With the maturity of various smart city applications, the Internet of Things has begun to favor the long-distance low-power WAN standard (LPWAN). The LoRaWAN standard has been adopted and deployed in more than 65 countries. As the core chip of the LoRaWAN network. The supplier, an important advocate of LoRa technology and one of the main founding members of the LoRa Alliance, Semtech has spared no effort in promoting the LoRa standard.
According to data released by IHS Markit, in early 2018, the number of proof-of-concept (POC) using Semtech's LoRa technology has exceeded 1,000 worldwide, and the number of LoRa-based gateways deployed worldwide has reached 70,000+. By the beginning of 2019, the number of gateways will reach 200,000, and the number of terminal nodes will reach 80 million. More than 40% are expected to be LoRa-based devices. In 2025, the number of machine-to-machine connections worldwide will increase to 27 billion.
At the World Mobile Communications Shanghai Conference (2018 MWC Shanghai) held at the end of June, Semtech also participated in the exhibition as a member of the LoRa Alliance Group. Mr. Huang Xudong, Vice President of Sales of Semtech China, accepted an interview with the media such as Electronic Engineering Album.
Cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to do network management
"Electronic Engineering Album" is concerned about the readers. Last year, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a draft for comments on the regulation of unlicensed spectrum wireless networking technologies such as LoRa. He asked Huang Xudong: "The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology manages these spectrums because they see They are developing very fast on a certain frequency. They are worried that if they are not well regulated, they may cause interference to the carrier network. Some complaints have been disturbed by the LoRaWAN network so far. I have been working with the staff of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Communication, Semtech has the obligation to cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to do this. In my opinion, if the management is in place, it will be helpful to the whole industry. Because if it is really confusing, it is even worse for LoRa's entire ecology. . '
More than just a chip supplier
In view of the good momentum of LoRa development today, will Semtech become an IP licensor in the future? Huang Xudong said that this involves the company's future planning, and it is inconvenient to talk about it, but everything is possible, because Semtech will be the core of LoRa technology in the future. Outside the chip supplier, there will definitely be more roles. At present, STMicroelectronics is already the semiconductor company authorized by Semtech LoRa chip IP, and is the only one. Others use some chips to make SIP chips. Manufacturers, such as Microchip.
'We are not staying on the LoRa connection now, but are exploring further applications that are likely to disrupt industries. Smart cities, smart buildings, smart supply chains and logistics, smart metering and smart agriculture, etc.' Huang Xudong said, ' Although we are a chip company, a very important part of the work is to enlarge the entire ecological chain and market. In this process, we need to find a strong partner to cooperate with it. Therefore, our approach is to make chips. In the future, if you think of a good application, you will make a reference design to the customer. The customer has good ideas and technology but lacks market channels. We will also help them find channels and then generate revenue from various cooperations.
Latest LoRa Tag or Subversion Express Industry
On-site Huang Xudong used Semtech's new LoRa Tag as an example to explain how to use LoRa technology to implement tracking and identification tag reference design. This LoRa tag is called 'revolutionary' with ultra-low power intelligent event detection. Advanced technology is provided, including transmission rate up to 10dBm, transmission frequency up to 1000 times, and complete solution for all units. It uses battery materials without harmful substances to stimulate single/recurrent event detection and cycle Sexually transmitted. Its innovative application scenarios include asset tracking, package open reports, drug usage tracking and real-time location tampering events.
Huang Xudong said that Semtech's reference design is equipped with ultra-thin printed batteries, which are designed to be further integrated into products or systems that monitor simple events and send information to the cloud, and can significantly reduce costs. The ultimate goal is to do One-off, enabling a wide range of new IoT applications that require real-time and reliable feedback.
'For example, some express parcels for valuables, we can use this kind of printed electronic device in the sealing part of the box. Once the parcel is opened, this instant position and time will be uploaded to the cloud in real time through LoRa network to realize monitoring and prevent valuables from being lost. And confirm the evidence of compensation after the package is lost. 'Huang Xudong's example.
LoRa and NB-IoT
Finally, it is inevitable to talk about the relationship between LoRa and NB-IoT. Huang Xudong believes that NB-IoT and LoRa will complement each other for a long time. He believes that many domestic enterprises choose NB-IoT. It is because of the support of national policies, but the application of LoRa is much broader. From the feedback of Semtech's customers, LoRa has an advantage in most scenarios. He told us, 'There is a need for comparison between technologies. If you make progress, you can better serve the market. It’s definitely not good to say it on the mouth, depending on whether the customer can buy or not.