AT&T. “We expect the design to enable wide acceptance by other operators and to become mainstream as the IoT takes off globally.”

Bernd Mueller, Head of the Connectivity & Device Solutions Division at G+D Mobile Security, said:
“The combination of G+D’s Secure SIM Operating System, coupled with AT&T’s global leadership in the IoT space and Altair’s ALT1250 chip will pave the way for the accelerated deployment of IoT devices.”

“Altair’s ALT1250 is already the most integrated and advanced chipset supporting LTE-M and NB-IoT,” added Ilan Reingold, VP of Business Development and Marketing for Altair. “With this announcement, the ALT1250 will include an integrated SIM secured by a hardware element. This will increase the value to our customers and partners by enabling easier and more flexible LTE connectivity without compromising on security.”

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New technology implemented on Altair’s ALT1250 and utilizing Ethertronics’ antenna design expertise to be demonstrated at MWC Americas.

Altair Semiconductor and Ethertronics (a subsidiary of AVX®) a leader in high performance antenna system solutions, today announced a new small antenna technology, which will be demonstrated within a new cellular IoT wearable concept at Mobile World Congress Americas.

The technology is a significant breakthrough that combines Ethertronics’ ultra-small antenna with Altair’s ALT1250 dual-mode Cat-M1/NB-IoT chipset algorithms to reduce the size of cellular wearable devices without sacrificing performance.

“Ethertronics is a recognized leader in antenna design and tunable components, making it an excellent partner for developing this concept,” said Dima Feldman, Head of Product Management for Altair.

“Combining Altair’s modem algorithmic capabilities with a world class antenna designer has resulted in the smallest antenna design for cellular wearable devices and other tiny IoT devices, setting a new standard for antenna performance that improves coverage, power efficiency and overall user experience.”

The ALT1250 is the market’s most highly integrated dual-mode Cat-M1/NB-IoT chipset, with lowest power consumption and enabling longest battery life. It includes GNSS location positioning, a RF front-end supporting all commercial LTE bands within a single hardware design, a hardware-based security framework and an internal application subsystem.

“Until now, wearable device manufacturers have struggled to reduce the size of their products without sacrificing cellular coverage and overall performance,” said Olivier Pajona, Chief Scientist for Ethertronics. “Altair’s antenna tuning algorithm and leadership in integrated solutions, together with our expertise in antenna design, paves the way to developing the smallest and highest performing wearable devices.”

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Demonstration Shows Power Reduction of up to 80%, in comparison with Altair Chipset using DRX, Significantly Extending Operation of Battery-Powered IoT Devices.

Altair Semiconductor, today announced that chipset interoperability testing on Altair’s ALT1160 Cat-1 chipset has been completed by NTT DOCOMO, INC., Japan’s largest mobile services provider.

Altair has commenced shipping of the ALT1160, featuring Ultra Low Power Consumption optimized for battery operation, to support the first commercial implementation of extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) technology in Japan by DOCOMO.

Highlighting the significant difference between eDRX and existing DRX technology, DOCOMO recently demonstrated its ability to significantly extend the sleep-mode duration of IoT devices, resulting in up to 80% power reduction and extending battery life by several times (in comparison with DRX). Operating on existing LTE networks, the technology will simplify the full deployment of long-term, battery-operated IoT devices such as smart utility meters and agricultural monitors. A variety of IoT Devices supporting eDRX are expected to be commercially deployed by Altair’s business partners.

eDRX substantially improves battery life by extending the sleep time between paging cycles of LTE-network connected devices. As a result, devices can remain ready to receive data for longer periods while maintaining full network accessibility.

Ilan Reingold, VP Business Development and Marketing for Altair, said:

“eDRX allows for unprecedented reduction in power consumption.”

“We are fully committed to continued development of a series of new chipsets to provide industry-leading power consumption rates that will enable exciting new devices for multiple IoT markets. We look forward to driving further innovation and enabling the expansion of cellular IoT business through our partnerships with leading Japanese mobile network operators. The new technologies of CAT-M1 and NB1 will improve this further.”

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Ecrio’s iota VoLTE Software to Integrate with Altair’s ALT1250 IoT Solution.

Ecrio, the leading provider of LTE real-time communications client software, and Altair Semiconductor, a leading provider of LTE chipsets, announced today their partnership to deliver VoLTE over Cat-M1.

Ecrio’s iota, the highly optimized VoLTE software for IoT, will be embedded into Altair’s ALT1250 fully integrated Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) LTE solution.

Built on the FlexIMS™ architecture, Ecrio’s iota brings security, messaging and communication to the Internet of Things (IoT). iota is compliant with IMS/VoLTE standards targeting LTE Cat-M1 devices. It is ideal for resource limited devices, such as wearables, PoS terminals, parking meters and alarm panels requiring voice calling capability. iota is optimized for Real-Time OS (RTOS) environments and fully leverages Ecrio’s deep expertise in IMS and VoLTE with over a decade of product deployments across device platforms.

The Altair ALT1250 is an LTE Release 13 Cat-M1 and NB1 IoT chipset, featuring ultra-low power consumption. The ALT1250 is highly integrated, including an LTE baseband processor, RFIC, PMU, memory, Power Amplifiers, filters and antenna switch, as well as an integrated GNSS cellular-based location engine and MCU subsystem for customer developed applications. The ALT1250 is ideally suited for IoT applications, such as tracking, wearables, security and healthcare.

“We are pleased to extend our partnership with Altair to deliver our VoLTE solutions across LTE device categories,” said Michel Gannage, Founder and CEO of Ecrio. “Close on the heels of our mccs solution embedded in Altair’s Cat-1 devices, we look forward to enabling new and innovative voice services with iota on Altair’s Cat-M1 IoT devices targeting the ongoing evolution towards LPWA LTE networks.”

“Ecrio has been an excellent longtime partner for enabling IMS/VoLTE capabilities across our LTE chipset offerings,” said Nohik Semel, Altair’s VP Products and Engineering.

“By adopting the iota solution, we are looking forward to seamlessly covering VoLTE for Cat-M1 devices as well, and are meeting the demand for mobile operators requiring voice services at ultra-low-power and cost.”

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World’s Smallest Modules Featuring Altair’s ALT1250 CAT-M1/NB1 Chipset will be Demonstrated at Mobile World Congress.

Altair Semiconductor today announced that it has selected Rohde & Schwarz as its strategic partner for test equipment for its dual-mode CAT-M1/NB1 IOT chipset ALT1250 as well as next-generation IOT chipsets.

This test equipment will be used for protocol testing as well as RF, RRM performance and carrier tests. Rohde & Schwarz is a leading global manufacturer of wireless communications and EMC test and measurement equipment and plans to develop new testing protocols for Altair’s next generations of cellular IoT chipsets.

“Our ALT1250 chipset is already forming the foundation for multiple current and emerging IoT applications,” said Ilan Reingold, VP of Business Development and Marketing for Altair. “The choice of Rohde & Schwarz is part of our commitment to the highest quality of advanced validation and performance testing for our game-changing products.”

The ALT1250 is the market’s most highly integrated dual-mode CAT-M1/NB-IoT chipset. Modules with ALT1250 inside are the world’s smallest, and may be as small as 100mm2 in area. The ALT1250 includes GNSS location positioning, a wideband RF front-end supporting all commercial LTE bands within a single hardware design, a multi-layered and hardware-based security framework, an internal application subsystem and packaging that enables standard, low-cost PCB manufacturing.

The Rohde & Schwarz R&S CMW500 is the industry’s leading test platform, offering the most validated CAT-M1/NB-IoT protocol conformance tests. It allows manufacturers and test houses to use a single instrument to verify that chipsets, modules and devices comply with GCF and PTCRB standards, and specific network operator requirements.

“This announcement confirms the commitment of Rohde & Schwarz to the wireless industry to provide innovative test tools and solutions that allow the testing and certification of cellular IoT devices,” said Anton Messmer, Vice President Mobile Radio Testers for Rohde & Schwarz.

“We are pleased to have been selected by Altair and are looking forward to supporting them in the development of highly integrated chipsets in conformance with 3GPP Release-13 standards for CAT-M1 and NB-IoT, and beyond.”

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AirPrime® HL Series supports LTE-M (Cat-M1/eMTC), NB-IoT (Cat-NB1), and 2G global networks in a compact CF3® module for low power IoT applications.

Sierra Wireless today announced the industry’s smallest, lowest power, multi-mode Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) cellular modules targeted at rapidly growing markets in asset tracking and connected industrial equipment, smart city, healthcare, agriculture and wearables.

AirPrime® HL78 modules, featuring Altair Semiconductor’s integrated ALT1250 chipset, deliver best-in-class power performance extending the life of battery operated devices by 5-10X compared to other available LTE-M/NB-IoT modules. This new level of power saving modes, with improved wake-up and sleep mode responsiveness, as well as ultra-low sleep mode power, make HL78 the module of choice for any power-constrained IoT application.

Dan Schieler, Senior Vice President and General Manager, OEM Solutions, Sierra Wireless, said:

“With the HL78 modules, OEMs and system integrators have the most scalable, lowest power module platform to build their global IoT applications on.”

“And to make it even simpler for our customers, we’ve integrated the SIM and cloud, as well as GNSS and security features, to drive down the size of LPWA connected devices while enhancing tamper resistance and security.”

In addition to low-power performance unique to the HL78 design, the modules integrate GNSS tracking capability, security and an embedded SIM in a new compact CF3® size (18mm x15mm) that is pin-to-pin compatible with other HL Series modules. Customers have the flexibility to deploy the same device on global LTE-M (Cat-M1/eMTC) and NB-IoT (Cat-NB1) networks, with support for more than 20 LTE frequency bands in addition to optional 2G fallback.

Built-in security, including HTTPS, secure socket, secure boot and free unlimited firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updates from the AirVantage® device management IoT Platform, helps customers ensure HL78 deployments are future proof and secure.

“More than 690 million LTE-M and NB-IoT connected devices are expected by 2022, and the market needs a low-power, compact embedded module to connect their industrial, smart city, smart home and simpler static sensor applications,” said Dan Shey, Managing Director and Vice President at ABI Research. “With the addition of the HL78 product line, Sierra Wireless has amassed a broad portfolio of low power devices to drive the billions of advanced IoT connections we expect in the next decade.”

LTE-M and NB-IoT LPWA networks deliver a new class of wireless technology specifically designed for low-power IoT applications [see infographic here-below]. LPWA technologies combine lower cost, broader coverage and better battery life with globally available and secure cellular networks ready to connect hundreds of millions more things to the Internet.

“The ability to switch seamlessly between any commercially deployed LTE-M or NB-IoT frequency band gives HL78 customers the flexibility to choose which network they want to deploy their low bandwidth application on. And for those regions where LPWAN coverage is not as widely available, optional 2G fallback ensures their devices stay online,” said Ilan Reingold, Vice President, Business Development and Marketing at Altair Semiconductor (A Sony Group Company). “Incorporating Altair’s advanced IoT chipset, HL78 devices will also enjoy an extended life of up to 15 years on a single battery.”

Availability

The AirPrime HL78 modules are fully compliant with the 3GPP Release 13 standard and are Release-14-ready to support NB2 features in the future. Sierra Wireless AirPrime HL and WP Series modules are the smallest embedded modules to be completely interchangeable across 2G, 3G, 4G and LPWA technologies. They use the CF3® form factor, which is footprint compatible across product lines, providing customers with the option to develop smarter by building their connected IoT product or service on a single module. HL7800 and HL7802 modules are sampling with lead customers now, with general availability in Q3 2018.

Infographic: What is LPWA?

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Approval Paves Way for Availability of Voice Services on IoT Devices in Japanese Market.

Altair Semiconductor, a leading provider of LTE chipsets, and Ecrio, the leading provider of LTE real time communications client software, today announced that Altair’s ALT1160 chipset – along with Ecrio’s MCCS VoLTE solution – have been certified for deployment on KDDI’s Japanese network.

This VoLTE certification was based on extensive interoperability, conformance and performance testing to ensure rapid deployment of new IoT voice services.

Altair’s ALT1160 is a CAT-1 chipset designed specifically for IoT and M2M applications, such as wearables, vehicle telematics, smart meters and security applications. The ALT1160 features best-in-class power consumption, extending battery life beyond 10 years, and offers unique features such as enhanced security and a customizable application layer.

Based on the mature and patented FlexIMS architecture, Ecrio’s MCCS VoLTE solution enables a broad range of voice services on LTE enabled devices. It is standards compliant and has been certified and deployed globally on a variety of device types on Carrier Networks.

Hiroshi Tsuji, General Manager at KDDI, said:

“This VoLTE certification is an important milestone for KDDI, as it enables our customers to add differentiated voice services on CAT-1 enabled IoT devices in Japan.”

“We are looking forward to a continued partnership with Altair and Ecrio.”

“This long-time partnership with KDDI and Ecrio will accelerate the introduction of IoT voice services in high value industrial and consumer use cases,” said Eran Eshed, Co-founder and VP of Worldwide Sales and Marketing for Altair. “We are pleased to have been awarded this certification by KDDI and are committed to supporting their business as they roll out advanced IoT services in the Japan market.”

“We are pleased to continue our partnership with KDDI and Altair to deliver VoLTE solutions across LTE device categories,” said Michel Gannage, Founder and CEO of Ecrio.

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Altair’s Highly Integrated Chipsets to Power New Class of IoT Modules and Devices.

Altair Semiconductor today announced that the ALT1210 LTE-M chipset has successfully completed AT&T’s ADAPT chipset validation process.

The ADAPT validation improves time-to-market and reduces the cost associated with the introduction of new Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Building upon the first live network trial of LTE-M with AT&T, this chipset validation and commercial availability furthers Altair’s commitment to AT&T and broadens the device and module partner ecosystem supporting LTE-M deployments.

“LTE-M is essential to carriers’ cellular IoT strategies,” said Eran Eshed, VP of WW Sales and Marketing at Altair Semiconductor.

“Being able to offer pre-certified chipsets and modules will significantly help vendors bring products to market quickly and cost-effectively. Our LTE-M collaboration with AT&T extends the existing and strategic CAT-1 engagement.”

The ALT1210 is an LTE-M IoT chipset with extremely low power consumption, and is software upgradeable to single antenna LTE CAT-1. ALT1210 is highly integrated with an on-chip PMU, DDR memory and a low-power MCU subsystem with a robust security framework for customer-developed applications, enabling designs with just a few external components.

The ALT1210 is ideal for a variety of IoT applications such as trackers, wearable devices, sensors and numerous other industrial and consumer IoT devices. This highly integrated LTE-M solution is available today in certified modules from various module and device vendors.

“LTE-M has the potential to connect more devices and applications than anything before. When you introduce a new technology like LTE-M, it’s very important to bring together an ecosystem of network providers, module providers and chipset providers. Having Altair’s ALT1210 LTE-M chipset certified on AT&T’s network will help accelerate the promise of LTE-M,” said Cameron Coursey, vice president, Internet of Things Solutions, AT&T.

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Chipset Provider Demonstrates Global Navigation/Location System of New ALT1250 Cellular IoT Chipset at Sierra Wireless Innovation Summit in Paris.

Altair Semiconductor today demonstrated GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) functionality integrated in its new ALT1250 narrowband CAT-M1 and NB1 (NB-IoT) chipset. The ALT1250 is the only narrowband cellular IoT chipset in the market today that incorporates GNSS/GPS functionality.

Eran Eshed, Co-founder and VP of Worldwide Sales and Marketing for Altair, said:

“Location determination is essential in many IoT applications – including asset tracking, vehicle monitoring and wearable devices. Satellite positioning is the most accurate method for doing that.”

“Integrating GNSS functionality in the ALT1250 significantly reduces the overall cost of IoT solutions while offering state of the art, low power satellite positioning capabilities in a miniature package. The market is responding well to it.”

In addition to GNSS functionality, the ALT1250’s extreme level of integration eliminates the need for most external components required to design a cellular IoT module. Approximately the size of a shirt button and less than 100mm2 in size, an ALT1250 module features support for both Release 13 standards – CAT-M1 and NB1, and includes a wideband RF front-end supporting unlimited combinations of LTE bands within a single hardware design, a multi-layered and hardware-based security framework, an internal application MCU subsystem and packaging that enables standard, low-cost PCB manufacturing.

“Altair continues to lead the narrowband cellular IoT market with the most integrated, feature-rich and cost-efficient chipsets available,” added Eshed. “We called the ALT1250 a game-changer when we announced it several months ago – integrated GNSS is one of a large set of groundbreaking innovations offered by this chip.”

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Queclink Selects Altair’s Low Power CAT-1 Chipset for On-Board Vehicle Immobilizer.

Altair Semiconductor today announced that Verizon Wireless has certified a new vehicle telematics device manufactured by leading machine-to-machine (M2M) solution provider Queclink, and powered by Altair’s LTE CAT-1 chipset.

Queclink’s tracking products are designed for automotive tracking, fleet management, tracking & tracing, lone worker safety, mobile health care, remote monitoring and control of assets, and wireless alarms to cover most popular applications via the Internet. The newly launched mini vehicle tracking device can remotely immobilize a car if the owner defaults on their lease payments.

“Altair’s technology and market experience make it the ideal partner in our mission to provide reliable telematics solutions that meet our customers’ specific requirements,” said Edwin Peng, VP of Queclink Wireless Solutions. “The ALT1160 CAT-1 chipset addresses our need for an extremely low power and efficient solution.”

Altair’s CAT-1 chipset employs advanced idle and sleep mode power management. Designed specifically for IoT and M2M applications, including vehicle telematics, wearables, smart meters and security systems, the ALT1160 offers a combination of low cost, reduced power and small size that is unmatched in the market.

Eran Eshed, Co-Founder and VP of Worldwide sales and Marketing for Altair Semiconductor, said:

“As more insurance companies and businesses adopt telematics, we’ll see an uptake in cellular IoT solutions that uniquely meet the power and economic parameters these devices require. We are pleased to have been chosen by Queclink and look forward to continue supporting our global customers in advancing a new generation of LTE-powered telematics solutions.”

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