Sigfox-parent Unabiz is working with Holtek Semiconductor to integrate Sigfox (“0G technology”) into the Taiwan-based design firm’s “ultra-cheap” BC68F2150 chipset. Unabiz said the initiative will bring “more energy-efficient and cost-effective” Sigfox-based IoT solutions to the logistics and supply chain sectors. The pair said they are integrating the Sigfox library stack to cater to the IoT market’s focus on “ultra-cost-efficient asset management”.
UnaBiz open-sourced its Sigfox device library to the IoT community in April last year (2023), with a view to make it simpler and cheaper for developers to integrate Sigfox into their IoT devices. Holtek’s BC68F2150 is a sub-1GHz transmitter and Flash-based microcontroller unit (MCU) supporting OOK/FSK modulation at 315MHz, 433MHz, 868MHz, and 915MHz; it complies with ETSI/FCC safety specifications.
It is pitched for wireless control applications in remote controllers, automation systems, and tracking units.
Alex Lai, director of international sales at Holtek, said: “Our collaboration has already begun to bear fruit, with two proof-of-concepts making significant progress in the logistics and supply chain sectors in both Japan and Europe. This early success clearly indicates an unmet need in the market that we are eager to address. We look forward to assisting Unabiz’s customers in the commercial rollout of their solutions in the near future.”
Alexis Susset, chief technology officer at Unabiz, said: “We [will]… accelerate the deployment of ultra-cost-efficient asset management solutions. This joint effort highlights the relevance and scalability of Sigfox in the logistics and supply chain sector. Such integration expands the addressable market of Sigfox-based asset tracking solutions allowing customers to track and trace not just high value assets, but diverse lower value assets too.”
