Las Vegas, Sept. 7, 2016: To deliver the next-generation of the Internet of Things (IoT) products and services requiring low power and low bandwidth, for the first time, Verizon will pre-integrate its ThingSpace IoT platform as-a-service within Qualcomm Technologies’ MDM9206 Category M (Cat M1) LTE modem. The initiative, said the companies, will also utilise Verizon’s leading 4G LTE network as the gateway for simplifying the process of building, deploying and managing IoT applications customised for a wide-range of use cases.
Verizon and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, are leading a joint effort “to drive innovation, productivity and value for businesses, consumers and citizens enabled by the IoT.” The companies announced their IoT collaboration at the start of CTIA Super Mobility 2016 in Las Vegas and expect that the ThingSpace IoT platform will be available for OEM integration on MDM9206-based solutions in early 2017.
Establishing Cat M1 as the industry standard
Historically, the cost to connect IoT devices to the LTE wide area network has been higher than linking to other technologies like Wi Fi, Bluetooth, Zwave or ZigBee. Verizon and Qualcomm Technologies have a strong track record of working with companies to embed LTE chipsets in connected devices, making it faster to deploy IoT devices on 4G LTE. Through this collaboration, the companies are now on a path to make the opportunity-cost of connecting intelligent devices on 4G LTE more compelling by using Category M1 as the new standard – all with LTE’s superior security, reliability and reach.
Businesses developing on Qualcomm Technologies’ Cat M1 LTE modem beginning with the MDM9206, will be able to speed up connectivity to the Cloud seamlessly using ThingSpace – Verizon’s global IoT platform which allows developers worldwide to build and manage applications. Verizon claimed the availability of ThingSpace within low power LTE modems offered by Qualcomm Technologies, a leading wireless semiconductor company, will accelerate the development of a new and innovative digital ecosystem of intelligent connected devices on 4G LTE at scale.
In doing so, the two tech companies also anticipate tackling the barriers most commonly associated with IoT deployments – including firmware management, real-time device diagnostics, device onboarding and data access. The collaboration also aims to bring even more sophisticated apps to the forefront such as device security and sensor data visualisation.
According to Mike Lanman, Senior Vice President Enterprise Products and IoT at Verizon. “Simplicity is a necessary starting point and working across the ecosystem – at the network, platform and application levels – is also needed in order to capture the real market opportunity of the Internet of Things.”
“Wireless technologies, including LTE and 5G in the future, are rapidly evolving to deliver a scalable, unified and interoperable connectivity platform for the Internet of Things,” said Raj Talluri, Senior Vice President, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Our LTE modems bring not only connectivity but also compute capabilities to all kinds of IoT devices, helping leading operators such as Verizon extend their business models into promising new areas including smart energy and metering, building security, infrastructure, industrial control and automation, retail point of sale and asset tracking.”
Qualcomm Incorporated is a well-known brand in 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies.
Image Credit: Verizon