Nordic’s nRF9151: small, low power cellular IoT solution

The nRF9151 is a fully integrated, pre-certified SiP featuring an application MCU for extensive application development or use as a stand-alone cellular modem. This simplifies the development and deployment of scalable products across massive IoT markets, including industrial automation, asset tracking, smart city, smart metering, and smart agriculture.

The nRF9151 represents a significant advancement in cellular IoT technology, offering a cost-effective and globally accessible solution. Its comprehensive and compact solution includes hardware with a programmable application processor, software, cloud services, development tools, and world-class support.

Key features of the nRF9151 SiP

Like its predecessor, the nRF9161, the nRF9151 supports 3GPP release 14 LTE-M/NB-IoT global coverage and DECT NR+. The nRF9151 stands out from the nRF9160 and nRF9161 with its exclusive features, such as a significant footprint reduction, which allows for more compact products without performance compromises. In addition to Power class 3 (23 dBm), the nRF9151 also supports Power class 5 (20 dBm) output power, leading to 45 percent reduced peak power consumption thanks to the unique nRF9151 low power design, which decreases the cost of battery-powered products. The nRF9151 will also add support for Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) support in future firmware release.

Available with SIM Cards from Onomondo and Wireless Logic preloaded with free data, the nRF9151 DK is the ideal starting point for cellular IoT application development. The DK is supplied pre-flashed with Nordic’s Serial LTE Modem application for interfacing through AT Commands. This also enables the nRF9151 to be used as a stand-alone cellular modem, simplifying its integration into existing customer solutions. Developers can get started with other firmware samples from the Quick Start tool, found in nRF Connect for Desktop, Nordic’s cross-platform development software.

A robust cellular IoT solution with increased supply chain resilience

The nRF9151 SIP includes a dedicated 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 application processor with 1 MB flash and 256 KB RAM, a multimode LTE-M/NB-IoT modem with GNSS, power management, and an RF front-end, all designed by Nordic. Application design is supported by Nordic’s nRF Connect SDK and nRF Cloud Services, while Nordic also handles regulatory certifications and carrier module pre-approvals. Nordic’s ownership of the module/SIP and design environment provides the support required for long-life IoT applications. Compared with its nRF91 Series predecessors, the nRF9151 offers increased supply chain resilience, allowing the creation of robust and enduring applications with a production lifetime beyond a decade.

“I’m excited that the nRF9151 is now entering production because we know our customers and many other IoT developers demand a highly integrated, compact, and low power LTE-M/NB-IoT and DECT NR+ solution. This product is the only one on the market that meets that demand, both through functionality and with a resilient supply chain,” said Øyvind Birkenes, Nordic Semiconductor’s Executive Vice President of Long Range Business Unit.

“Not only does the nRF9151 bring class-leading performance to cellular IoT, but Nordic is also the only global company to offer a complete cellular IoT solution. As a result, we’re already seeing high demand from customers developing the next generation of products in the massive IoT markets such as smart metering, asset tracking, and Industrial IoT products. We are eager to also close gaps and bring global coverage through the upcoming NTN support.”

The nRF9151 is also software and tools compatible with the nRF9160 and nRF9161. It is fully supported by nRF Cloud, Nordic’s platform for cloud services optimised for the company's wireless devices. nRF Cloud offers Location Services, including Assisted and Predictive GNSS, single-cell and multi-cell locationing, SSID Wi-Fi locationing, Security Services, and Device Management.

The nRF9151 SiP and nRF9151 DK are now available through Nordic’s distribution partners.