Telit announced Monday that the ME910C1-WW is the initial module certified by AT&T for its recently launched NB-IoT network. The ME910C1-WW also operates on the carrier’s complementary LTE-M Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) network for the Internet of Things.
The ME910C1-WW enables a variety of devices, including smart meters, point-of-sale terminals, industrial sensors, asset management, healthcare monitors and home automation systems. Features such as Power Saving Mode (PSM) and extended Discontinuous Reception (eDRX) enabled by both AT&T LPWA networks make the ME910C1-WW ideal for IoT applications that require low power, long battery life.
The ME910C1-WW provides reliable connections even when IoT devices are in hard-to-reach locations. The radio frequency front-end (RFFE) engineering provides the module with superior performance across the entire industrial-grade operating temperature range from -40°C to +85°C.
The ME910C1 is an LTE UE Category M1/NB1 device with maximum downlink and uplink data rate in the range of 300kbps. This next generation of products supports the new features specified by 3GPP to boost IoT applications, and allow devices to wake up periodically to deliver only very small amounts of data to the network and then go back to sleep for
most of the time, thus allowing longer battery operation. Enhanced coverage, with up to +15dB/+20dB in maximum coupling loss (MCL) compared to the other cellular tech- nologies, is also one of the key benefits of this new LTE flavour. LTE Cat M1/NB1 devices are therefore optimized in cost, size and power consumption compared to higher UE categories. These advantages make the ME910C1 the perfect platform to enable a quick implementation of LTE technology in IoT/M2M where low cost and low power are more relevant than high speed.
The ME910C1 helps increase the addressable market for LTE technology to include a broad range of new applica- tions and use cases best served with lower maximum data rate, ultra-low power, reduced complexity and cost. Some examples are smart meters, industrial sensors, healthcare monitors, home automation, asset tracker and many more low data rate IoT devices.
The ME910C1 is offered in differ- ent band configurations for deployment in North America (Verizon and AT&T 4G networks), and in EMEA, the latter with dual mode Cat M1/NB1 (NB-IoT) capability. It is highly recommended for new designs, but also in particular as a migration path for existing GPRS or CDMA devices, both new and updated designs benefit from a significant extension in lifecycle with LTE Cat M1/NB1.
According to GSMA, 110+ LTE-M and NB-IoT commercial networks have been launched globally. The combination of NB-IoT and LTE-M capabilities into a single multi-mode module will give customers more access to these networks as they deploy IoT globally. Manufacturers will also be able to create modules with a single SKU that will enable enterprise customers to seamlessly manage products across global networks.
The ME910C1-WW supports global LTE bands as well as 2G fallback and is available for use with carriers in North America, Europe, Japan, China, Australia and other geographies. This enables IoT device manufacturers to apply their ME910C1-WW-based designs quickly and cost-effectively to IoT solutions for sale in other countries worldwide.
The ME910C1-WW module is a member of Telit’s xE910 family and can be applied as a drop-in replacement in existing devices based on the family’s modules for 2G, 3G and all categories of LTE. With Telit’s design-once-use-anywhere philosophy, developers can cut costs and development time by simply designing around the xE910 LGA common form factor, giving them the freedom to deploy technologies ideal for the application’s environment.
“The Telit ME910C1-WW is already certified for use on AT&T’s LTE-M IoT network, and now it’s the first module certified for its new NB-IoT network,” said Manish Watwani, chief marketing and product officer, Telit. “These firsts highlight our commitment to enabling IoT device designers, manufacturers and their customers to take advantage of AT&T’s latest and greatest network technologies.”
“Our NB-IoT and LTE-M networks deliver advanced services and capabilities for the IoT that include coverage extension, improved battery life and lower module and service costs,” said Chris Penrose, president for IoT Solutions at AT&T. “With the recent launch of our NB-IoT network, we’re moving rapidly to make these advantages a reality for our business customers. Telit’s multi-mode module will play a critical role.”
