Ken Briodagh – IoT Evolution
In a pair of announcements, Altair Semiconductor, provider of LTE chipsets, has made public a pair of strategic deals, with Geotab to power vehicle GPS and with T-Mobile to operate on that carrier’s network, that will advance its influence in the IoT industry.
With Geotab, a global provider of open IoT fleet management solutions, Altair has agreed to power the next generation of Geotab’s GPS vehicle tracking devices operating on AT&T’s 4G LTE network. Designed for telematics applications, the Altair CAT-1 chipset will allow Geotab to offer customers the advanced connectivity and longevity provided by LTE-enabled telematics.
“Low data rate LTE technology is perfectly suited for our telematics applications. Altair’s chipset addresses the low power consumption requirement while providing a highly cost effective yet future proof solution for our telematics products that are designed to last 7-10 years, or in some cases the entire vehicle lifecycle,” said Neil Cawse, CEO, Geotab. “We are excited to collaborate with both Altair and AT&T to provide our customers with efficient LTE-capable telematics solutions.”
Meanwhile, the company has had its ALT1160 CAT-1 LTE for IoT chipset certified to run over T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network, and at the same time added the chipset as an option for T-Mobile’s IoT access packs, which combine simple IoT pricing with industry-leading CAT-1 chips. This chipset certification on the T-Mobile network was accomplished to improve product makers’ time-to-market and reduce the cost associated with the introduction of new LTE devices on the network.
“Completing certification with T-Mobile is a significant achievement for Altair, and we look forward to supporting the roll-out of new LTE-optimized devices on their network,” said Eran Eshed, Co-founder and VP, Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Altair. “This latest certification attests to the quality and market value of our solution, and further enhances our leading position in the U.S. LTE market.”
“The wireless industry wants to make everything complicated, including connectivity platforms for the Internet of Things,” said Doug Chartier, SVP, MVNO, M2M and IoT, T-Mobile. “Our IoT Access packs provide customers with a simple, low-cost solution for launching their devices on our 4G LTE nationwide network.”
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