Semtech, a leading supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, has announced a collaboration with Helium, the company behind one of the world’s first peer-to-peer wireless network. Through this collaboration, Semtech intends to develop one of the largest LoRa-based networks in North America.
LongFi by Helium is a protocol purpose built for a peer-to-peer wireless network that needs to connect thousands of IoT devices to a single Hotspot or enable any device to connect to any compatible Hotspot. With the announcement of this agreement, the LoRaWAN protocol has been integrated into Helium’s LongFi architecture, making the Helium network fully compatible with the LoRaWAN protocol and available to the LoRa community of more than 8,000 active software developers. The combination of the technologies and platforms will provide the LoRa developer community with new opportunities to create new IoT solutions for both businesses and consumers.
The Helium Hotspot is a new hardware device that enables anyone to own and operate a wireless network for IoT. With Helium’s own open-sourced blockchain technology, individuals are incentivized to deploy Helium Hotspots, which simultaneously mine crypto currency and provide LoRaWAN network coverage for hundreds of square miles. Helium’s network, introduced in Q4 2019, is currently available in over 745 U.S. cities with major markets throughout the nation, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, and Austin.
Combining Semtech’s LoRa Devices with Helium’s distributed; open-source approach to building a ubiquitous network allows any manufacturer, developer or application to utilize LoRaWAN compatible technology to connect devices across the nation. There are over 4,300 Helium Hotspots sold to date since nationwide shipping started in October 2019 and that number is growing.
