New Industry Products

LTE-M/NB-IoT Solution from Murata & Altair Earns AT&T Certification

October 06, 2019 by Paul Shepard

Murata Electronics and Altair Semiconductor announced that their LTE-M/NB-IoT solution has secured AT&T certification for operating on the carrier's 4G LTE wireless network. The module is the world's smallest form factor solution that enables the applications that are moving the market forward, such as dual-mode cellular IoT.

In addition to its unparalleled size, low power, and cost-efficiency, the Type 1SC's high level of integration drastically cuts time to market and reduces customers' certification costs.

Measuring just 11.1 x 11.4 x 1.4 mm, the module was developed in partnership with Altair and includes an ALT1250 chipset. It also provides Global Navigation Satellite System functionality and is RoHS compliant to address a broad range of consumer and industrial IoT applications.

Applications & Benefits

Smallest/Highly integrated LTE Cat M1/NB1 modem available in the market (about 21% less square area than nearest competitor)
- Suited for miniaturized battery-operated devices, such as wearables and tracking applications
- Low current consumption that can provide up to a 10-year battery
- eSIM included in certification
Multi-band (low and mid-band) support that covers approximately the globe
Dual mode (LTE Cat M1/NB-IoT)
Provides options within a single modem that allows end customers flexibility of switching between modes globally, especially for those carriers planning to support both modes

The module is powered by Altair's ALT1250 cellular IoT chipset providing the market's lowest power consumption and enabling the longest battery life for cellular IoT. Commercially available, the chipset features a hardware-based security framework and a rich set of features including integrated SIM (iUICC), MCU and GNSS, suited for integration in a range of industrial and consumer IoT applications.

Features & specifications

LTE Cat M1 - 23dBm
NB-IoT (NB1) Rel. 13 (Rel. 14 - SW Upgrade)
GNSS
VoLTE
Dimension: 11.1 x 11.4 x 1.4 mm (typ), 1.5 mm (max)
Package: LGA
Antenna configurations: external
3GPP eDRX and PSM modes
Power Consumption: enables up to 10-year battery life
- Hibernation current: 3uA
- eDRX current: <25uA @ 8 hyperframes
- PSM current: dormant window configurable
Modem features global coverage in low and mid bands, low current consumption (eDRX and PSM), and long battery life (10+ years), which is suited for small, battery operated IoT devices and applications
Operating temperature range: -40ºC to 85ºC
OTA firmware upgrade
Global Carrier Certifications: GCF and PTCRB