And so it comes to pass; hybrid IoT devices running both LoRaWAN and Sigfox, once the bitterest rivals in the low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) game, will be available soon. US semiconductor company Semtech, owner of the LoRa physical-radio layer technology (and licensor of hardware running the LoRaWAN transmission layer network protocol), has agreed with Unabiz to integrate its ultra-narrowband Sigfox system into its flagship LoRa-based hardware and software platforms.
It is a seismic turnaround for Sigfox, the original pioneer technology in the LPWAN space, which was pulled out of receivership at the start of 2022 by Singapore-based Unabiz, and set on a strategic course to dovetail with rival IoT systems as part of a ‘unified LPWAN world’. Hardware-level integration with LoRa, the other French-born IoT tech, which followed hard in Sigfox’s footsteps to forge a path for unlicensed LPWAN, was always the big target.
Discussion between the sides has grown closer since Unabiz’s acquisition of Sigfox. Last week, Unabiz joined the LoRa Alliance as a ‘contributor member’. The firm has signed a flurry of deals recently with the big beasts in the LoRaWAN firmament, including with Actility, Senet, and The Things Industries. The Sigfox device library, kept under lock and key by its previous owner, was released into the public domain in April, and has facilitated the LoRa tie-up.
For its part, the decision by Semtech looks like a magnanimous one, on the grounds LoRa/LoRaWAN has been in ruder health, despite the extant challenge for IoT developers generally to simplify and scale solutions – and to make much money in the process. But it also recognises the sense to converge IoT technologies and networks, historically pitched in opposition to each other, as a global patchwork in service to simpler solutions and quicker returns.
The new deal means Sigfox will work on Semtech’s LoRa Edge and Connect platforms. The first, running on its sub-GHz LR1110 and sub-GHz/2.4 GHz/S-band (satellite) LR1120 products, combines hardware and cloud services, and integrates Wi-Fi and GNSS geolocation; the latter covers radio-only modules, including its legacy SX1261, SX1262, and SX1270 units, plus the forthcoming 2.4 GHz and S-band compatible LR1121 transceiver.
It might be noted that the Sigfox stack is not to be embedded by Semtech in LoRa-based chips. Instead, Semtech is to offer Sigfox APIs (“drivers”) to set the LoRa “device context” (internal registers) to host and run a Sigfox stack on an external MCU; they can be called by any Sigfox application to run Sigfox modulation, an explainer from Unabiz stated. Until now, integration of the Sigfox protocol on LoRa devices was complex, with little in the way of official technical support.
The difference, now, is a public commitment from Semtech to “support the integration of Sigfox [and to] foster customer adoption”, said Unabiz. It stated: “Sigfox-dedicated APIs and related documentation [will be] available in the public domain, simplifying the integration work for developers, devices makers, integrators, manufacturers, and end-customers.” The new support will de-risk their investment in hybrid LoRa and Sigfox solutions, the logic goes.
Unabiz said: “Device convergence is the easiest path to collaboration with other LPWAN [ecosystems], shortening the go-to-market [process] for customers… It will also enable LoRa customers to add Sigfox into their portfolios.” LoRaWAN is offered by around 180 public network providers in 100-odd countries; Sigfox networks exist in around 70 countries.
The two companies declared: “This collaboration will enable customers to develop solutions that combine LoRaWAN and Sigfox… to provide global coverage for more IoT use cases such as asset management through ultra-low power geolocation in industries including supply chain and logistics… [It] paves the road for LoRa cloud geolocation on the Sigfox network… [and] enhances the options and opportunities for developers to create world-class solutions.”
Tom Mueller, executive vice president and general manager of IoT system products at Semtech, said: “We are bringing together the LoRaWAN and Sigfox ecosystems to expand Semtech’s LoRa platform to an even larger LPWAN footprint across the globe and provide IoT developers and customers with best-in-class solutions for ultra-low power connectivity, security and cloud-based geolocation. We are creating a cost-effective, single SKU platform for our customers to benefit from the best available network coverage globally.”
Remi Lorrain, vice president of convergence at UnaBiz, said: “This demonstrates our commitment to provide customers with the most cost-effective and energy-efficient technologies for sustainable solutions. By accelerating technology convergence at the device and software layer, we provide customers the freedom to select the most effective and relevant connectivity, leveraging both Sigfox and LoRaWAN coverage, based on their business requirements and sustainability goals.”
