Qualcomm has recently inked an agreement to set up a factory to produce processors for IoT applications in Sao Paulo
Qualcomm Technologies and Ericsson announced plans to implement internet of things (IoT) infrastructure and solutions in the areas of agriculture, vehicle and asset tracking and smart cities in Brazil.
The two companies said that the implementation of IoT applications and services in the South American market will be based on Qualcomm’s MDM9206 LTE IoT global multimode modem, to help drive the growth of IoT commercialization and industry digitalization in Brazil.
Qualcomm Technologies has already developed more than 30 purpose-built platforms designed for the IoT ecosystem including for smart cities and industrial IoT. Additionally, Qualcomm Brazil announced plans to launch a reference center for smart cities in the country, where these types of solutions can be tested and demonstrated.
Ericsson is also working in new technology developments in cooperation with Brazilian technical universities and research institutes. The Swedish vendor operates an innovation center in the country where it has invested more than $1 billion over the past 15 years in R&D, developing an average of 70 projects per year, which resulted in 95 patents registered internationally.
The two partners are currently considering the development of IoT solutions to be applied in the precision agriculture segment. These solutions will have the main aim of increasing soil efficiency and crop productivity. Other solutions under study are vehicle and cargo tracking to improve the safety of transported goods and lower operating costs as well as street traffic light monitoring and connectivity for smart city projects.
“Broadband is the starting point to make cities smarter. Mobile networks are the foundation for spreading connectivity to every sector of society, helping in essential questions such as traffic, security and education,” said Eduardo Ricotta, head of Ericsson Brazil. “We can’t lose sight that every time there is a 10%increase in broadband penetration, the country’s GDP increases 1%. When we connect the agribusiness, we promote smarter cities and creating a platform for more diverse elements of the IoT ecosystem, all while making the country more economically efficient.”
“Qualcomm Technologies delivers more than one million chipsets for the internet of things per day and is therefore well positioned to support the Brazilian IoT ecosystem,” said Rafael Steinhauser, senior vice president and president of Qualcomm Latin America. “We are pleased to work together with Ericsson to help accelerate the adoption of IoT applications for both smart cities and commercial and industrial applications. With solutions being developed locally, we have a great capacity to meet the specific demands of our customers in the region.”
In February this year, Qualcomm has signed an agreement with the government of the Brazilian state of São Paulo to set up a factory under a joint venture with Taiwanese company USI focused on production of processors for IoT applications.
Qualcomm said that it plans to start manufacturing activities in 2020. The factory will be located in the technology hub of Campinas.
In October 2017, the government of Brazil launched a national strategy detailing the policies and action plan for the deployment of IoT technologies in the country.
The four core verticals are smart cities, healthcare, agribusiness and manufacturing. The country’s national IoT plan foresees that these policies will be implemented between 2018 and 2022.
