Telit and Altair jointly unveil new LTE module optimised for MTC

Felix Marchal, chief product officer, Telit

Telit has introduced the first in a new series of modules based on Altair chipsets, designed to support LTE Category 1 enhancements for Machine-Type Communications (MTC).

A global enabler of the Internet of the Things (IoT), Telit has announced this in co-operation with Altair Semiconductor, a provider of LTE chipsets.

The LE866 is said to be the smallest LTE module currently in the market. The LGA footprint is 15 x 25 mm. It is a UE Category 1 device with maximum data rate of 10 Mbps downlink and 5 Mbps uplink. The module employs Altair’s FourGee-1160/6401 IoT-optimised chipset that provides extremely low power consumption, which results in a significant increase in battery life, while reducing cost/complexity compared to traditional high-performance LTE devices.

The LE866 is software upgradable to support the power-saving mode (PSM) that 3GPP has specified for MTC in Release 12, which is being demonstrated in partnership with Altair and Ericsson during CTIA Super Mobility 2015 in Las Vegas.

The LE866 will be first released commercially for the U.S. market, with additional regional variants to follow.

Release 13 of the 3GPP LTE standard, which is foreseen for March 2016, will bring further improvements on power consumption, cost/complexity and coverage for IoT and M2M applications. However, with the LE866, Telit and Altair are extending the addressable market via power, size, and cost combination that is a significant game-changer. Ultra-small modems that support the lower categories are needed for numerous applications, including wearable devices, smart homes and smart metering, fleet management, point-of-sales and health monitoring among others.

Felix Marchal, chief product officer, Telit, said: “The decision to partner with Altair was an easy one to take. We expect LTE low-category devices to catalyse billions of dollars in spending by the M2M and IoT industry, and Altair is a leading vendor in this space.”

Eran Eshed, co-founder and VP of Marketing & Business Development at Altair, said: “Not all CAT-1 chips are created equal. The great market potential for CAT-1 draws many players to try to compete. However, most are simply rebranded higher-category chipsets that are functionally compatible with CAT-1, but fall short on power consumption and die size. Our close cooperation with market leader Telit brings the first truly IoT-optimised module to the market, unlocking new use cases and expanding the IoT market.”

RECENT ARTICLES

Get a US$50 Amazon voucher for sharing your IoT brand knowledge

Posted on: March 28, 2024

We want to know what you know about the IoT space. Just 3 minutes could earn you a US$50 Amazon digital gift card!

Read more

Enhance EV charging performance with cellular connectivity

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Electric vehicles (EVs) are steadily growing their market share at the expense of internal combustion engine vehicles. The growth is fuelled by several factors. Perhaps most importantly, prices for EVs have started to drop as competition in the industry is intensifying. New players and models are emerging, prompting several established EV makers to lower their

Read more
FEATURED IoT STORIES

What is IoT? A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on: April 5, 2023

What is IoT? IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to the connection of everyday objects, or “things,” to the internet, allowing them to collect, transmit, and share data. This interconnected network of devices transforms previously “dumb” objects, such as toasters or security cameras, into smart devices that can interact with each other and their

Read more

The IoT Adoption Boom – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on: September 28, 2022

In an age when we seem to go through technology boom after technology boom, it’s hard to imagine one sticking out. However, IoT adoption, or the Internet of Things adoption, is leading the charge to dominate the next decade’s discussion around business IT. Below, we’ll discuss the current boom, what’s driving it, where it’s going,

Read more

9 IoT applications that will change everything

Posted on: September 1, 2021

Whether you are a future-minded CEO, tech-driven CEO or IT leader, you’ve come across the term IoT before. It’s often used alongside superlatives regarding how it will revolutionize the way you work, play, and live. But is it just another buzzword, or is it the as-promised technological holy grail? The truth is that Internet of

Read more

Which IoT Platform 2021? IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide

Posted on: August 30, 2021

There are several different parts in a complete IoT solution, all of which must work together to get the result needed, write IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide – Which IoT Platform 2021? authors Robin Duke-Woolley, the CEO and Bill Ingle, a senior analyst, at Beecham Research. Figure 1 shows these parts and, although not all

Read more

CAT-M1 vs NB-IoT – examining the real differences

Posted on: June 21, 2021

As industry players look to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity, two different standards have emerged under release 13 of 3GPP – CAT-M1 and NB-IoT.

Read more

IoT and home automation: What does the future hold?

Posted on: June 10, 2020

Once a dream, home automation using iot is slowly but steadily becoming a part of daily lives around the world. In fact, it is believed that the global market for smart home automation will reach $40 billion by 2020.

Read more

5 challenges still facing the Internet of Things

Posted on: June 3, 2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) has quickly become a huge part of how people live, communicate and do business. All around the world, web-enabled devices are turning our world into a more switched-on place to live.

Read more