u‑blox showcased VoLTE, NB‑IoT and IoT gateway capabilities at CTIA

Aimed at smart home, automotive and connected health applications, the provision of voice over LTE through the LTE network can be achieved simultaneously with traditional data service. Supporting voice over LTE can eliminate the need for a separate 3G connection, reducing system cost and complexity. The VoLTE over Cat 1 demo illustrates how a voice call can be made for example to a cell phone, while maintaining a simultaneous LTE Cat 1 internet connection using the TOBY‑R202 module.

Using this approach, applications such as security systems, medical alert devices, and emergency/roadside assistance, all benefit from the additional functionality delivered by voice support, while operating in traditional data service mode. The u‑blox TOBY‑R202 has been designed for the needs of the North American market and can operate in LTE bands 2, 4, 5 and 12 with a fall back function to 3G bands 2 and 5.

“Using this approach, for example, in security systems, home automation panels and medical alert devices, voice control ensures monitoring from a 24/7 call centre with the capacity to take action in the event of an alarm or with the possibility of direct notification to the local police department and 911 centres,” said Stefano Moioli, Director of Product Management Cellular at u‑blox.

Two other demos showcased u‑blox IoT solutions: the NB‑IoT Waste Management Route Optimisation Demo and the IoT Gateway Dice Demo which showcased the real‑time analysis of sensor node data.

The NB‑IoT Demo consisted of a ‘system solution’ bringing together (pre‑standard) SARA‑N2, the world's first NB‑IoT module with u‑blox short range sensors (Bluetooth low energy/Wi‑Fi) and gateway technology, supported by an ARM embed application environment and cloud based analytics.

Built around a Waste Management Route Optimisation use case, the solution delivers tangible business benefits by automatically calculating the optimal route for a waste collection vehicle based on whether bins on its route are full or not. The demo also highlighted how fuel costs, emissions and journey times are reduced.

The IoT Gateway Dice Demo consists of a number of dice with embedded NINA‑B1 stand-alone Bluetooth low energy modules. They are connected to a local network via the IoT gateway module ODIN‑W2 and then onwards to the cloud. A web app pulls the reported sensor data into a page with a rendered image of a set of dice on the screen. In conjunction with the ARM embed‑enabled evaluation kit, the NINA‑B1’s powerful Cortex M4F application processor enables customers to develop reliable, secure low‑power sensor solutions for medical, telematics, control, home automation, point‑of‑sales applications, and more.