CTIA Certification has made Sony’s Altair ALT1350 the first PTCRB-certified IoT chipset.

“We are proud to increase our certification offerings with NB-IoT and LTE-M chipset certifications,” said Tom Sawanobori, senior vice president at the CTIA. “As we move towards an increasingly connected future, this new certification provides a new pathway for certified cellular-enabled IoT devices to get to market efficiently.”

This milestone for the PTCRB certification programme addresses an expanding IoT landscape and encourages the creation of innovative products by providing a streamlined certification path for modules and end devices incorporating certified chipsets. A global network of PTCRB-authorised test labs uses a standard industry framework and approved test platforms to ensure industry standards for performance and interoperability are met. Integrators can now design products around these certified chipsets to take advantage of extensive certification testing already completed.

The ALT1350 is Sony Semiconductor’s third generation cellular IoT SoC, designed specifically for the 5G massive IoT market. It is a low-power cellular IoT product that combines LTE-M, NB-IoT, unlicensed spectrum communications and satellite connectivity (NTN) in a single chip, as well as low power MCU and sensor hub. The device can enable efficient development, reduced power consumption, smaller device sizes and lower costs.

The ALT1350 (altair.sony-semicon.com/briefs/ALT1350-Product-Brief.pdf) is suitable for diverse applications including smart meters, wearables, asset trackers, telematics systems, connected health devices and other IoT products requiring extended battery life and reliable connectivity.

“We are thrilled that our ALT1350 is the first IoT chipset to receive PTCRB certification,” said Levana Fouks, senior director at Sony Semiconductor (altair.sony-semicon.com) in Israel. “This certification validates PTCRB commitment to developing innovative, standards-compliant solutions that help accelerate IoT deployment while ensuring optimal network performance and interoperability. The streamlined certification path that PTCRB now offers will independently test and certify the cellular modem. This will simplify module and device certification, eventually shortening time to market and reducing the module certification cost. The new certification is invaluable for our customers and the broader IoT ecosystem.”

CTIA Certification (www.ctia.org) has provided certification for the wireless industry since 1991. Trusted certification programmes set the standard for devices, technicians, test laboratories and repair service facilities. The PTCRB certification programme provides confidence that devices conform with global standards and perform optimally on mobile wireless networks.