New-Tech Europe | May 2017

Wireless Special Edition

temperatures, humidity and vibration. u-blox has also been a thought leader with the introduction of NB-IoT, a technology that improves coverage and signal penetration, while extending the battery life of deployed smart meters. It simplifies the design, operation and maintenance of smart metering networks and grids, thereby helping reduce the total cost of smart metering roll-outs.

deployments, the utility ecosystem is already transitioning to 4G LTE connectivity. This shift is being driven by two factors. The first is the product and infrastructure longevity offered by LTE technology, and the second is the introduction of specific versions of the LTE specification, such as Category 1, Category M1 and Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT). These introduce bandwidth, latency and power consumption performance that are optimized for the use cases of AMI. Looking ahead The availability of proven cellular communications modules can speed time-to-market and enables the creation of innovative solutions in metering markets. Future developments, such as LTE Cat 1, Cat M1 and NB-IoT promise even more exciting advances and pave the way for the transition from basic smart metering to an era of efficient wireless

connectivity between multiple new categories of smart IoT sensors. This will enable those in the utilities industry to rapidly experiment with new business models by making relatively minor investments, compared to the costs and timescales that would be involved traditionally. u-blox has a full line-up of cellular communication modules that can enable smart metering systems globally. This includes the 2G SARA-G and 3G SARA-U product families used in gas, water and standalone electricity metering installations, alongside the LARA-R, TOBY-R, and SARA-R series, which support LTE Cat 1 and Cat M1 standards for smart gateways systems. u-blox is committed to the smart metering market, with an ATEX- certified cellular portfolio and manufacturing based on ISO 16785 to fulfill industry-specific rugged specifications, such as for operation in environments with extreme

Diego Grassi joined the Product Strategy team in the Product Center Cellular at u-blox AG in July 2014. He is responsible for the development of Industrial, Retail & Enterprise markets. Prior to joining u-blox, he held positions in product marketing, business development and strategic marketing in Semiconductors companies such as Micron, Numonyx and STMicroelectronics. There, he managed multiple demand generation and ecosystem enabling programs at worldwide level in the segments of telecom, consumer and industrial electronics. Diego Grassi has a technical background in industrial electronics and holds a university degree with a focus on economics of the information.

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