Module maker Telit is targeting IoT applications that leverage video and virtual reality with its latest release. The company said its new LM940 module will be the router and gateway industry’s first global full PCI Express mini card (mPCIe) module to support LTE Advanced Category 11.
LTE-A Category 11 enables download speeds of up to 600 megabits per second, while upload speeds are usually below 100 megabits per second. It supports three carrier aggregation and 256 quadrature amplitude modulation, as well 4 x 4 mulitple-input multiple-output antenna configurations.
Telit said its new module is ideal for applications like digital signs that stream high definition video, and pop-up retail stores that need to high bandwidth connections to the cloud. The company describes its card as an enabler for industrial cellular IoT gateways. Already, Huawei has announced a Wi-Fi router that also supports LTE Category 11.
Shipments of industrial cellular IoT gateways are set to triple during the next four years, according to the analysts at IHS Markit. The firm estimates that roughly two million shipped last year, and sees that number rising to 6 million by 2021. The value of the market is projected at $1.6 billion in 2021.
Telit’s LM940 is powered by Qualcomm’s X12 LTE modem, which can automatically switch between LTE and Wi-Fi, picking the link that has the strongest signal quality and highest end-to-end speeds. The modem also supports LTE in unlicensed spectrum, a technology that is expected to get more attention from IoT service providers in the months ahead.
Telit said its new module supports the Windows and Linux operating systems, and wil be an ideal way to add cellular connectivity to a personal computer or network appliance. Although IoT gateways are usually close enough to endpoints to use short range radio technologies, many customers want cellular for backup if they are using the gateways for mission critical applications.
Image source: LEDtronics
