U-blox receives certification for Toby modules offering IoT access

March 1, 2017  - By

U-blox has received PTCRB certification of its TOBY-R202 and TOBY-R200 LTE Cat 1 modules for T-Mobile’s U.S. 4G LTE network.

The u-blox Toby module.

The u-blox Toby module. Photo: uBlox

Both modules will be available for both of T-Mobile’s IoT Access packs, which offer simple IoT pricing with a Cat 1 module and support a broad range of industrial internet of things (IIoT) applications, reducing the cost for product makers to introduce new LTE devices on the network.

The TOBY-R202 and TOBY-R200 modules deliver true industrial performance. They are robust and reliable with extended temperature range of negative 40 degrees Celcius to 85 degrees Celcius and manufacturing in ISO/TS 16949 certified production sites.

LTE Cat 1 provides efficient power consumption with battery life lasting up to five years, depending on the application. In addition, TOBY-R200 includes a wider supply voltage input that allows for less expensive design and further lowers power consumption.

“U-blox is a global leader in developing cellular modules designed for IoT and M2M applications,” said Drazen Drinic, product manager of cellular at u-blox. “We are excited to now have two LTE Cat 1 modules available to IoT product makers as part of T-Mobile’s IoT Access packs.”

The u-blox modules will now be included in T-Mobile’s IoT Access packs, which provide product makers with a simplified launchpad for their IoT devices. For a limited time, customers can get unlimited data at 64 kbps for $20 per year per device, with up to $16 per certified module covered via a bill credit from T-Mobile upon activation.

“T-Mobile’s low-cost IoT access packs give our customers industry-leading Category 1 chipset options to quickly launch their devices on the nation’s fastest 4G LTE network,” said Doug Chartier, senior vice president at T-Mobile.

The two u-blox TOBY-R2 LTE Cat 1 modules support many IoT and M2M applications and are specifically targeted at those markets requiring industrial performance, such as smart metering, alarm and security systems, connected health, automotive and transportation, as well as smart payment solutions.

They come in a compact 24.8 millimeter by 35.6 millimeter form factor and operate on LTE bands 2, 4, 5 and 12. TOBY-R202 provides fallback on 3G bands 2 and 5, while TOBY-R200 provides global 2G and 3G fallback. Thanks to u-blox nested design, migration between the TOBY-R2 modules and other u-blox 2G, 3G and 4G modules is easy, while enabling future-proof, seamless mechanical scalability across technologies.