4G

Verizon, Qualcomm Back LTE for Secure Internet of Things

File this one under “Darwinian battle for wireless survival.” Verizon and Qualcomm used the CTIA Super Mobility show in Las Vegas today to unveil plans to use Verizon’s ThingSpace IoT platform as a service with Qualcomm’s LTE modems, with greater security for IoT deployments as a major selling point. According to an announcement by the companies, Verizon will pre-integrate its ThingSpace within Qualcomm’s MDM9206 Category M (Cat M1) LTE modem. Verizon’s 4G LTE network will become the intended backbone for “building, deploying and managing IoT applications customized for a wide-range of use cases,” according to the statement. 4G networks have widely been perceived as too expensive and overpowered for many IoT deployments, such as low power sensors and single-function or intermittently connected endpoints. The new arrangement is intended to grab some of that low power business back from competing short-range technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zwave and Zigbee, or from low power […]

u-blox_SARA_U260_W

3G Module Just 26mm Wide OK’d by AT&T| ITworld

Steve Lawson at IDG News Service has an interesting article that notes AT&T’s certification of the U-blox SARA-U260 model, which is dubbed “the world’s smallest 3G module.” The 16 x 26 millimeter device is seen as a harbinger of the kind of low power device that will greatly expand the Internet of Things.   The SARA-U260 is designed to transmit small amounts of data over 3G networks and could enable a new generation of even smaller and smarter devices – from Smartmeters to wearable technology to connected cars. The U260 has features that support applications from voice calling to auto industry telematics to retail point-of-sale terminals and handheld devices, according to U-blox. It uses A-GPS (Assisted Global Positioning System) and a technology called CellLocate that uses nearby cellular towers to triangulate a location in situations where GPS isn’t available. 3G and 2G networks are being replaced by 4G and even 5G networks for most consumer smart phones. But the technology still works great […]