Qualcomm Technologies is all set to start first of its kind, LTE IoT multimode field trials in China. The eMTC/NB-IoT/GSM (LTE Cat M1/NB1 and E-GPRS) multimode trial will be performed in partnership with the China Mobile Research Institute (CMRI) and China's leading smart bike sharing company, Mobike. The field trials will aim at contemplating the use of China Mobile's 2G/4G multimode network and Mobike's smart lock, supported by Qualcomm’s MDM9206 global multimode LTE modem for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
Mobike is the world's first smart bike sharing platform, committed to address the challenge of short-trips with innovative technologies and solutions and bringing bikes back to the city. Currently, more than 4.5 million smart bikes operate on the Mobike system, which are equipped with the exclusive, independently researched and developed smart locks. Using connectivity capabilities such as those of the MDM9206 LTE modem with integrated GNSS supporting GPS BeiDou and Glonass, Mobike has become one of the largest mobile IoT systems in the world.
The LTE connectivity and integrated GNSS position-location capability in the MDM9206 LTE modem is designed to help Mobike customers accurately identify an available bike, accelerate the unlock process of the smart lock and assist with real-time management – all while providing Mobike with continuous monitoring of the bike's status.
In addition, the MDM9206 together with Qualcomm Technologies' low-power Bluetooth solution is planned to be used in the smart Mobike Preferred Location (sMPL) platform to support sub-meter level positioning, helping Mobike monitor the real-time location and overall status of its bikes, including quantity, position, and traffic information from different regions. The platform is also designed to provide operations personnel with smart instructions for the delivery, scheduling, operation and maintenance of the bikes.
The LTE modem is designed to support global Category M1 and NB1/GSM multimode. The IoT-optimized narrowband LTE technologies help the MDM9206 to support cost-efficient, low-power, low-bandwidth, multi-year battery life and greater coverage for the next-generation of IoT products and services as compared to previous LTE generations. The LTE modem also provides leading-edge location performance, including an integrated A-GNSS solution, support for cellular and Wi-Fi positioning. The Cat M1 and NB1 LTE modes designed in the modem bring many enhancements and optimizations to LTE that will help reduce IoT device complexity for IoT platforms like Mobike with quicker time to commercialization of their products.
Cat M1 and NB1/GSM multimode technologies will enable IoT platforms such as Mobike to develop IoT products that can function in a diverse set of operator deployments worldwide, maximizing the products' global reach and scalability. The new technologies also can use existing LTE infrastructure and spectrum, coexisting with today's mobile broadband services, while providing a superior solution to proprietary technologies for low-power wide area networks.
