The build up to MWC underway, with much of the international mobile communications community preparing to gather in Barcelona (27th February – 2nd March). Exhibiting at the event, leading electronics manufacturer Murata will be highlighting the advanced wireless and next generation subscriber identity module (SIM) solutions that it offers for supporting cellular IoT deployments, plus its pioneering V2X communications capabilities.
Supplied in a 15.4mm x 18.0mm x 2.5mm form factor land grid array (LGA) package, the Murata Type 1SE is a highly compact cellular IoT module supporting Cat-M1 and NB1. This module is targeted at use in smart metering, home/building automation, asset tracking, agricultural automation and smart city applications. It features a STM32L462RE ultra-low power microcontroller unit (MCU) from STMicroelectronics, with an Arm Cortex® M4 processing core plus 512kB of flash and 160kB of SRAM memory resource integrated. There is also a further 1MB of serial flash included on the module. As no additional carrier or regulatory certification is needed, this highly convenient solution presents engineers with a way of minimising the time needed to complete development projects and also keeps down the costs involved too. Extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) and power saving mode (PSM) functionality are pivotal in augmenting its energy efficiency properties.
Incorporated directly into Murata’s Type 1SC cellular IoT modules, which complements the Type 1SE offering and will also be on display at MWC, is game-changing integrated SIM (iSIM) technology. This allows significant board space savings to be gained, as well as meaning that less power is consumed (due to faster network attach and continuous SIM presence detection being eliminated) – something that is invaluable to battery-driven IoT nodes. As a result, the Type 1SC is the smallest cellular IoT module currently available. Another key attribute of iSIM is that it avoids the use of credit-card sized plastic SIM carriers (which have an environmental impact when disposed of, especially with large scale deployments). Finally, this approach provides greater mobile network operator flexibility, with a profile being digitally delivered by the chosen operator at whichever point is most appropriate (during module production, module distribution, IoT device manufacturing, or device shipment).
Another MWC highlight will be the Murata Type 2GD. This is an ultra-small, ultra-low power multi-protocol 5G IoT module. It is compliant with both LTE-M1/NB2, as well as having future compatibility with 3GPP release 17. Featuring sub-GHz and 2.4GHz transceivers, it offers support for Wi-Sun, U-Bus Air, and wM-Bus protocols. A GSMA-conforming iSIM is incorporated into each unit when requested.
Alongside its cellular IoT/5G product offering, Murata will be underlining its expertise in automotive – with a V2X demo that shows how the technology can help to make roads safer and improve traffic flows. For this highly engaging demo, the company’s Type 2AN wireless modules is used in conjunction with AEC-Q100 qualified V2X chipsets from IC partner Autotalks.
To talk about your cellular IoT or V2X projects with Murata’s highly knowledgeable application engineering staff, come to Stand 5C10 in Hall 5.