LTE for automotive applications

Guest post by Charles Sturman and Carl Fenger, u-blox.
The 4G-enabled car is the next hot “consumer device”
Fig. 1: LTE is enabling a new generation of high-speed video-rich in-vehicle applications and servicesAt the 2014 CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics trade show held annually in Las Vegas, there was a clear emphasis on intelligent, broadband connected cars.
All the major automotive suppliers were showcasing cars with sophisticated navigation and infotainment. To a large extent, the key technology enabling these innovations is 4G LTE.
LTE possesses the speed, low latency and IP-connectivity (voice, video and data are all transmitted over IP), to enable a whole new generation of high-quality in-vehicle applications supporting attractive video-rich communication, navigation, information, entertainment and location-based services for driver and passengers.
The speed and guaranteed quality of service of LTE as compared to previous generation cellular standards improves vehicle instrumentation systems dramatically: not only in the types and sophistication of services available, but also the quality of the services. Perhaps the most visible innovation is seamless, high definition, low-latency, multi-channel video streaming, just like that experienced at home on a large HD television.
For the automobile industry where profit margins on vehicles are low – typically much less than 10% of the retail price of the car, LTE provides a clear and compelling way for automakers to add new services and revenue models to their new LTE-equipped models.
Bandwidth Evolution
“Edholm’s law” was originally postulated in 2004 by the then CTO of Nortel, Phil Edholm. The law states that connectivity speeds in wide area wireless (“cellular”, e.g. LTE, UMTS), short range wireless (“nomadic” such as Wi-Fi) and fixed-line (“wireline”, e.g. copper, fiber) are on a converging trajectory. The law, which so far has held true, claims that the lines will converge at a point in the future where the speed of cellular communications will be equivalent to short range communications, and for all practical purposes completely replace fixed-line connections (“the end of wireline”).
Fig. 2: LTE is significantly closing the gap on both wired and local area wireless technology. Edholm’s Law of Bandwidth, Steve Cherry – IEEE Spectrum, July 2004
Looking at the state of commercially deployed connectivity today, we already see speeds in the range of 1-10 Gbps for office Ethernet, 100 Mbps – 1 Gbps for residential cable services, 300 – 600 Mbps for Wi-Fi (802.11a,b,g,n) and 1 Gbps for Wi-Fi (802.11ac).
On the cellular side, we already have LTE at 150 Mbps (cat. 4). With “LTE-Advanced” being deployed over the next few years, we will see this speed going up to a peak of 500 Mbps uplink and 1 Gbps downlink.

Cellular
Technology
Downl.
(max)
Upl.
(max)
Guaranteed Quality
of service (latency)
Supports
single HDTV
channel
Supports
multiple HDTV channels
ADSL/Cable comparable internet

LTE-A(rel. 10)
1 Gb/s
500 Mb/s
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

LTE-A(cat. 6)
300 Mb/s
100 Mb/s
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

LTE(cat. 4)
150 Mb/s
50 Mb/s
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

UMTS/HSPA+
42 Mb/s
11.5 Mb/s
No, best-effort
Yes
No
No

UMTS/HSPA
7.2 Mb/s
5.76 Mb/s
No, best-effort
No
No
No

CDMA2000 1xRTT
153 Kb/s
153 Kb/s
No, best-effort
No
No
No

CDMA2000 EVDO
3.1 MB/s
1.8 MB/s
No, best-effort
No
No
No

EDGE
384 Kb/s
384 Kb/s
No, best-effort
No
No
No

GSM/GPRS
171 Kb/s
171 Kb/s
No, best-effort
No
No
No

Fig. 3: LTE bandwidth compared with previous cellular generations

By comparison, the bandwidth required to stream a single 1080p HD movie is “only” 10 – 20 Mbps. With support for multiple streaming HD video channels, currently the internet’s highest bandwidth user, virtually any service is available over the internet today via LTE!
New vehicle applications enabled by LTE
Let’s now consider some real examples of the new applications that LTE will make possible over the next few years.
Infotainment / Mobile hotspot
Fig. 4: Google Earth based navigation streamed over 4G LTE in the 2015 Audi A3In March 2014, Audi announced that the 2015 model Audi A3 will come equipped with 4G LTE. The Audi Connect 4G service provides Google Earth (Figure 4) and Street View maps for navigation and supports Google search queries and Internet / social media browsing via speech recognition and audio read out.
In addition, online music / video streaming, collision assistance and an integral 4G / Wi-Fi router supporting up to eight other passenger devices turns this car into a mobile internet hotspot!
Interactive TV and Movies
The enhanced performance of 4G LTE networks enables HD movie streaming without buffering or waiting, as well as support for multiple simultaneous users (everyone gets to watch their own on-demand movie!).
Many cars, especially premium models, now offer TV screens for passenger use on long journeys, and also for driver use when the vehicle is stationary. It is easy to see how adoption of in-car TV might mirror the evolution of in-car audio – albeit more rapidly – from FM radio in the 1960s to the currently popular on-demand music streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify.
Live events and broadcast content
Certain premium events such as the World Cup or Superbowl attract hundreds of millions of simultaneous viewers. To handle such high-demand live content, LTE’s Enhanced Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (E-MBMS) provides a low-latency, spectrum efficient way for the same content to be received by all users (broadcast) or a selected number of subscribers on the LTE network. It does this by implementing point-to-multipoint transmission (multicast) where a single live video stream is transmitted through the network core, multiplied and distributed to viewers or subscribers as required at the edge of the network.
Fig. 5: Verizon LTE Multicast Superbowl 2014 DemonstrationIn January this year, Verizon USA showcased an LTE Multicast system in Bryant Park, New York for the 2014 Superbowl. The system combined live in-the-park camera feeds with broadcast TV and additional real-time data such as advertising.
With the increasing trend of “watching TV” on the internet, multicasting enables cellular operators to offer new video services to their users and allows TV broadcasters to reach more of their audience without excessively loading the LTE network with millions of point-to-point video streams.
Other broadcast content such as local news bulletins, location-relevant information services as well as off-peak pre-downloading of movies can also take advantage of LTE’s Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services.
Manufacturer-branded Mobile Devices
In addition to providing high-quality LTE-enabled services, some automotive manufacturers are going one step further by introducing their own branded mobile devices such as tablets for use in their car models.
Fig. 6: Audio in-car tablet: 10.2 inch Android TabletAudi announced its intention to develop an Audi-branded tablet at CES in January 2014. It was described as a “full-blown Android tablet” which will dock into the back of the front headrests for use by passengers in the rear.
The company stated that the tablet, which will be in production in four to five years’ time, will reside in the car and enable deeper integration with the car than is possible with third party mobile devices. The tablet will be manufactured to meet robust automotive environmental (temperature, vibration, lifecycle) specifications.
Passengers can use the tablet to control the radio, media and navigation systems, and also to call up data on the car’s operating status. Since the device is based on the Google Android operating system, it will also have access to all of the apps, movies and music available through the Google Play app store. An interesting feature is that a film which has been partially watched on a particular journey can be resumed back at home in the living room.
Augmented Reality and Head-Up-Displays
Fig. 7: In-car Augmented RealityIncreasingly, status and safety information is being presented to the driver as an overlay on his forward view via the windscreen, similar to aircraft instrumentation. The ability to view information such as speed, navigation and vehicle proximity without having to look away contributes to a safer and more efficient driving experience.
LTE takes this development to a new level by leveraging the information content and power of the internet. For example, upcoming traffic hazards may be monitored by cameras and road-sensors in real-time, and then combined with data from surrounding vehicles. The ‘fused’ data is processed in the cloud and then relayed to all cars. Thanks to the low transmission latency of LTE, this is possible in real-time with respect to the relative velocities of surrounding vehicles.
These “smart cars” are then able to modify on-screen lane guidance displays accordingly and even change navigation choices automatically in advance of detected hazards. The driver may be presented with a red box around the car ahead together with green arrows indicating which lane to move into before taking the desired exit indicated by virtual markers in the distance, all without taking his eyes off the road.
Other aiding information may also be displayed such as proximity (and price) of fuel stations, services, parking or bridge toll options and real time updates overlaid on the road ahead as illustrated in Figure 7.
The need for legacy fall-back
As these types of services become standard equipment in vehicles and LTE networks grow to provide 100% coverage, we will see the phasing out of 2G and 3G legacy technologies. However, for quite some time it will be necessary to provide 2G and 3G fallback support in the car (“LTE Multimode”) to ensure that connectivity is always possible and not just where there is good LTE coverage, which today is in or near urban areas.
Although LTE is preferable to enable most of the use cases described in this example, good coverage with HSPA+ (the very latest incarnation of 3G) does provide up to 42 Mbps downlink albeit with a much longer latency. It is important to realise that the peak data rates are only peak figures in ideal conditions and that bandwidth is shared amongst multiple users sharing the same cell. This is another area where LTE wins out due to LTE’s OFDMA modulation scheme which makes it possible to share bandwidth amongst a significantly larger number of people than is possible with 3G.
In the case where LTE is not available, HSPA+ is still capable of delivering acceptable service to a reasonable number of users. Adaptive video / audio encoding technology, such as that already seen on the internet (e.g. YouTube) is able to down-scale performance in real time as bandwidth availability changes. Combined with local data caching, this can deliver a high quality experience while occasionally switching between LTE and HSPA+ as network conditions demand.
Audio communication is another key requirement and any LTE enabled infotainment system will integrate hands-free voice calling, enabling the driver to safely make and receive traditional telephone calls. Furthermore, some new applications such as concierge services will use voice interaction, as this is the safest and most natural and comfortable method of interaction while driving. With global high quality telephony coverage with 2G / 3G services, these network connections will remain in the car for some time to come.
Finally, the roll-out of emergency calling systems, such as the European eCall system, demands that cellular coverage be available everywhere in the EU. Since GSM is well established across Europe (and the world), and eCall uses very low bandwidth, this is also a reason to keep 2G connectivity within the car – at least until LTE has become all-pervasive.
LTE Automotive Requirements
There are several factors particular to the automotive applications which need consideration when integrating LTE within the car environment and these are outlined below.
Radio spectrum and antennae
There has been much publicity around the complex geographic mix of radio bands utilised for LTE service. Today there are more than 40 LTE bands defined and in many regions it is necessary to support at least 5 or 6 bands simultaneously. Because a car may well roam from one region to another, from North to South America or East to West Europe for example, it is likely that cars will need to support as many as 10 LTE bands.
In addition to this, LTE already utilises 2 antennae for MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output, which is the use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to improve performance) and further evolution will likely expand this to 4 antennae. Given the difficulty of routing so many antennae cables from one end of the car to the other, it may well be that the cellular modem becomes split between a digital part inside the car and a form of remote radio head placed with the antennae in an external assembly such as the shark’s fin present on many cars today. A further complication is that the shark’s fin already contains a number of antennae to support GNSS, FM and Digital radio, etc so careful system design and RF co-existence modelling is going to become important.
Environmental requirements
Due to the long service lifetime of a typical automobile and the harsh conditions typically endured (heat, cold, vibration), all in-car components are subject to stringent quality and performance criteria. These are generally specified by the US-based Automotive Electronics Council (AEC).
For cellular modems, AEC-Q100 is the key requirement which defines tests for parameters such as electrical, lifetime and stress reliability. The main topic is reliability over an extended operating temperature range and this depends on where the device will reside in the car, for example, an in-cabin application, may require Grade 3 (-40 to +85°C). For an in-dash application, this may be Grade 2 (-40 to +105°C), or for a densely populated space in full view of the sun this may need to be Grade 1 (-40 to +125°C).
Since consumer electronic products, such as smartphones are usually specified to only the Grade 4 equivalent level, this presents a problem and is one reason why automotive manufactures do not typically use standard mobile phone components within automotive systems.
System architecture
Another consideration is how LTE and legacy technologies are integrated within the car. There are effectively three overlapping requirements. In practice each of these may be specified and designed by different design teams, supplied by different component vendors, and installed based on customer preference:

Safety / security systems (e.g. eCall): Typically 2G based, they include global positioning (GPS) technology. Increasingly today this is a standard feature.
Navigation: Typically 2G based but moving to 3G, this includes high performance multi-GNSS positioning technology. This is a standard feature in higher-end models.
Infotainment: Typically 3G based and rapidly moving to LTE, this may use positioning information from the navigation system or include its own built-in positioning system. This is usually a high-end option.

In theory, it would be ideal for these systems to be integrated and able to share resources, and in time that will likely become the default situation. For the next 5 to 10 years, however, we expect supply chain and marketing pressures to keep these systems functionally separate. Due to this, design flexibility and system-level compatibility (layout, interfaces and software APIs) are a key requirement for the modem components.
u-blox’ approach to in-car LTE
Fig. 8: u-blox TOBY-L200 Automotive grade LTE Multimode moduleu-blox has developed a range of both cellular modules and satellite positioning components that provide plug and play compatibility and a range of options from 2G to 3G to 4G LTE multimode (which includes both 2G and 3G HSPA+). In addition, these modules are available in AEC-Q100 automotive qualified solder-down form for stringent requirements of the automotive industry.
The LTE multimode modules TOBY-L200 and TOBY-L210 are available to cover the radio spectrums deployed in America and Europe respectively, offering performance at LTE Release 9, Cat. 4 (150Mbps downlink / 50Mbps uplink). The devices support both circuit switched speech and Voice over LTE together with fall-back for both data and voice traffic to 2G / 3G. This enables support for all potential system architectures from fully integrated to functionally independent, as discussed above.
For more information about u-blox’ LTE modem modules for automotive applications, visit www.u-blox.com/lte.html
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GateTel Adds m2mAIR Mobile Network and Value-Added Services to its Portfolio of Telit-Based M2M Solutions

Customers Across Industries Enjoy Faster Time to Market Thanks to Comprehensive Hardware/Software Solutions.
Telit Wireless Solutions, a global provider of high-quality machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions, products and services, today announced that long-time, exclusive client GateTel has added m2mAIR Mobile connectivity and value-added services to its offering of xE910 module-based terminals and gateways.
m2mAIR Mobile is the Telit service group dedicated to mobile network connectivity. It includes resources for business and operations in support of m2m application deployment in the mobile network environment. This all-inclusive service suite includes a broad products and services matrix to suit every customer need with: pure connectivity (SIM-only), bundled connectivity (SIM + module), and module-only services (Just the Value Added Services component). Beyond standard services m2mAIR further empowers m2m deployments with innovative cloud-based Value Added Services (VAS) including competitiveness-boosting offerings developed in full integration with the Telit module which are network agnostic. These services deliver value given their in-depth reach into the module, providing you benefits to differentiate your offerings, capitalize on new revenue opportunities and fundamentally change the way you troubleshoot, control, monitor and manage connected m2m assets within the mobile network domain.
All GateTel products depend on connectivity provided by the xE910 module family, a suite of pin-to-pin compatible modules that can be easily interchanged to address different cellular technologies and geographies. By adding m2mAIR Mobile services to their product offerings, GateTel is truly leveraging the Telit One Stop. One Shop.
Jacob Nelik, President of GateTel, said:
“By integrating the xE910 modules into an off-the-shelf device, adding connectivity and value added services, and providing repeatable, application-specific Python scripts, we are now able to get our customers 95% there.”
“We are an exclusively Telit-based shop and have been from very early on. The addition of the m2mAIR services portfolio really completes the picture. Now we’re not just offering hardware. We’re really a one stop shop.”
“We’re really pleased to see a loyal customer like GateTel embrace the Telit strategy of making the Internet of Things plug and play,” said Yossi Moscovitz, President Connectivity & Services, Telit Wireless Solutions.
“By simplifying the value chain, we can together reduce time to market, improve reliability and deliver the affordable, easy-to-use solutions that take IoT from dream to reality.”
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Philips CityTouch Selects Sierra Wireless to Connect New Remote Lighting Management System for Smart Cities

AirPrime® HL Series modules to provide cellular connectivity for CityTouch Ready outdoor lighting fixtures.
Sierra Wireless today announced that Philips CityTouch has selected Sierra Wireless AirPrime® embedded wireless modules to provide connectivity for the new CityTouch LightWave remote lighting management system.
CityTouch LightWave is a new remote lighting management system that includes intelligent “plug and play” outdoor lighting fixtures. Cities worldwide can roll out the CityTouch system quickly and cheaply, using LED outdoor fixtures that feature built-in mobile connectivity to the central management system, using integrated AirPrime modules.
Once such a fixture is plugged in, a light point automatically appears on the CityTouch map at the right location and with its main technical parameters already integrated into the system. Only a few clicks later, the remote lighting management system allows central control of all lights in an area, either individually or as a group. The software also provides the current lighting status, auto-notifications of faults and accurate information on energy usage of each street light. The system can provide significant energy savings to municipal customers – LED lighting combined with intelligent controls can deliver savings of up to 80 percent.
Philips CityTouch chose Sierra Wireless AirPrime modules for the CityTouch LightWave system based on the level of global support Sierra Wireless is able to provide as the market leader, as well as the potential for evolution in future products with a simple migration path from 2G to 4G technologies.
“The more we talked with Sierra Wireless, the more confident we became that this company really understood what we needed to not only build and launch a new generation of CityTouch Ready outdoor lighting fixtures, but to also grow and evolve them over time,” said Vasanth Philomin, General Manager of Philips CityTouch.
“We knew we needed more than just a simple hardware supplier, and Sierra Wireless offered both the expertise to help us get to market efficiently and the long-term vision we were looking for in a collaborative partner.”
“CityTouch LightWave offers an innovative approach to easily connect city lights for smart cities,” said Dan Schieler, Senior Vice President, OEM Solutions for Sierra Wireless.
“The ability to monitor and manage street lighting can provide more reliable service, more efficient use of city funds, and a more environmentally-friendly solution. It’s a classic example of how connecting everyday city services can benefit both the municipal organization and its citizens.”
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Pet Wearables: The Next Billion Dollar Market

As wearable technology gains more and more attention, it is quite interesting to note that wearable are not just for humans anymore.
And as people get more and more health conscious and tech-savvy at the same time, wearing fitness bands that would help them monitor their health easier and keep track of vitals integrating data onto their smart devices such as phones and tablets, pet owners are doing the same to their cats and dogs. And according to the American Pet Products Association, over 50 billion was spent in 2012 for these fun and cute little creatures. It does not really come as a surprise if pet wearables become the next billion dollar market since most of these domesticated animals have been of every American household.
Wearable Technology for Animals 2015-2025: Technologies, Markets and Forecast, a report from IDTechEx, an independent market research market firm, shows details on technology and markets of animal wearables and electronic gadgets for livestock, wild and domestic animals. According to the report, both RFID and non-RFID technologies incorporated in these wearable gadgets for pets will reach 2.6 billion in 2025 globally.
The report was able to identify and analyze six market sectors for animal wearables which includes, Identification and Tracking, Facilitation, Safety and Security, Behavior Monitoring, Behavior Control, Medical Diagnosis and Medical Treatment. Identification and Tracking, as well as Facilitation, Safety and Security are markets that have been considered more mature markets as wearables such as GPS tracking stickers and tags have been made available for quite some time, and feeding equipment that generates data on frequency and volume of food eaten by pets can be tracked and analyzed have also been made available.
Nonetheless, the report shows that the next big thing in wearable technology for pets and livestock would be those for medical diagnosis. This market is expected to increase shares from 11% to 23%. And in the same manner, the market for wearables used to administer medical treatment would also increase from 1% to 13%. This includes devices and innovations in animal medical care such as heating, cooling, ultrasound and drug delivery. Currently, the report says that we are in a 22 billion market of human-controlled animals but this may soon change its course to tracing and treating endangered species as well.
The analysis covered a in-depth comparison and study of 141 profiled product details, from equipments and systems that are worn outside the body, RFID and non-RFID devices, to those that are ingested and implanted under the skin. IDTechEx reported that there are 300 manufacturers of these devices and the highest number is in China which makes products at the lowest price. The report predicted that this will rise to 500 as the market increases 2.5 times or more in the next coming decade.
However, IDTechEx Chairman, Dr. Peter Harrop, who also wrote the report, further indicated that there may be some warnings and lessons that manufactures, consumers and the public should know about the animal wearable technology market including legal matters involved in requiring tags for various livestock primarily for disease prevention and control as well as those seeking to ban inhumane devices such as dog collars that administer electric shocks.
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San José Implements Intel Technology for a Smarter City

Joint Project Selected for White House SmartAmerica Challenge; Real-time Data and Local Engagement to Improve Quality of Life in Silicon Valley.
Highlights:
++ The city of San José and Intel are working together to further the city’s “Green Vision” initiative with the use of Intel technology.
++ The pilot program in San José is Intel’s first smart city implementation in the United States and is intended to improve air and water quality, reduce noise pollution, and increase transportation efficiency.
++ The collaboration is being showcased as part of the White House SmartAmerica Challenge.
The city of San José and Intel Corporation are collaborating on a public-private partnership to further the city’s “Green Vision” goals. The project, known as Smart Cities USA, is expected to help drive San José’s economic growth, foster 25,000 clean-tech jobs, create environmental sustainability and enhance the quality of life for residents.
The pilot program in San José is Intel’s first smart city implementation in the United States. The scalability of Intel architecture enables the intelligence and flexibility necessary for cities across the country to quickly deploy a range of smart city solutions for everything from air and water quality to traffic and parking management to communications systems and other city infrastructure.
The joint project was selected to be showcased this week as part of the White House SmartAmerica Challenge. The program is a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow initiative that aims to bring together research in Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things and combine test beds, projects and activities from different sectors, including smart manufacturing, healthcare, smart energy, intelligent transportation and disaster response. The goal of the SmartAmerica Challenge is to show tangible and measurable benefits to the U.S. economy and the daily lives of American citizens.
“Our city is strongly committed to our Green Vision, which is our roadmap to becoming the clean-tech innovation center of the world,” said San José Mayor Chuck Reed.
“Public-private partnerships are key to creating jobs and enhancing the quality of life for our residents. By working with Intel and using its technology and expertise, we can gather critical data, identify where we can make improvements, and make good decisions to be more efficient with our resources.”
Scalability Meets Sustainability
Today’s cities consume two-thirds of the world’s energy¹. To address the escalating demands of existing and future residents, cities are looking for ways to introduce more technology to become “smarter” about the use of limited resources and more flexible in responding to residents’ needs.
The Smart Cities USA pilot project will give San José residents real-time, local data that can inform their personal decisions. For example, the community will better understand how they can help “Spare the Air” on poor air quality days. When there is a local air quality alert, residents can choose to take public transit, bicycle or carpool to get to work or school and thus reduce emissions and improve air quality.
San José, known as the Capital of Silicon Valley, is installing a network of sensors to create a “sustainability lens” that uses Intel technology to measure characteristics such as particulates in the air, noise pollution and traffic flow. Such measurement data will produce meaningful insights that will lead to improvements in air quality, noise, transportation efficiency, environmental sustainability, health and energy efficiency.
This project also aligns with the San José Green Vision, a long-term sustainability initiative adopted by the city in 2007 to protect the environment, stimulate economic growth and achieve sustainability.
Kerrie Romanow, director of San José’s Environmental Services Department, said:
“To help improve quality of life in San José, we’re exploring new ways of capturing and sharing localized information to our residents.”
“With better information, we tend to make better decisions. We’re optimistic that the real-time air quality data will help our staff understand how we can positively influence the environment right here in San José as well as regionally and globally.”
Intel Technology for Use in Smart Cities
City governments are projected to collectively invest approximately $41 trillion² over the next 20 years to upgrade their infrastructure. With Intel technology and its more than 30 years of experience connecting and securing intelligent devices, cities can cost-effectively manage infrastructure growth and resource sustainability that can help them meet the demands of escalating population rates.
The city of San José has installed a sensor demonstration platform using Intel® Gateway Solutions for the Internet of Things with an Intel® Quark™ processor and third-party sensors. Each gateway incorporates Wind River* Intelligent Device Platform software with McAfee* security features connected to Intel’s Hadoop distribution in the cloud.

¹ Source: United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World Urbanization Prospects The 2011 Revision. March 2012.
² Source: Booz Allen Hamilton. Lights! Water! Motion! Excerpted from The Megacommunity Way: Mastering Dynamic Challenges with Cross-Boundary Leadership, published as a strategy+business Reader by Booz Allen Hamilton. July 2007.
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IoT Developers to Total 3 Million in 2019, Paving the Way for Hardware Renaissance, According to ABI Research

ABI Research estimates that the number of developers involved in Internet of Things (IoT) activities will reach 1.7 million globally by the end of 2014.
The size of the ecosystem is forecasted to surpass 3 million developers in 2019. For comparison, this would by then account for approximately 10% of all software developers.
According to principal analyst Aapo Markkanen:
“Currently, the IoT activity is largely polarized between hobbyists and makers at one end, and enterprise-level developers at the other end. But owing to a combination of various enablers, we can also see a growing number of startups taking the commercial plunge and starting to productize the concepts they’ve prototyped earlier with Arduino or Raspberry Pi.
“That productization, however, can be an extremely difficult feat to pull off, requiring very diverse skillsets.”
The core enablers for productization comprise purpose-built cloud platforms and development kits, which are making the IoT accessible to developers who may differ greatly in terms of their resources and commitment. Recently launched development kits, such as Intel’s Galileo and relayr’s WunderBar, may prove significant IoT enablers. Furthermore, there are also several other, more indirect enablers that will be critical for the IoT’s evolution. These include sensors and sensor engines, affordable 3D printers, as well as crowdfunding platforms. Collectively, all these building blocks could eventually translate into a perfect storm of hardware innovation.
Practice director Dan Shey comments:
“After all the talk about hardware being irreversibly commoditized and software ‘eating the world’ we may be actually soon witnessing a countertrend in the technology industry, driven by the consumer IoT. Consumers will shun away from anything that is not inspiringly designed and robustly produced, so any consumer-facing IoT play needs to deliver on both of those fronts if it’s to have any traction. In this sense, the IoT could represent the beginning of a Hardware Renaissance.”

These findings as well as developer segmentation taxonomy maps showing positioning of prominent IoT hardware and software suppliers are included in ABI Research’s “IoT Developer Ecosystem” study, which is part of the firm’s Internet of Everything Research Service.
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Sequans Introduces Colibri LTE Platform for the Internet of Things

All new LTE platform makes LTE affordable for the design of M2M and IoT devices.
Sequans Communications S.A. (NYSE: SQNS) today introduced the newest member of its StreamliteLTE™ family of chipset solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT).  The Colibri LTE Platform comprises Sequans’ latest baseband and RF chips (SQN3221 and SQN3241), an integrated network and application CPU platform running Sequans’ carrier-proven LTE protocol stack, an IMS client, and a comprehensive software package for over-the-air device management and packet routing.  Colibri has been optimized for the design of M2M and IoT modules and devices for numerous new applications.
Georges Karam, Sequans CEO, said:
“In developing Colibri, our goal was to pack it with great IoT features while making it so cost-effective that it would immediately solidify the business cases for adding LTE to numerous new M2M and IoT devices. I’m proud to say we’ve reached our goal and Colibri offers the best price/performance in the industry, enabling 4G LTE modules to approach 2G price points.”
Among Colibri’s many IoT features are its ultra low power consumption and very compact form factor, which are functions of wafer-level packaging for both for the baseband and RF chips. This gives Colibri unique flexibility as a basis for many different types of IoT and M2M modules for applications in home security, automotive, healthcare, wearables, utilities, and more.  Also, Colibri’s integrated enhanced network and application CPU runs M2M and IoT applications, eliminating the need for—and the cost and complexity of—an external CPU.
Colibri LTE Platform Feature Highlights

3GPP Release 10, software upgradable to Release 11
FDD and TDD, up to 20 MHz channels
Throughput up to category 4 (150 Mbps DL / 50 Mbps UL)
Integrated enhanced network and application CPU
Wafer-level packaging
Embedded IMS VoLTE client and digital voice interface
Supports Linux, Android, ChromeOS, Windows, and MAC OS
IoT friendly interfaces, including USB 2.0, SDIO 3.0 and high-speed UART
Includes Sequans AIR™ interference cancelation technology for superior cell-edge performance

“As growth of the IoT explodes and LTE continues its rapid spread around the world, the demand for LTE-enabled M2M and IoT devices is reaching new heights as device makers realize that to be future proof, their M2M and IoT devices must be LTE-enabled,” said Karam. 
“With Colibri, we have made it simple, quick, and very affordable to add LTE connectivity to almost any device for any application.”
Sequans expects modules based on the Colibri platform to be available from various module manufacturers beginning in Q3.

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Michelin acquires Sascar, Brazil’s leading digital fleet management company

Michelin today announced that it intends to acquire all outstanding shares of Sascar, the leading Brazilian digital fleet management and freight security company.
The São Paulo-based company, which has 870 employees, generated revenue of BRL 280 million (around EUR 91 million) in 2013 and has enjoyed robust average growth of 16% over the past three years, with solid and consistent performances (EBITDA of 37% in 2013). The innovative and dynamic company has developed a strong presence in the independent trucker and small truck fleet segment in Brazil, which underpins the country’s land transportation market.
Jean-Dominique Senard, Chief Executive Officer of the Michelin Group, explains:
“Michelin will benefit from the client base and technical and marketing skills built up by Sascar in the rapidly expanding telematics market for professional truck fleets and thereby accelerate the development of services for its customers worldwide. This will help us strengthen an important area of growth for the Group.”
The acquisition of this company, whose business model has proved its worth in Brazil (33,000 fleets managed, 190,000 trucks), will enable Michelin to expand its service offering for truckers and to speed the growth of its truck tire business in Brazil.
By joining the Michelin Group, Sascar will gain access to its major customers in South America.
The enterprise value, which stands at BRL 1,600 million (around EUR 520 million), includes the purchase price of BRL 1,353 million (around EUR 440 million) and BRL 247 million (around EUR 80 million) in debt, These amounts will be adjusted when the acquisition closes.
The acquisition is subject to approval from the Brazilian competition authorities
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Podsystem launches new M2M solution for rapid expansion of M2M applications across EU and USA

Flat rate data across both AT&T and T-Mobile in the US and multiple networks across the EU on one APN.
Podsystem, the expert in global mobile connectivity solutions has today launched a new solution from its specialist M2M division that allows its customers in both Europe and the USA to expand their M2M businesses outside their home markets by benefitting from a flat data rate on one APN across the EU and USA.
The solution includes a proprietary SIM card with “best signal”, multi-network connectivity across all countries in the EU, plus the USA at no additional cost. Combined with Podsystem’s “FreedoM-2-Manage” platform, which provides real-time granular control of M2M data usage, this is the first stage in a global solution designed to “put the control back into the hands of the M2M customer” by allowing them to own their multi-network SIM card (usually the property of the core network) and ultimately control access to multiple IMSIs with separate network infrastructures on the same SIM Over The Air (OTA).
Charles Towers-Clark, CEO of Podsystem Group commented:
“In addition to providing coverage across both continents at a price that enables M2M application providers to open new markets and grow their profits, Podsystem M2M provides unrivalled experience in supporting the development of M2M applications and enabling quick time to market.”
He continued:
“Our 14 years of experience in the M2M market have shown us that the main requirement for our customers is maximum control over the data connectivity of their devices. This is the first stage in a solution that will give them the ability to quickly change the profile of the SIM Over The Air in case of technical or commercial issues on the network, providing global control that will evolve with the development of their applications.”
New California office will offer extended business hours for global M2M customer service
An integral part of the service is the availability of Podsystem’s team of M2M specialists who provide expert consultancy and create customised M2M connectivity solutions across a wide variety of sectors. With the launch of Podsystem Inc. in the USA in January this year, and the new office based in San Francisco, California, the team is now able to provide service in the US market, as well as extending the business hours of Podsystem Group’s headquarters in the UK and office in Spain.
With a combined market of around 63.4 million M2M subscribers*, the market opportunity for firms based in the EU or USA and looking to expand across the Atlantic is sizeable. However, due to varying tariffs and the need for a unique SIM card and APN, many M2M companies have not been able to capitalize on this opportunity until now.
Sam Colley, CEO of Podsystem Inc. added:
“The launch of our office in the USA allows us to offer the benefit of our experience of the M2M market in Europe to American companies wishing to expand overseas, in addition to extending our business hours for our existing customers in Europe. With the opening of this office we can now offer over 18 hours per day of uninterrupted customer service in addition to our 24/7 emergency support. Combined with our new M2M solution for expansion across both markets, we look forward to enabling our M2M customers to grow their businesses and open new markets worldwide.”
The Europe and USA M2M solution is available now from Podsystem. For more information and pricing, please visit http://www.podsystemm2m.com/m2m-network-services/europe-and-usa-m2m-sim-card

*The Global Wireless M2M Market – 5th edition, Berg Insight, October 2013
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CoSwitched expands the coverage of its no-frills M2M service outside Europe

CoSwitched operates a GSM Machine-2-Machine (M2M) service in partnership with local operators. Today, CoSwitched expanded its service to 6 additional countries: Australia, Israel, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and USA.
This launch is aimed at expanding CoSwitched’s coverage into key markets. As of today, the CoSwitched no-frills connectivity service will operate in a total of 35 countries, covering a population of almost one billion people across 5 continents.
Bruno Duarte, Co-founder of CoSwitched, said:
“We have been working with operators and other partners to expand our no-frills M2M service in different markets. We have seen demand from our existing customers and potential ones to work in countries outside Europe (e.g., British companies deploying devices in South Africa or Australia).”
“This launch allows us to expand the coverage of our no-frills connectivity service and better serve those manufacturers and owners of connected machines. Our M2M connectivity service will work seamlessly in any country, in Europe and outside Europe.”
CoSwitched customers will continue to benefit in the additional countries from a single management platform and all the value added Voice, SMS and Data services for machines. Customers will continue to have a truly cross-borders mobility experience with a single pricing plan.
For more information about CoSwitched, please visit www.coswitched.com.

About CoSwitched
CoSwitched is an Internet of Things Mobile Virtual Network Operator that provides voice, messaging and data services to facilitate Machine-2-Machine (M2M) communications. CoSwitched is the one stop shop for machines’ connectivity.
Pricing and Availability
CoSwitched SIM cards with a Basic pricing plan are available from €1.50 per month (including VAT) and include 5 megabytes of data per month in nearly 35 countries. SIM cards can be ordered immediately from the CoSwitched online shop.
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