Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, announced its next-generation modem purpose-built for Internet of Things (IoT) applications such as asset trackers, health monitors, security systems, smart city sensors and smart meters, as well as a range of wearable trackers.
The new Qualcomm® 9205 LTE modem is unique in bringing together key innovations required to build cellular-enabled IoT products and services in a single chipset, including global multimode LTE category M1 (eMTC) and NB2 (NB-IoT) as well as 2G/E-GPRS connectivity, application processing, geolocation, hardware-based security, support for cloud services and accompanying developer tools.
Compared to its predecessor, the modem is engineered to reduce power consumption by up to 70% in idle mode, a critical consideration for battery-powered IoT devices that need to operate for 10 years or longer in the field. The Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem is also 50% smaller and more cost-effective than its predecessor – making it ideal for IoT applications requiring low-power, wide-area connectivity in a small form factor device. The new modem is also software-compatible with the Company’s prior LTE IoT solutions which allows module manufacturers to reuse software investments to develop new module solutions.
“The innovations included in the Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem are critical to support many of the 6 billion IoT devices expected to use low-power, wide-area connectivity by 2026,” said Vieri Vanghi, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Europe, Inc. “LTE IoT technologies are the foundation of how 5G will help connect the massive IoT, and we are making these technologies available to customers worldwide to help them build innovative solutions that can help transform industries and improve people’s lives.”
“The new Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem is unique in integrating the critical technologies that our customers would need to create cellular-connected IoT solutions,” said Doron Zhang, senior vice president, Quectel. “All its features are put together in a tiny and very energy-efficient chipset that will help Quectel to offer LTE IoT modules that are powerful, economical and with support for superb battery life.”
The Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem builds on the commercial success of its predecessor which counts more than 110 design-wins to date. Solutions based on the new modem, including modules from Gemalto, Quectel and Telit, are expected to be commercially available in 2019.