The ALT1250 has been shipping since 2018. It set the low-power reference for cellular IoT, and eight years later the industry still measures itself against it. That is a good outcome for a chip. It is also why we built the ALT1350: not to replace a part that connects tens of millions of devices, but to move a bar nobody else had moved.

We announced ALT1350 availability in 2024, with modules from leading manufacturers. Since then the ALT1350 has been designed into asset trackers, meters, and wearables and has shipped millions of units.

The LPWA Power KPIs That Actually Determine Battery Life

A modem has hundreds of measurable parameters. Three intrinsic ones govern almost everything built on top:

• Operating current — benchmarked as RX current, because it exercises most of the subsystem without adding external PA current.
• Retention current — how little you can draw while keeping state.
• Transition speed — how quickly you can wake up and get back to sleep.

At system level, they reduce to a short list, short on purpose. These are the numbers that actually show up in a battery budget:

• eDRX average current — for a device that must stay reachable. The common gas-meter configuration is 81.92 s; some operators deploy cycles as long as 655 s.
• Energy per data event — for the 50-to-100-byte uplinks that dominate meter and sensor traffic.
• RX current — the proxy for active-mode efficiency.
• PSM floor — worth listing, and worth being honest about: at 1.2–1.4 µA there is almost nothing left to win. A deep-sleep number in that range will not change any battery budget.

ALT1250 vs. ALT1350: Two Generations, Measured the Same Way

The figure below compares the ALT1350 with the ALT1250 under identical test conditions. Both parts are measured on full reference designs, and the numbers include everything a real device pays for: I/Os, clock sources, memory, and the peripheral components, including PA current and leakage. eDRX figures at PTW 2.56 s (2 Paging Occasions). Data-event energy at ~50 byte uplink payload.

The one exclusion is SIM card power, since the SIM/eSIM is an external component choice, though we do assume it supports low-power suspend/resume operation.

Everything that shows up in a battery budget, reachable standby, energy per event  receive current moved by 3.6× to 10.7× in one generation. The PSM floor barely moved, because there was nowhere left for it to go, and it delivers diminishing returns for cellular applications.

What the Recent LPWA Modem Benchmark Actually Claims

A recently published benchmark measured Qualcomm’s new E51 modem in its own lab and compared the results against the ALT1250. The stated claims: more than 20% power savings across all power modes and 33% lower deep-sleep current in eDRX.

We decided to test the claims. We took the operating points from published battery-life charts and re-ran the same tests on both generations of Altair silicon, under the conditions the benchmark states:

• 23 dBm worst-case Tx
• eDRX with a 2.56 s PTW and 1.28 s iDRX
• cDRX at 320 ms / 8 ms / 100 ms, and a 5 s RRC inactivity timer

Same scenarios, same targets, same axes.

One note on the method used before we reveal the results. The published benchmark compared its lab-measured part against ALT1250 datasheet specifications. In our study everything attributed to Altair below is physically measured, on full reference designs, on both parts: ALT1250 and ALT1350.

The Same Battery-Life Scenarios, Run on Current Silicon

In the case of the 15-year gas meter that uses eDRX 81.92 s, the E51’s published curve runs from 7.5 Ah at one uplink per day to 11.2 Ah at twenty-four. Our measured ALT1250 runs from 9.3 to 12.4 Ah. So the new part needs 9% to 19% less battery than the ALT1250, and “more than 20%” is a fair description of its best case.

The ALT1350 runs from 1.2 to 1.7 Ah. That is 6.3× less battery than the published curve and the factor is essentially flat across the entire range: 6.2× at one uplink per day, 6.5× at twenty-four. This is not an operating point we picked. It is the whole sweep.

Two things a datasheet will not tell you

We compare at 2 PO because those are the conditions the benchmark states. It is not the configuration we optimize for.

The ALT1250 is tuned for single PO and eDRX cycles of 81.92 s or shorter — the configuration behind Japan’s smart gas meter rollout, to our knowledge the largest eDRX deployment in the world. At that operating point it delivers at least 25% more battery life than the 2 PO figures above.

And optimizing for lifetime is not only about power. We also account for flash endurance, where a write can happen up to 15 million times over a device lifecycle, so on short eDRX cycles, we simply do not write.

Low-Power Roadmaps: Why the Generation Matters More Than the Percentage

A one-time percentage advantage over a mature reference part is easy to publish and hard to trust. Sustained, measured, generation-over-generation improvement is what a real low-power roadmap looks like. Measured against the same ALT1250 the industry keeps using as its yardstick, the ALT1350 delivers reachable eDRX standby down to 3.5 µA, 83% less energy per data event, and 1.7× to 6.5× less battery than the E51 across its own published scenarios.

So when a new part is compared with the ALT1250, it is being benchmarked against a part we have already surpassed by a wide margin. The relevant comparison is not new silicon against our previous generation. It is new silicon against our current one.

Power Is a System Property, Not a Modem Spec

A modem-only current figure also misses where real battery budgets are won or lost. The ALT1350 is a single-chip system: an integrated low-power application MCU with 1.3 MB of Flash and 752 KB of RAM,  an always-on sensor hub that collects and processes data while the modem sleeps, iSIM, integrated GNSS & Cell based location, on-chip non-volatile memory, Wi-Fi-based positioning at a fraction of the power and the cost of a dedicated Wi-Fi IC, and NTN satellite connectivity all in the same device. No modem-only benchmark captures any of that, and it dwarfs a single-digit delta in any one power mode.

Refreshing an ALT1250 Design: Should You Move to the ALT1350?

This is the question we actually get asked, so here is the direct answer. The ALT1250 remains a strong part, in production and shipping.

A deployed ALT1250 battery operated meter is not a mistake, it is the design the rest of the industry is still measured against.

But if you are opening a battery-operated design for a refresh, a gas or water meter in particular, the arithmetic is not subtle, and it gets less subtle once you go shopping. Cells are discrete: there is nothing between one can size and the next, and every design adds margin on top.

To reach 15 years, an ALT1250 design needs a D-size cell. An ALT1350 design closes the same requirement on a CR17450, with margin to spare. That is not a spec-sheet delta, it is a different bill of materials: a smaller enclosure, a fraction of the lithium to buy, ship and certify, and everything that follows for mechanical design, cost and logistics. That is a different product.

Built to Last: Altair’s Experience, Certified and Deployed

At Altair Semiconductor, ultra-low-power cellular connectivity is not just a feature. It is what the company was built around from day one.

But power efficiency is only part of the story. Both the ALT1250 and the ALT1350 are globally certified, field-proven solutions, deployed across thousands of use cases, operating scenarios and carrier combinations. That experience taught us something: every customer is different, what they care about is different, and the corner cases are different. It has been a demanding education, and everything we learned from it is now built into ALT1250 and ALT1350 firmware — the flash-endurance decision earlier is one example of many.

The ALT1250 is still winning new designs, many of them battery operated, on the combination of its power consumption, its overall system performance and eight years of field maturity.

We are proud to power what is next in IoT, and we will keep publishing our progress as the ecosystem moves toward 5G. We will be there with eRedCap as well.

Want to see how the ALT1350 or the ALT1250 perform in your design? Contact our team to get the full data set.

The post ALT1350 Superior Power Performance for Meters, Trackers and Sensors appeared first on Altair.

We’re excited to demonstrate with Keysight Technologies, a global leader in design, emulation, and test solutions, showcasing the first Release 18 eRedCap (enhanced Reduced Capability 5G) connectivity using HD-FDD (Half-Duplex Frequency Division Duplex).

The demonstration is taking place at Mobile World Congress 2026 this week and brings together our Altair ALT1550 5G eRedCap test samples which have been operational in our labs since early 2025 with Keysight’s network emulation solutions. This milestone directly addresses the growing demand for cost and power-efficient 5G IoT solutions as the industry transitions to 5G-Advanced, supporting devices that require longevity and the ability to collect increasing amounts of data.

From Standard to Reality

This demonstration signals that HD-FDD eRedCap is moving from standard to reality. With a leading silicon vendor actively developing HD-FDD-based solutions and achieving connectivity milestones, IoT device manufacturers and mobile operators can now see a clear path toward commercial HD-FDD eRedCap deployment.

Through real silicon testing with industry-standard test equipment, organizations can:

• Confirm that the technology is maturing rapidly
• Reduce development risk by engaging early with proven silicon
• Accelerate time-to-market for HD-FDD-based eRedCap products with 10- to 20-year lifecycles

As Dima Feldman, VP Product Management and Marketing at Altair, put it: “Demonstrating real silicon connectivity with advanced test equipment is a critical step in bridging the gap between 3GPP standards and real-world deployment. This proves that eRedCap HD-FDD is no longer a concept on paper, but a working reality. Our Altair ALT1550 test samples have been running in our labs for months, giving us significant lead time in software maturity and supporting our goal to be first to market. By working closely with Keysight as an ecosystem partner, we are helping to accelerate the path to commercial HD-FDD eRedCap solutions.”

Why HD-FDD?

HD-FDD is emerging as the de facto technology for eRedCap development, offering significant advantages over alternative approaches. Through this collaboration, device manufacturers can assess HD-FDD’s benefits firsthand: dramatic BOM reduction, smaller module footprint, lower power consumption, significantly improved heat dissipation, and enhanced sensitivity, all critical factors for cost-sensitive IoT applications and battery-powered devices designed to operate for decades in the field.

Kalyan Sundhar, Head of Product Management, Wireless Solutions at Keysight, shared his perspective: “eRedCap will anchor the next wave of 5G IoT. Working with Altair, we’re proving HD-FDD on real silicon using Keysight’s end-to-end emulation and conformance tools giving manufacturers and operators a trusted lab-to-deployment path that reduces risk and speeds commercialization.”

Building on Our 5G eRedCap Vision

This demonstration builds on our recently announced long-term roadmap for the Altair ALT1550 5G eRedCap modem, which we outlined in January 2026, positioning eRedCap as the foundation for the next generation of global, long-life connected devices. We continue to play a leading role in the HD-FDD ecosystem — publishing technical white papers and participating in GSMA initiatives that promote HD-FDD adoption for 5G IoT.

See It at MWC Barcelona

The demonstration is live at MWC Barcelona (2–5 March 2026) in two locations:

• Keysight’s booth — Hall 5, Stand 5F41
• Altair meeting room — Hall 7, Stand 7F21Ex (by appointment)

Come see the future of 5G IoT connectivity in action.

The post Altair Demonstrates 5G eRedCap HD-FDD Connectivity Using the ALT1550 together with Keysight Technologies appeared first on Altair.

That’s a milestone which signals a fundamental shift in how we track, monitor, and manage assets worldwide. From personal safety wearables to logistics fleets, from pet trackers to industrial equipment, these connections make our world more responsive, efficient, and secure. At MWC26 Barcelona, the GSMA launched its 1 billion LPWA IoT Connections campaign during the IoT Summit on Wednesday 4^th March, alongside a documentary featuring GSMA members and industry leaders who helped make this milestone possible. Register your interest to witness the launch.

This growth is the direct result of purpose-built technologies designed specifically for IoT’s unique demands. Altair, has spent over two decades solving the core challenges that make massive-scale IoT deployments possible: keeping costs down, extending battery life, and enabling truly global coverage with simplified hardware.

The Tracking Market: Small Devices, Big Requirements

Trackers represent one of the fastest-growing segments in cellular IoT, with use cases that span across industries and applications:

• Logistics and supply chain tracking monitor shipments across continents, providing real-time visibility into location, temperature, and handling conditions.

• Fleet telematics optimize vehicle routes, monitor driver behavior, and enable usage-based insurance.

• Personal safety devices keep vulnerable individuals connected, from children to elderly family members.

• Pet and livestock trackers give owners peace of mind while letting their animals roam safely.

• Shared mobility solutions manage e-scooters, e-bikes, and other micro-mobility devices in urban environments.

• Industrial asset tracking monitors equipment, tools, and materials across job sites and warehouses.

The majority of trackers need to be small, battery-powered, cost-effective, and able to work anywhere in the world. Traditional cellular technologies were built for smartphones that get charged daily and stay within specific regions, so tracker design meant rethinking everything.

For tracker deployments to scale from thousands to millions of devices, manufacturers need solutions that optimize cost, power, and size.

Cost: Making Economics Work at Scale

Every cent matters when you’re deploying thousands or millions of devices. The cost of components, inventory complexity, and manufacturing efficiency all impact whether a business case makes sense.

The traditional approach in cellular connectivity mandates device operation in specific licensed frequency bands. This requires either an expensive global design to cover all worldwide bands (as in smartphones), or alternatively, a reduced cost hardware variant (SKUs) for different regions, which means separate components for North American, European, and Asian bands. Each variant needs its own design, certification, inventory, and support. For a global tracker deployment, this complexity adds up fast and is not scalable.

Altair’s chips use Half-Duplex FDD (HD-FDD) technology, which eliminates the need for expensive SAW and BAW duplexers and filters. More importantly, HD-FDD enables a single hardware design that works across all global frequency bands (617-960MHz and, 1700-2200MHz), covering all existing commercial network deployments.

The math is straightforward: HD-FDD saves up to a few dollars per device for global deployments compared to traditional cellular designs based on FD-FDD architecture.

Beyond BOM costs, HD-FDD designs also simplify engineering requirements, reduce design size, improve sensitivity, allow lower power PA, lower inventory costs, enable faster time-to-market, and make logistics easier. Development teams can create and certify a single module, device, or variant that can be manufactured at scale, and companies can respond to global opportunities faster without worrying about hardware constraints.

Power: Extending Battery Life from Months to Years

A tracker that needs charging every few days isn’t practical for most applications. Imagine asking livestock farmers to charge cattle trackers weekly, or logistics companies to maintain batteries in thousands of shipping containers. Extended battery life is what makes tracking applications economically viable.

HD-FDD technology facilitates power improvements as well. This seemingly simple change has major real-world impact:

• An always connected pet tracker can run for months on a single battery instead of needing daily charging.

• Shipping container monitors last the entire journey across oceans without battery changes.

• Fleet telematics devices operate for years between service visits.

• Agricultural equipment trackers support full growing seasons in remote fields.

The difference comes down to how efficiently the device uses power when it’s not actively transmitting or receiving. While traditional cellular designs consume significant power even in standby mode, using a smart and power-efficient scheme allows micro-Ampere level (uA) power draw, while still maintaining connection to the cellular network.

For cellular solar-powered trackers, ultra-low power consumption means smaller, cheaper solar panels and smaller batteries. For disposable applications like single-use shipping loggers, batteries last the entire journey. For consumer devices, it means better user experiences and fewer customer complaints.

Size: Fitting Connectivity into Compact Form Factors

Trackers need to be small to be useful.

HD-FDD’s simplified architecture enables more compact designs. Without duplex filters, the entire circuit board shrinks. Size absolutely matters for pet collars, wearables, or other trackers that need to fit inside existing equipment.

Altair’s latest ALT1350 chipset integrates everything needed for complete tracking solution: cellular connectivity modem, host application processor, sensor hub, and positioning capabilities are all on a single chip.

The solution combines GPS, Cellular triangulation, and WiFi location and can switch between them automatically depending on whether the device is indoors or outdoors. This means accurate tracking everywhere without needing separate positioning hardware.

Global Coverage Without Compromise

HD-FDD enables a single device design that works globally, simplifying how companies approach international markets. Because the same hardware works everywhere, it’s much easier to track assets across borders.

And as global roaming agreements between operators expand, it’s now possible to deploy devices with a single connectivity provider that works across regions.

Altair’s leading cellular solutions support LTE-M and NB-IoT with 3GPP Release 14, including 3GPP Release 17 Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) support, which brings satellite connectivity into the picture so that devices stay connected even in remote areas where no terrestrial coverage is available.

Built for the 5G Era and Beyond

LTE-M and NB-IoT aren’t legacy technologies waiting to be phased out. They’re integral to 5G networks and is expected to remain supported through 2045. Network operators worldwide plan to support these low-power wide-area technologies because they address use cases that 5G broadband wasn’t designed to serve.

Companies making infrastructure investments today can count on network support for decades. Devices deployed now will continue working as networks evolve, without requiring hardware upgrades or technology migrations.

As the industry moves toward 5G eRedCap for medium-data rate IoT applications, HD-FDD technology will continue delivering the same cost, size and power benefits that have made it the standard for LTE-M and NB-IoT. The design principles proven in hundreds of millions of deployed low-power devices will extend to the next generation of cellular IoT.

Enabling the Next Billion Connections

Reaching 1 billion cellular IoT connections is impressive. Supporting the next billion, and the billion after that, requires technologies that scale. HD-FDD technology, as defined by the standard, addresses the fundamental challenges: reducing costs enough to make massive deployments economically viable, extending battery life enough to make maintenance practical, and enabling global coverage enough to make deployment simple.

For tracker applications specifically, these advantages make it feasible to track shipping containers across oceans, monitor agricultural equipment across vast farms, or keep pets safe with comfortable, long-lasting collars. They give logistics companies real-time visibility into supply chains, allow fleet managers to optimize operations, and help individuals stay connected to what matters most.

As we celebrate 1 billion connections, we’re really celebrating the innovation, standardization, and engineering that made massive-scale IoT deployments practical and economically sustainable.

And we’re just getting started.

The post Tracking at Scale: 1 Billion IoT Connections appeared first on Altair.

What if clinical-grade ECG monitoring could work as simply as applying a patch — with instant cellular connectivity built in to keep healthcare workers updated and protect patients?

Sony’s Altair and Texas Instruments have developed that solution in a revolutionary new device: ultra-low power ECG patches with edge AI capabilities that connect automatically to cellular networks – delivering hospital-grade cardiac data directly to healthcare providers without any patient setup or maintenance requirements.

Instant Connectivity Without Patient Intervention

The patches integrate Sony’s Altair ALT1350 System-on-Chip, which connects to the network securely the moment the patch comes into contact with skin. There’s no need for Bluetooth® pairing protocols or Wi-Fi configuration — although the patch offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections as a backup in case of a cellular network outage. Additionally, patients don’t need to download an app or use a specialized device. Everything is handled automatically.

Devices integrated from Texas Instruments include: TI’s CC3551 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth® Low Energy Module to TI’s CC3551E Wi-Fi + Bluetooth® Low Energy wireless MCU, general purpose MCU with integrated edge AI capabilities, and clinical precision biosensing from AFE1593 analog front end.

Edge AI processing enables the platform to assign priority to detected arrhythmias, add intelligence to data transmission scheduling, and determine appropriate protocols that optimize both power consumption and data availability. Through multichannel biosensing with automated lead-off detection and motion-tolerant algorithms, the precision analog front-end captures clinical-grade ECG signals. This integrated approach maintains hospital-quality signal acquisition even during normal daily activities.

Patients gain continuous cardiac surveillance for up to 14 days on a single charge, sufficient for most diagnostic protocols while eliminating patient interaction requirements. Healthcare providers receive real-time ECG data through secure cellular transmission, enabling immediate intervention when cardiac events occur.

Why Cellular IoT Changes Healthcare Monitoring

Current remote ECG solutions often require short-range Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity, which forces patients to pair devices, manage apps, or rely on smartphone batteries. Those dependencies can lead to data gaps or device failures, especially in emergencies or in situations where patients aren’t tech-savvy.

In contrast, cellular IoT solutions like the ALT1350 with integrated LTE-M and NB-IoT support and SIM-level security offer out-of-the-box device connectivity. Patients and caregivers don’t need to configure Wi-Fi or pair the device with a phone. It simply works securely and connects instantly wherever mobile networks operate.

This direct-to-cloud connectivity eliminates coverage gaps and ensures reliable, continuous data delivery to healthcare providers, reducing the risks of missed data due to dead phones, user error, or technical complexity. The result is improved care, faster intervention, and a better experience for both patients and clinicians.

Technical Integration for Medical-Grade Performance

The collaboration combines Sony’s Altair low-power cellular expertise with TI’s medical analog capabilities in a flexible, skin-conforming form factor. The solution delivers multichannel ECG acquisition with artifact reduction and real-time signal processing.

Power management optimizes battery performance through intelligent duty cycling and transmission scheduling. Rechargeable batteries support sustainable operations, while eco-friendly materials enable responsible manufacturing and disposal.

The integration meets medical standards for accuracy, data privacy, and biocompatibility while maintaining the ultra-thin profile required for patient comfort during extended wear periods.

Expanding Healthcare Access Through Reliable Connectivity

This cellular-first approach addresses persistent barriers in remote patient monitoring: geographic limitations, demographic accessibility, and emergency response capabilities.

Rural patients now have access to the same monitoring capabilities as urban patients with robust internet infrastructure. The always-on cellular connection eliminates coverage gaps that traditionally limit remote monitoring effectiveness.

Healthcare systems and patients benefit from reduced hospital re-admissions, earlier cardiac event detection, and the ability to monitor more patients remotely. Population health monitoring is now viable in areas where traditional telemedicine infrastructure remains limited.

The solution from Sony’s Altair and TI demonstrates how cellular IoT integration with precision analog technology can eliminate technical barriers that have prevented widespread adoption of remote cardiac monitoring. By prioritizing connectivity reliability over feature complexity, this collaboration enables clinical-grade heart health monitoring for patients regardless of their technical experience or geographic location.

The post How Sony’s Altair and Texas Instruments Are Bringing Connectivity and Edge AI to Remote Healthcare appeared first on Altair.

This choice can result in a $4–$5 per-device cost difference for global deployment scenarios, while also affecting power efficiency, signal quality, module dimensions, and design size and complexity. For product managers dealing with cost pressures and with performance requirements, understanding these trade-offs is crucial.

What LTE-M and NB-IoT Can Teach Us About HD-FDD 

This isn’t the first time the industry has faced such a decision. When the 3GPP introduced LTE-M and NB-IoT in Release 13, vendors could choose between FDD and HD-FDD architectures. The outcome was clear: HD-FDD became the dominant implementation, driven by cost, power, and integration advantages.

The $4–$5 Cost Penalty: Where FDD Expenses Add Up

FDD systems require duplexers—band-specific components that isolate transmit and receive frequencies. For global devices supporting 15+ bands across US, Europe, and Asia, this quickly scales:

• Regional single-carrier: +$1.5 per unit
• Multi-carrier: +$2 per unit
• Global SKU: +$4–$5 per unit

Beyond the duplexers themselves, FDD architecture requires additional RF switches as another BOM element, adding both cost and module area. Moreover, the addition of duplexers and switches increase signal loss, affecting both the transmitter path, requiring PA to transmit at higher power, and the receiver path, degrading signal-to-noise ratio, hence reducing cell coverage. 

HD-FDD avoids these issues entirely by ensuring only the transmitter or the receiver is active at any point in time, eliminating the need for costly SAW duplexers. This approach also requires fewer switches since there’s no need for separate RF paths per band (which FDD requires due to band-specific duplexers).

HD-FDD Enables Global Scalability 

By avoiding band-specific components (like duplexers) HD-FDD allows a single device to serve the global market, resulting in clear and meaningful cost reduction and development efficiency for product makers.

HD-FDD Improves Power, Coverage, and Signal Quality

• Power Efficiency: Up to 3x better efficiency in HD-FDD implementations compared to traditional FDD. This stems from both the TX/RX duty cycle and elimination of insertion losses on the transmitter side.

• Signal Received Quality (SNR): Removing duplexers and switches improves receiver sensitivity by 2–2.5 dB, directly enhancing signal-to-noise ratio performance.
  
• Coverage: HD-FDD enables coverage enhancement techniques for eRedCap that don’t exist in Cat 1bis. The improved received signal quality from eliminating RF losses directly translates to better cell coverage.

Sony’s live-network testing shows HD-FDD maintains live connections at coupling losses up to 154 dB utilizing Coverage Enhancement Mode A, significantly outperforming Cat 1bis devices, which disconnect from the network at around 145 dB MCL (Minimum Coupling Loss).

Short-Term Compatibility vs. Long-Term Efficiency

Despite HD-FDD’s proven benefits, adoption hasn’t been automatic. Many infrastructure teams default to FDD not because it’s better—but because it feels safer. It aligns with existing deployment patterns (e.g. 4G Cat 1bis), minimizes perceived friction, and avoids any potential need for infrastructure tweaks.

But that caution may come at a cost.

The shift to HD-FDD does require updated network scheduling algorithms and planning, but these software-based changes proved feasible during LTE-M deployments and NB-IoT rollouts. These updates are crucial to enable the dramatic cost saving, power reduction, and performance improvement discussed above. 

For device makers, that creates a decision fork that becomes harder to reverse as eRedCap deployments scale: play it safe and lock in higher BOM costs for years, or align with the architectural path that’s already proven itself in prior IoT deployments. The risk isn’t in choosing HD-FDD—it’s in sticking with FDD until the market moves without you.

A Real-World Scenario: The Global Deployment Dilemma

Consider a global operator deploying asset trackers across logistics networks spanning urban centers with strong 5G coverage and rural areas where coverage remains sparse. 

An FDD approach requires the user to choose between regional-based SKUs for limited geographical coverage or an expensive global SKU, inflating per-unit costs while still necessitating 4G fallback for coverage gaps. 

Meanwhile, an HD-FDD implementation with OneSKU architecture reduces Bill Of Materials (BOM) costs significantly while enabling coverage enhancement techniques unavailable in fallback Cat 1 or Cat 1bis technologies—potentially reducing the coverage gap that created the fallback requirement in the first place.

Why This Architectural Decision Will Define Your Product’s ROI

“If you choose FDD today, your customers will pay more tomorrow,” explains Igor Tovberg, Director, Product Marketing and Strategic Partnerships at Sony Semiconductor Israel. “While HD-FDD may require upfront planning, it unlocks global flexibility, lower BOM, and better performance over the entire lifecycle.” In fact, HD-FDD enables truly global coverage across all cellular bands allocated for IoT applications in FR1 with a single hardware design.

In other words, device makers who commit to HD-FDD now can differentiate on both cost and performance as eRedCap matures. Those who default to FDD for short-term ease may find themselves boxed into expensive, region-specific SKUs that lose their edge.

What Leading eRedCap Vendors Are Doing Next

The 5G eRedCap market is at a tipping point. HD-FDD offers a rare combination of proven efficiency, lower cost, small form factor, and global scalability. The industry has already proven this approach works—LTE-M and NB-IoT’s success came directly from choosing HD-FDD over FDD alternatives.

Companies willing to make a bold, technically sound choice today will be positioned to lead tomorrow’s IoT deployments—especially as volumes ramp up and margins shrink.

The post The Hidden Cost of FDD in 5G eRedCap: Why HD-FDD Is Your Competitive Edge appeared first on Altair.

Traditional satellite connectivity has been prohibitively expensive and constrained by proprietary hardware and legacy protocols. This has had far-reaching consequences: limited connectivity not only restricts economic, recreational, and educational opportunities but can also be a critical factor in life-or-death situations where emergency services are delayed or unavailable. 

Most LTE-M and NB-IoT devices today were built for terrestrial networks. That makes sense — until you need coverage offshore, deep in a forest, or across international borders where cellular infrastructure gets spotty.  Coverage gaps can be both macro and micro.  Here’s the good news for device makers: if your device runs on Sony Altair’s ALT1250 chipset, it can already connect to Skylo’s commercially available satellite network that is now operating in 36 countries worldwide. The collaboration between Sony Semiconductor Israel (Sony) and Skylo makes Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) capabilities commercially available today.

The Coverage Gap Problem

Traditional IoT works well where cellular networks exist. But significant gaps remain — oil and gas pipelines, energy transmission lines, remote agricultural areas, maritime shipping routes, mining operations, and emergency response zones. Geographic gaps in coverage limit what’s possible. For example, asset tracking stops at the cell tower’s edge. Environmental monitoring skips the places that need it most. Emergency services lose connectivity in rural areas. Cellular networks are inherently designed for where people live, yet 85% of the earth surface lacks terrestrial connectivity.  For applications that need truly global connectivity, hybrid solutions that combine satellite with terrestrial connectivity can drastically expand the opportunity.

Beyond the enhanced opportunities in expanded coverage, device vendors desire to ship globally without the potential limitations of network coverage.  This simplifies and optimizes their supply chains to maximize the impact for their customers.

NTN Integration: Why The Sony+Skylo Partnership Works

Sony’s Altair ALT1250 provides a comprehensive hardware foundation with its dual-mode LTE-M/NB-IoT chipset featuring a dedicated integrated user MCU, embedded GNSS for location applications, and integrated SIM (iSIM). This enables single-profile operation for both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.

The chipset’s ultra-low power design achieves microampere-range average current consumption, optimized for long-lasting battery-operated devices. This enables years of battery life for always-reachable tracking applications and more than 15 years of continuous operation in smart metering applications.

Reliable global cellular and satellite communication is maintained even in challenging RF environments through standard 23dBm transmission power with Power Class 3 (PC3) implementation.

Skylo provides the network infrastructure and services to make global NTN connectivity practical and commercially successful.

Instead of designing separate products for different coverage scenarios, a singular ALT1250-based hardware platform handles both terrestrial and satellite connectivity through Skylo’s network.  Embedding Skylo connectivity into an iSIM with a single profile that contains both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, extends the range of out-of the box connectivity for solutions based on ALT1250.  This unlocks new regions, territories, use cases and monetization options. 

The ALT1250’s OneSKU design philosophy extends to NTN support. Device makers can build one product that adapts to various networks based on availability: terrestrial cellular (TN – Terrestrial Network), Skylo satellite (NTN – Non-Terrestrial Network), or hybrid connectivity (TN+NTN).

Adding NTN support to existing ALT1250-based devices expands their geographic reach and utility significantly:

• NTN support enables users to connect devices anywhere satellites can reach for complete, uninterrupted geographic coverage. 
• Communication continues even when terrestrial networks fail, providing fallback connectivity. 
• Assets can be followed through areas with different cellular standards, enabling true cross-border tracking on a global scale.
• Sensors can be placed where terrestrial infrastructure isn’t practical, allowing remote deployment in previously inaccessible locations.

Key Strategies for NTN Integration

Successfully extending existing NB-IoT devices to support NTN requires several adjustments:

• Protocol modifications: NTN introduces higher latency of seconds vs. 10s of milliseconds with terrestrial NB-IoT networks and therefore does not support connection oriented TCP protocol. This increased delay is further exacerbated by the Doppler shift caused by the rapid relative motion between the satellite and the ground device, requiring advanced compensation techniques at both ends to maintain signal integrity. Additionally, bandwidth constraints on satellite links often restrict overall throughput, while signal fade due to atmospheric conditions, obstacles, or even satellite movement can lead to intermittent connectivity and necessitate retransmissions, all contributing to the overall perceived latency and impacting data delivery performance. Therefore, utilizing Non-IP Data Delivery instead of UDP can still reduce bandwidth costs and improve performance by streamlining data transmission over these inherently complex satellite links.  Applications need to account for this and can reduce bandwidth consumption and improve performance over satellite links.
• Power consumption optimization: Satellite communications typically require longer transmission times and more complex link acquisition processes. Sony’s Altair ALT1250 addresses this challenge with industry-leading ultra-low power consumption that significantly extends battery life even during satellite operations. Its advanced power management capabilities ensure devices operate efficiently whether connecting via terrestrial networks or Skylo’s satellite network.
• Antenna considerations: The ALT1250 supports the specific frequency bands utilized by Skylo services, including 3GPP Standard NTN bands: B252 (S-band, 2GHz), B255 (L-band, 1.6GHz ) and B256 (S-band, 2GHz). A typical LTE antenna is capable of supporting both TN and NTN, though, depending on your current design performance, antenna optimization for these bands might be needed.
• Software updates: Firmware needs to handle handoffs between terrestrial and satellite networks, manage power consumption during longer transmission cycles, and optimize for satellite link characteristics. This control is in your hands.

Use Cases and Real-World Success

NTN integration opens up a variety of new use cases, and companies are already successfully deploying these capabilities:

• Maritime logistics companies can now track shipping containers across oceans where cellular coverage doesn’t exist. 75% of the globe is covered with water, which results in vast expanses of uncovered areas. An NTN integration allows companies to monitor shipping containers and valuable assets as they approach hundreds of nautical miles from ports, decreasing the risk of asset loss in vulnerable cargo transit zones
• Agricultural operations are able to monitor soil conditions and equipment in remote farms. With satellite-enabled devices, organizations can ensure that they have continual coverage and reliable connectivity to monitor crops and livestock, track soil moisture, and have access to data across broad land areas. Farmers having access to the data can enable them to take corrective action right away decreasing the risk of stunting optimal plant growth or animal illness enabling them to reduce risk while increasing yield and scalability.   
• Utility companies can deploy a single smart meter SKU and ensure that those meters have even in areas without cellular coverage.Also during catastrophic events such as an earthquake or hurricane, cellular connected meters that lose coverage can switch to Satellite and report on abnormal usage such as a gas or water leak, enabling the utility to shutoff valves and prevent further disasters. This enables them to have data insights and dramatically reduce risk. Utilities can have access to uninterrupted, ubiquitous and reliable data.
• Emergency services are able to ensure communication availability during disasters. Often, cellular coverage lapses during severe weather or other emergency situations. Equipping emergency services with satellite-enabled devices means that they will always have access to critical communication. This ensures that they can better assist those in danger and stay safe themselves.
• The Oil & Gas industry can benefit from ubiquitous and reliable connectivity in the most remote and challenging environments where traditional cellular or wired infrastructure is absent. This enables continuous monitoring of critical assets like pipelines, wellheads, and remote storage tanks, facilitating real-time data collection for pressure, temperature, flow rates, and environmental conditions, which is crucial for preventative maintenance, leak detection, and operational efficiency. Furthermore, it supports enhanced safety by allowing lone worker communication and emergency response capabilities in isolated fields, ensuring that personnel can always connect for critical alerts or assistance, thereby minimizing risks and optimizing remote operations across the vast and often unserved landscapes of oil and gas exploration and production.
• Skylo’s Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) service provides essential, contiguous and continuous connectivity for the diverse and often geographically dispersed assets within the broader energy industry, including renewable energy farms (solar, wind), remote grid infrastructure, and utility networks. This enables critical real-time data transmission from isolated solar panels, wind turbines, substations, and transmission lines, facilitating predictive maintenance, optimizing performance, and ensuring grid stability across vast, unserved territories. Beyond operational efficiency, Skylo’s NTN enhances safety and security by supporting continuous surveillance and emergency communication for field personnel in hazardous or inaccessible locations, ultimately empowering intelligent energy management and resilience across the entire generation, transmission, and distribution spectrum.

Conclusion

Extending NB-IoT devices to incorporate Non-Terrestrial Network capabilities significantly expands their operational reach and unlocks new use cases, new revenue streams, and new insights. By considering application layer protocol adaptations, antenna optimization, and software updates developers can ensure seamless operation in both terrestrial and non-terrestrial environments. This can significantly increase the addressable market for NB-IoT devices.

Get started now by evaluating Skylo Certified ALT1250 based NTN Evaluation Kits (EVKs):

• Quectel BG770A-SN: Digi-Key, Mouser
• Murata Type 1 SC: Monogoto, Mouser, Arrow, Future
• Semtech HL7810: Digi-Key
• Semtech HL7812: Digi-Key

A dual mode, LTE-M/NB-IoT Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial (NTN) solution, based on Sony’s Altair ALT1250 chipset, is available and commercially shipping to the mass market.

The combination of Sony Altair’s 1250 chipset and Skylo’s global standards based, Non-terrestrial network, allows device manufacturers to simply add this new connectivity medium to their hardware, expanding their footprint, capabilities, customer impact and revenue.

The post How Existing Cellular IoT Devices Reach Satellite Networks Today appeared first on Altair.

RED DA (EN 18031) isn’t news — chipset vendors have been tracking the EU’s regulatory tightening for years. But there’s a big difference between knowing what’s coming and being ready for it. With enforcement tied to CE certification, and a realistic compliance deadline of February 2026 (the formal date is August 2025; there is a 6-month grace period), any device that can’t prove EN 18031 compliance will be blocked from being sold in the European market.

And this isn’t just a firmware issue. While some requirements can be addressed through software updates, key compliance areas demand hardware foundations that must be built into the SoC from the start. You must have hardware-based secure boot capabilities to ensure trusted device startup. You need dedicated secure storage for encryption keys and sensitive data. You need hardware support for signed OTA updates to maintain security throughout the device lifecycle.

For device makers using chipsets that lack these hardware foundations, compliance isn’t a matter of a software patch — it requires a fundamental platform change. With chip development timelines running 18-24 months, the window to make that shift is closing fast.

Designed for Security, Not Scrambling to Add It

At Sony Semiconductor Israel, the importance of security was clear from the very beginning. Long before any specific regulations were in place, the team recognized the need for strong foundational security mechanisms in any secure SoC. These core protections were built into the chip architecture more than seven years ago, laying the groundwork for future compliance and resilience. 

Indeed, Sony’s Altair ALT1250 and ALT1350 were built around a security-oriented design philosophy: embed the complex security foundations directly into the silicon, so device makers can focus their engineering resources on the features that differentiate their products.

Sony’s early commitment to hardware-based security puts the Altair IOT modems in a strong position for EN 18031 compliance. These SoCs already deliver the state-of-the-art security mechanisms that the regulation demands — not as an afterthought, but as core functionality that’s been validated in production deployments.

Security by Design: How Built-In Foundations Simplify Compliance

Sony’s Altair ALT1250 and ALT1350 include the foundational security mechanisms that EN 18031 requires — built into the hardware rather than bolted on afterward. This approach minimizes the compliance work required at the device level, allowing OEMs to focus on integration rather than rebuilding security from scratch.

You Can’t Build This in 2025

Hardware security isn’t something you can add in a sprint. Security mechanisms need to be part of the initial SoC architecture — adding them in after the fact is expensive and can negatively impact other chip performance indicators. Even tacking on a discrete secure element can disrupt form factor and introduce supply chain complexity. Most importantly, after-the-fact fixes simply don’t address all the requirements. Security foundations must be an integral part of the SoC itself.

If your current SoC can’t support the regulatory requirements, you’re facing a fundamental platform decision. Device redesigns typically run 18-24 months, and that timeline assumes that you have access to a compliant chipset. 

With Sony’s Altair ALT1250 and ALT1350 you have a foundation that enables compliance. The security mechanisms are built into the SoC, validated in production deployments, and backed by a team with deep expertise in both cellular connectivity and security implementation.

Security, Delivered — So You Can Focus on What Comes Next

Compliance is just one part of what device makers need. Sony’s Altair ALT-series SoCs are designed to support global deployment, ultra-low power use, and high-efficiency connectivity — all while providing the secure foundation required by modern regulations.

We don’t just sell chips. We help device makers bring secure, scalable, regulation-ready products to market faster — without reinventing the wheel.

Connect with our module partners to see how these security-ready SoCs can simplify your path to EU market readiness.

The post RED DA (EN 18031) Ready: Why Sony’s Cellular IoT SoCs Were Built for This Moment appeared first on Altair.

For IoT applications, connectivity is absolutely vital, and cellular connectivity provides the ideal combination of geographic coverage, bandwidth, performance and security. Cellular connectivity was almost made for IoT, particularly as IoT-specific technologies, such as low power wide area networks, expand the advantages of cellular IoT to an increasing number of devices and applications globally.

Furthermore, iSIMs – which directly integrates the SIM onto chipsets (such as Sony’s ALT1250 and ALT1350) – greatly simplify the device connectivity process. iSIM improves battery life and drives down the overall cost of implementing LPWA into a device, as well as providing the same level of security as traditional SIMs. This allows for more compact designs due to the removal of a physical SIM.   That, together with Vodafone IoT’s LPWA global roaming footprint, addresses many difficult barriers for businesses wanting to effectively deploy global LPWA solutions.

What is cellular LPWA?

Cellular LPWA is a network capability dedicated to IoT. It comes in two main variants: NB-IoT and LTE-M. Both offer a range of functionality ideally suited to smaller, battery powered devices that need to transmit smaller packets of data. These networks are especially good where devices are hard to reach – such as being located underground or deep in buildings. 

However, these features really come into their own when they are accessible with many network partners in many countries – to provide global coverage.  As a pioneer in LPWA, Vodafone IoT has built out a global network for LPWA, bringing together network access from multiple mobile operators to allow customers to get the benefits of LPWA countries all over the world.

LTE-M/NB-IoT for IoT goes global – why roaming agreements matter for IoT

The expansion of LTE-M/NB-IoT roaming agreements has transformed global IoT connectivity by enabling devices to operate seamlessly across multiple countries. Unlike traditional cellular technologies, LTE-M and NB-IoT deployments have variations across regions, leading to differences in coverage availability. This poses challenges for industries which are reliant on continuous connectivity, such as supply chain tracking, fleet management, and global asset tracking. However, with Vodafone IoT’s range of LPWA roaming agreements, devices can maintain consistent connectivity without the need for costly multi-SIM configurations or complex regional adaptations.

Addressing global coverage gaps

LTE-M and NB-IoT networks continue to expand, but coverage remains inconsistent in some regions. To address this, leading MNOs have entered into strategic international partnerships to enhance their network reach – such as Vodafone IoT’s recent network agreements in the Middle East. These collaborations are helping to bridge coverage gaps, ensuring that IoT devices maintain continuous connectivity regardless of location, whilst fully compliant with regional regulations.

A crucial aspect that supports this expansion is the use of Half-Duplex Frequency Division Duplexing (HD-FDD) in LTE-M/NB-IoT hardware design. This technology allows a single hardware design to support all global frequency bands, simplifying operations and deployment. By enabling a single module to operate across different regions without hardware modifications, HD-FDD ensures that IoT devices can leverage new roaming markets seamlessly.

Vodafone has an extensive global portfolio of network agreements, which gives customers access to over 130 LPWA networks worldwide. By leveraging such agreements, businesses can simplify IoT deployments, reduce operational complexities, and enhance service reliability by using one network provider that is able to connect assets globally. This is particularly crucial for applications requiring ubiquitous coverage, such as logistics and smart agriculture, where devices traverse multiple network territories.

Future outlook: A unified cellular IoT ecosystem

As LTE-M and NB-IoT continues to gain traction, the number of roaming agreements will play a crucial role in shaping the future of cellular LPWA for IoT.

For chipset providers like Sony, the expansion of LTE-M/NB-IoT coverage presents an opportunity to drive even more innovation and create innovative solutions. One example is that iSIM combines the benefits of LPWA with a SIM format that enables smaller IoT devices that consume even less power.

Sony and Vodafone IoT’s partnership brings together a world-class, secure system-on-chip with an extensive LPWA cellular connectivity footprint, to address the complexities faced by device developers, manufacturers and customers. The adoption of iSIM accelerates time-to-market for devices and delivers operational, financial and performance advantages. The combination of LPWA and iSIM backed by two of the biggest names in IoT, brings the benefits of IoT to even more customers, making IoT easier to design, deploy and operate at scale and around the world.

The post Expanding Global IoT Connectivity through iSIM and LPWA networks appeared first on Altair.

Cellular IoT is everywhere — monitoring city infrastructure, tracking assets, measuring agricultural data, and reading smart meters. Scaling IoT brings critical challenges: devices need to be both affordable and reliable. They must run for years on a single battery, meet carrier-grade standards, and work flawlessly everywhere — from city centers to remote locations, where maintenance isn’t an option. When a single device failure can eliminate ROI, there’s no room for compromise.

Sony Semiconductor Israel has pioneered cellular IoT technology, leveraging proven approaches like HD-FDD — a fundamental technology in LTE-M and NB-IoT with proven benefits that make it essential for future IoT standards. With over a decade of experience, SSI knows how to help device vendors build competitive products that meet real-world demands.

The Evolution of IoT Device Requirements

Today’s cellular IoT landscape divides into two main categories: LTE-M and NB-IoT serve low-power wide-area (LPWA) applications, while emerging 5G standards like eRedCap address mid-range IoT use cases. Traditional cellular devices prioritize high throughput and network capacity, but IoT applications require:

• Cost efficiency for large-scale deployments
• Extended battery life for remote operations
• Global scalability across different regions and networks
• Reliable coverage, including in challenging environments

These requirements drive innovation in device design, particularly in RF front-end architecture.

HD-FDD: A Simplified Approach to RF Design

FDD systems work like a two-lane highway — one lane for incoming traffic, one for outgoing, running simultaneously. This operation mode requires complex design on the device side, including duplex filters to manage RF signals. HD-FDD still uses separate frequencies for downlink and uplink like FDD, but doesn’t transmit and receive at the same time. 

This simpler device design eliminates the need for duplex filters, which maintains signal quality while reducing costs and complexity, making it more cost-effective and efficient for many applications.

With this simplified RF architecture, HD-FDD delivers four key advantages:

• Reduced bill of materials (BOM) cost through eliminated components
• Improved power consumption and reduced peak current 
• Enhanced flexibility for global deployment across regions
• Simplified PCB design for more efficient manufacturing

Quantifiable Benefits for Device Vendors

For IoT device manufacturers competing in tight-margin markets, HD-FDD’s technical advantages translate directly to business results. The simplified design reduces development risks, accelerates time to market, and enables profitable scaling — especially critical when rapid deployment can make or break market success.

HD-FDD delivers four core business advantages:

1. Lower Production Costs
   • Significant cost savings per unit by eliminating SAW/BAW duplexers
   • Reduced manufacturing complexity through simpler PCB design
   • Lower inventory costs with single SKU design
     
     
2. Reduced Time to Market
   • Faster development cycles with simplified RF design
   • Single global certification process instead of regional variants
   • Reduced validation time through proven technology
     
     
3. Performance at Scale
   • Extended battery life through superior power efficiency
   • Improved coverage with enhanced receiver sensitivity
   • Simplified thermal management with lower peak power consumption
     
     
4. Global Scalability & Future-Readiness
   • One design for worldwide markets
   • Ready for emerging 5G IoT standards
   • Proven in millions of devices globally
   • Full support from SSI’s development tools and expertise
     
     

Implementation Considerations

While HD-FDD delivers significant advantages, successful implementation requires careful attention to three key design challenges: 

• RF design quality. Today’s IoT chips pack multiple functions — baseband, RF, MCU, and location capabilities — onto a single chip. Traditional designs use SAW filters to clean up RF signals, but HD-FDD’s filter-free approach requires a different strategy.
  
  Think of it like a professional recording studio versus a podcast setup: without specialized filtering equipment, you need excellent baseline sound quality. Similarly, HD-FDD demands fundamentally clean RF design from the start.
  
  SSI addresses these design challenges through both hardware and software innovations, ensuring clean signal quality without relying on expensive filtering components.
  
  
• Timing and Switching. HD-FDD’s approach of alternating between sending and receiving creates a unique challenge: The system needs to smoothly switch between different frequencies while maintaining precise timing. This requires accurate control of the RF systems, particularly during the crucial moments of switching between transmission and reception.

• Performance Integration. Making these elements work together efficiently is key to unlocking HD-FDD’s benefits. While the technical implementation is complex, the result is straightforward: Device vendors get the cost and power advantages of HD-FDD while maintaining the reliable performance their products demand.

Getting RF design right creates lasting competitive advantage through both cost structure and performance — setting products apart from designs that rely on expensive components.

Recent advances in semiconductor technology, such as Sony’s ALT1350 cellular IoT chipset, demonstrate how these challenges can be effectively addressed while maximizing the benefits of HD-FDD architecture: Reduced BOM costs through eliminating SAW/BAW filters, enhanced power efficiency for longer battery life, and proven RF performance that meets carrier certification requirements worldwide. 

For vendors, this means faster time to market with globally deployable products that maintain high performance while reducing production costs.

Looking Ahead: HD-FDD in 5G IoT

5G IoT is coming, and HD-FDD technology is already part of the 5G ecosystem through LTE-M and NB-IoT, proving its value for IoT applications. Given HD-FDD’s success in these deployments, SSI believes strongly that it should be adopted in 5G Release 18 eRedCap for next-generation IoT products.

The math is simple: When you’re scaling from thousands to millions of IoT devices, small cost savings create major competitive advantages. HD-FDD’s specific technical features for 5G — including 5MHz bandwidth support and relaxed coexistence conditions — help vendors hit the market’s demanding targets:

• Lower per-unit production costs
• Extended battery life
• Reliable performance at scale
• Global deployment capability

Partnering with SSI means accessing both cutting-edge technology and proven IoT expertise. As enterprises roll out large-scale IoT deployments, they need solutions that balance strict budgets with carrier-grade performance. HD-FDD technology delivers exactly what it takes to win and execute these contracts.

The post HD-FDD: Enabling Cost-Effective, Power-Efficient IoT Device Design appeared first on Altair.

Sony’s ALT1250 chipset, already available for commercial devices, supports satellite (NTN) L-Band operation, standardized in 3GPP as band 255.

The addition of L-band terrestrial band support, i.e., 3GPP Band 24, enables commercial IoT devices to operate on the L-band in both TN and NTN (non-terrestrial network) modes, with the potential to significantly improve availability and efficiency through a more seamless transition of devices between satellite and terrestrial network components.

IoT terminals can be connected to terrestrial networks when within terrestrial coverage areas and switch smoothly to satellite operation within the same L-band spectrum when outside of terrestrial coverage. This dual-mode capability opens up a world of possibilities for IoT applications across various industries.

Use Cases for dual mode TN/NTN operation for IoT

The integration of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) with IoT devices enables a wide range of applications that were previously challenging or impossible to implement. Some key use cases include:

Asset Tracking: Global tracking of high-value assets, shipping containers, and vehicles across remote areas.

Agriculture: Monitoring crop health, soil conditions, and livestock in rural and remote farmlands.

Environmental Monitoring: Collecting data from sensors in forests, oceans, and other hard-to-reach locations for climate research and natural disaster prediction.

Maritime and Aviation: Ensuring continuous connectivity for ships and aircraft, enabling real-time monitoring and communication.

Emergency Services: Providing reliable communication in disaster-stricken areas where terrestrial networks may be compromised.

Utility Networks: Mostly relying on terrestrial coverage with public and private networks, device will be able to communicate thorough satellites in case of poor coverage or network outage.

The Power of NTN for IoT

NTN technology offers several advantages for IoT applications:

Coverage: Extending far beyond the reach of terrestrial networks, satellite NTN networks provide ubiquitous and always-on connectivity over a much wider area than traditional wireless network.

Reliability: NTN provides an additional layer of network reliability, ensuring critical endpoints maintain service continuity and operate seamlessly across networks.

Cost-Effectiveness: Using 3GPP standards-based technology, mobile satellite service providers can leverage mobile terrestrial volumes, making use of mainstream, low-cost IoT chipsets and devices which support both satellite and terrestrial connectivity. This approach minimizes the cost differential between terrestrial-only and hybrid terrestrial/satellite devices.

Efficient Resource Utilization: The dual-mode capability allows for the most efficient use of resources, seamlessly switching between terrestrial and satellite networks as needed.

Outlook for L-Band Technology

In the US, L-band is unique in that it is licensed and standardized for both satellite and terrestrial use. While terrestrial L-band networks are currently not deployed in the United States, Sony’s enhanced band support ensures that the device ecosystem is ready today and can be activated when networks are ready.

Using 3GPP standards-based technology, mobile satellite service providers can leverage mobile terrestrial volumes, making use of mainstream, low-cost IoT chipsets and devices which support both satellite and terrestrial connectivity. This approach minimizes the cost differential between terrestrial-only and hybrid terrestrial/satellite devices.

Extending far beyond the reach of terrestrial networks, the satellite NTN networks provide ubiquitous and always-on connectivity over a much wider area than traditional wireless networks. 3GPP standards-based devices allow critical endpoints to maintain service continuity, operate seamlessly across networks, and enable the most efficient use of resources while providing an additional layer of network reliability.

The post Dual Mode (Satellite/Terrestrial) IoT terminals have the potential to revolutionize the IoT industry appeared first on Altair.