Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem promises flexible connectivity and low power for IoT

Qualcomm has detailed a new LTE modem for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, promising more efficient power consumption and connectivity options for manufacturing partners.

The Qualcomm 9205 LTE includes support for several Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) standards, including LTE-M, NB-IoT and 2G, while also promising to reduce power use by up to 70 per cent when compared to its predecessor, the Qualcomm MDM9206.

The chipset’s RF transceiver supports spectrum ranging from 450MHz to 2.1GHz – that’s more than 23 bands – and is equipped with additional geolocation capabilities, hardware-based security and developer tools. It’s also half the size of the MDM9206.

Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem

“We expect this to leapfrog all other chipsets on the market and this will be on a long-lifecycle product to expect manufacturing for several years. This is a huge investment which shows our commitment.”

“The innovations included in the Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem are critical to support many of the 6 billion IoT devices expected to use low-power, wide-area connectivity by 2026,” said Vieri Vanghi, head of product management at Qualcomm Europe.

“LTE IoT technologies are the foundation of how 5G will help connect the massive IoT, and we are making these technologies available to customers worldwide to help them build innovative solutions that can help transform industries and improve people’s lives.”

Qualcomm is keen to stress that the 9205 LTE modem is compatible with previous generations of Qualcomm’s LTE software, allowing existing customers to easily migrate and maximise their investment.

“It’s only recently that we’ve seen volumes of this chipset go up on a steep trajectory, but it’s also important that the MDM9206 has had great adoption in terms of design,” Vanghi explained. “It’s not just volume, but it gives us a large customer base to migrate onto the next generation.”

“The 9205 is purpose built for IoT, building upon its predecessor. All customers will be able to leverage the software assets for the 9206 on the 9205 with no change. This will enable a very quick transition."