Lars Thyroff, the general manager of Fibocom Wireless EU, talks with Keith Kreisher, the executive director of the IoT M2M Council, about how the company’s wireless connectivity services are bringing perfect wireless experience for the industry.
Keith Kreisher: Can you talk about the market trend of IoT, and what kind of IoT applications do you think that will have enormous potential?
Lars Thyroff: It is not a secret that the IoT industry is a very fragmented business place. Today we have six to eight volume relevant vertical markets. However, following the analyst reports there is still a big and fast growing segment called ‘others’. This means there are so many industries which are innovating and going to start Industrial IoT (IIoT) mass roll-outs in future.
One of them for sure will be the charging spots for electrical vehicles (EVs).
EV charging, for one, is having huge impact within the broader theme of micro-mobility. When you consider that 80-90 million new cars are sold annually, and we reckon that at least two charging stations will be required for each vehicle, the numbers are huge. If you need to drive from point A to point B, then you will need a charging station at both locations. Saying that you will stop producing combustion engines is one thing, but it requires a lot of infrastructure build-out. This market is clearly growing but it will take a lot of public and private investment.
KK: How about high performance for edge and cloud computing needs? What role does Fibocom module play to satisfy the need of the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT?
LT: Process intelligence and decisions between edge and cloud determine today the architecture definition and design of IIOT applications. It has to be decided where process decisions are made – at the edge or in the cloud. Time critical decisions or energy consumption can be optimised with the right architecture design.
The construct of edge versus cloud requires technology adopters to think about how they’re building out their applications. To cite just one simple example, you can optimise for data management or for energy consumption. This requires a lot of thinking before development can even begin.
Fibocom provides for these scenarios a 5G prepared architecture portfolio – reaching from extended mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), massive machine type communication (mMTC) and mobile computing with AI capabilities.
At Fibocom, we’ve restructured our product portfolio to support this kind of planning, with four different categories:
- A) Mobile broadband
- B) Reliable low latency communication
- C) Machine-type communication
- D) Mobile computing and programmable system-on-chip (SoC)
This portfolio architecture comes with respective software developer kits (SDKs) to support an easy edge and cloud integration.
KK: Fixed wireless access (FWA) for home and business is a frontrunner in the application of 5G technology, which is a scalable and powerful complement to fixed broadband. Tell me more about Fibocom’s solution for 5G FWA?
LT: We’ve launched our FM160/FG160 (our 160 line) of modules this year, configured specifically for 5G FWA applications. The product family features 3GPP Release 16 capabilities, backward compatible with LTE/WCDMA network standards. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X62 modem chipset, the module delivers maximum downlink rates of 3.5Gbps and uplink rates of 900Mbps under 5G. Supporting NR CA, Fibocom’s 160 module series significantly optimises 5G user experience with extended coverage, boosted throughput and increased capacity.
With multiple Internet protocols and industry-standard interfaces for main operating, FG160/ FM160 can be used a variety of cellular terminals such as CPE, Mi-Fi, STB, IPC and ODU. It is able to cover mobile networks in Asia, Europe and Australia. The module also supports OpenCPU, optimising cost-performance and power consumption. With OpenCPU, it can be developed into an ideal FWA solution, enabling 160MHz bandwidth, 4096 QAM as well as Wi-Fi 6E.
We are proud to see that the module series has been nominated for an Innovation Award at the Embedded World show 2022 in the hardware category.
KK: We’re also hearing a lot about private networking nowadays. How do you see this playing out?
LT: Private networks are playing a vital role in the further development of Industry 4.0, but we can see also that verticals like the healthcare, agriculture, building and utility industries deploying in hard to reach areas with a private network infrastructure.
Fibocom is accelerating CBRS-based (3.5GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service) wireless network deployment with our LTE-A Category 6 wireless communication module FM101-CG. It is able to address the requirements of CBRS-based network applications for multiple scenarios, including but not limited to remote education, industry IoT, smart cities and others.
Powered by the Snapdragon X12+ LTE Modem, the FM101-CG supports LTE TDD Band 42/43/48 and delivers maximum data rates of up 260 Mbps downlink and 30 Mbps uplink. The module can provide seamless and reliable connectivity for various industries. Organisations can make use of their own private networks, ensuring fast, reliable and secure connectivity.
With these cutting-edge technologies in place, industries are empowered to develop innovative solutions and rise to the challenge of digitalisation. In partnership with global IoT industry innovators, Fibocom is dedicated to bringing advanced connectivity services to more vertical industries with our wireless communication solutions.
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