Quectel collaborates with Microsoft and Qualcomm on IoT solutions

Photo: Quectel

Quectel Wireless Solutions is collaborating with Microsoft and Qualcomm Technologies to integrate its new LPWA module BG95 with Microsoft’s Azure Device SDK.

The integration will provide direct and secure connections to Azure IoT Hub and provide full support for Azure device management capabilities.

Targeting global markets, the BG95 module is a cost-optimized, highly-integrated variant supporting integrated GNSS, Cat M1, Cat NB2 and EGPRS (also called EDGE). The module complies with 3GPP Release 14 and delivers improved capabilities in power consumption, data rates and hardware-based security.

The BG95 cellular module is based on the Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem, to be integrated with Microsoft’s Azure Device software development kit (SDK). As a result, customers can connect their BG95 devices to the Microsoft Azure cloud where they can build, manage and deploy internet of things (IoT) solutions at scale, significantly accelerating time to market.

By integrating RAM/flash, an ARM Cortex A7 processor supporting ThreadX, the BG95 is engineered to reduce power consumption significantly in idle mode.

By doing this, the BG95 has the potential to support decade-plus battery life, which is critical for IoT devices serving long life spans, such as asset trackers, smart meters, smart city sensors, home security and wearable trackers.

Additionally, Azure IoT is built for security. It simplifies the complexity of IoT security solutions with built-in protection at each stage of deployment (including cloud services and devices) and minimizes security weaknesses wherever they exist. Leveraging Azure IoT security features, Quectel BG95 will offer IoT devices end-to-end security capability in order to prevent potential risks.

“We’re excited for the Azure edge device ecosystem to continue to grow. Our partnership with Quectel and Qualcomm Technologies will deliver what our customers need — bringing together ultra-low power cellular modules and Azure to drive their digital transformation,” said Roanne Sones, corporate vice president at Microsoft.

“The BG95 module is the first Qualcomm 9205 platform to support IoT Plug and Play, accelerating LPWAN solution deployments like smart meters and asset trackers that connect seamlessly to our IoT Central offering,” Sones said.

“With its cutting-edge performance and power-saving capabilities, the Qualcomm 9205 LTE Modem is the gold standard for multimode IoT modules looking to offer NB-IoT, Cat-M1, GPRS, and GNSS connectivity,” said Jeffery Torrance, vice president, business development, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We are proud to continue our long-standing collaboration with Quectel to jointly drive the IoT forward.”

“We are happy that the BG95-M3 has been verified on Microsoft Azure IoT Plug and Play. This validates our ability to jumpstart customers’ IoT projects with pre-tested modules and operating system combinations. Leveraging our close relationship with Microsoft and Qualcomm Technologies, we will jointly provide more integral ‘Device-Cloud’ solutions to customers,” said Doron Zhang, Chief Operation Officer, Quectel. “As one of the first wave Azure IoT PnP partners, Quectel has worked with Microsoft on LTE Mobile Broadband (MBB) modules, which have been widely adopted by top laptop OEMs. In the future, we will extend the partnership to more fields, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Intelligent Edge, in order to help the Microsoft partner ecosystem connect their devices even more intelligently.”