As CES 2017 gets underway in Las Vegas, Qualcomm is making it crystal clear the “internet of things” is a top priority for the chipmaker. On Tuesday, the company announced an IoT partnership with Verizon Communications, a new IoT connectivity platform and “gigabit class” LTE for connected cars.
IoT modules for the Verizon network
Qualcomm’s Category M1 LTE modem is set to connect new IoT modules made by Telit and Quectel. The modules support Verizon’s ThingSpace platform, which is a set of application programming interfaces and software development kits developers can use to create IoT applications for the Verizon network.
Qualcomm said Verizon’s ThingSpace client has been pre-integrated and tested on the chipmaker’s Cat M1 LTE modem. At CES, Verizon and Qualcomm plan to showcase use cases for industrial IoT segments including asset management and tracking using Verizon’s live LTE network. The modules and development kit are expected to be available in early 2017.
New connectivity platform
Wi-Fi routers that use Qualcomm’s self-organizing network technology are “flying off the shelves,” according to the company, and now Qualcomm wants to make it even easier for users to add new devices to networks that may use disparate connectivity protocols, including wireline.
“We know that some of your devices are connected over Wi-Fi, some may be connected over [programmable logic controllers], some may be connected over Ethernet,” said Mark Grodzinsky, senior director of product management at Qualcomm. “So we want to use a strategy of ‘whatever is available, we will use,’ and we will create the most efficient network.”
The company said its network IoT connectivity platform will be the first to ensure compatible and simultaneous use of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, CSRmesh connectivity and 802.15.4-based technologies across a network.
Grodzinsky expects Qualcomm’s SON technology to simplify home networks, even as consumers connect more devices. He said routers powered by Qualcomm’s Wi-Fi chipsets will be able to integrate new devices through a simple user interface, especially if they are Qualcomm-enabled devices.
“The pace of innovation and the pace of complexity in managing home networks is outstripping our typical consumer’s ability to understand it,” said Grodzinsky. “So we’re taking a lot of that control back out of the hands of the user. We’re just going to make it work better.”
Four home network routers that use Qualcomm Wi-Fi SON are already on the market, and Grodzinsky said four more will be launched this year at CES. Down the road, Grodzinsky sees an even bigger market for Wi-Fi SON in the workplace as companies connect more devices to their networks. Wi-Fi is a key element of IT networks now and is expected to play a major role in the industrial IoT.
Superfast LTE for connected cars
Qualcomm is using its Snapdragon X16 LTE modem for its newest connected car reference platform. The platform is designed to enable automakers to integrate Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy and Global Navigation Satellite System.
The Snapdragon X16 supports download speeds said to be up to 10 times as fast as first-generation LTE speeds, according to Qualcomm. The company describes the new modem as “gigabit class,” noting it receives data on four separate antennas and supports four carrier aggregation.
Qualcomm has developed a hardware reference module that will use the X16 modem in two different band classes, one for North America and one for the rest of the world. The modules are expected to be available during the first half of this year.
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