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Chinese bike sharing company uses LoRa connectivity

Apart from this LoRa deployment, Ofo said it will continue to explore additional IoT technologies

California-based Semtech Corporation announced that ofo, a Chinese bike sharing company, is equipping its bicycles with LoRa devices and wireless RF technology to complement its licensed spectrum connectivity options to achieve full network connectivity even in remote areas and dense buildings.

Globally, ofo currently operates in more than 180 cities providing approximately 10 million bicycles and 25 million rides daily. The bicycles are equipped with GPS/GLONASS trackers that transmit data via the cloud to an online application allowing ofo and its users to pin-point the location of the bicycles.

Semtech said LoRa technology and the LoRaWAN open protocol provide ofo with reliable connectivity across wide areas.

“Ofo is a pioneer in the field of the internet of things (IoT) and has pioneered the application of NB-IoT, NFC, BLE and other IoT technologies,” said Xue Ding, co-founder at ofo. “On this basis, ofo will continue to explore other IoT solutions as we constantly reduce operating costs and improve operation level. Semtech’s LoRa Technology is one of the best choices and ofo is willing to work with global partners to promote a green riding culture.”

“With its global interoperability, the LoRaWAN open protocol’s capabilities are complementary to licensed spectrum networks to provide customers with full-complete coverage in remote areas,” said Mike Wong, VP of Semtech’s wireless and sensing products group. “Long-range, low-power and ease of deployment are crucial for companies that are scaling at the rate like ofo is, and LoRa Technology provides all of these features.”

Semtech is a supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms for high-end consumer, enterprise computing, communications, and industrial equipment.

Verizon certifies Quectel Cat 1 module for IoT applications

In related news, Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global supplier of internet of things (IoT) modules, has recently received certification of its LTE Cat 1 EC21-VD module from Verizon.

“This means our EC21-VD module is reliable, well tested and proven in its capabilities for operating on Verizon’s LTE network. Now our customers can accelerate their IoT deployments in North America based on Quectel Cat 1 module,” Delbert Sun, Quectel’s product and marketing director, said.

The Verizon-certified module was developed based upon Qualcomm’s MDM9x07 modem, and supports worldwide coverage of LTE and UMTS/HSPA+ networks.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Juan Pedro Tomás
Juan Pedro Tomás
Juan Pedro covers Global Carriers and Global Enterprise IoT. Prior to RCR, Juan Pedro worked for Business News Americas, covering telecoms and IT news in the Latin American markets. He also worked for Telecompaper as their Regional Editor for Latin America and Asia/Pacific. Juan Pedro has also contributed to Latin Trade magazine as the publication's correspondent in Argentina and with political risk consultancy firm Exclusive Analysis, writing reports and providing political and economic information from certain Latin American markets. He has a degree in International Relations and a master in Journalism and is married with two kids.