Japanese electronics giant Renesas has introduced an NB-IoT chipset for the Indian market and is working with Tata Elxsi to implement NB-IoT services.

The RH1NS200 is an LTE NB-IoT modem chipset designed to operate seamlessly on the networks of all major Indian telecommunications carriers. It suits the Indian smart metering market, which some estimates put at roughly 250 million units over the next five years. It can be used to build complete NB-IoT modules to satisfy Make in India requirements.

The chipset can also be used in asset tracking, lighting, security and other applications.

Power consumption is 1µA in deep sleep mode, extending battery life. It also provides an integrated EAL5+ Secure Element that does not compromise on security to ensure the safety of end applications, particularly power and water metering.

Renesas has recently increased focus on the Indian market with several initiatives. In March 2022, it established an electric vehicle innovation centre with Tata Elxsi. In June 2022, Renesas announced a partnership with Tata Motors and Tejas Networks, both Tata Group companies, on the design, development and manufacturing of Renesas semiconductors for enhancing innovation across electronics systems for the Indian and emerging markets.

Then in March this year, Renesas and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced the opening of joint innovation centres in Bengaluru and Hyderabad to collaborate on radio frequency, digital and mixed-signal design, and software development for semiconductors. Renesas is working with Tata Elxsi to implement NB-IoT-based services that operate on the networks of major telecom carriers in India.

“Renesas recognises India’s enormous potential in terms of both market size and design talent, and we are committed to taking part in future growth driven by the Digital India Act,” said Sailesh Chittipeddi, executive vice president at Renesas. “This leading-edge NB-IoT is a prime example of tailoring our design and manufacturing strengths to meet the unique needs of this market.”

Manoj Raghavan, CEO of Tata Elxsi, added: “We are pleased to have partnered with Renesas to design and develop NB-IoT reference designs targeting smart applications ranging from water and energy meters to asset tracking. Our collaboration and trials in live 4G and 5G networks in India ensure that our offerings are not only technologically advanced but also market ready. Our expert technology team, as well as our extensive integration, customisation and productisation services, are fully aligned with Renesas to provide customers with the support they need to easily adopt and scale NB-IoT applications, helping drive the next generation of intelligent infrastructure and services.”

The chipset targets bands 1,3, 5 and 8 for India. There is support for transmit power up to 23dBm for all bands to reduces transmission retries. It has a field-proven and carrier-approved LTE protocol stack and software suite. Operating supply voltage is 2.2 to 5.5V.

The RH1NB200-EVK is a development kit with integrated multi-band antenna and access to all module IO ports. In addition, a software development kit is available that can control the LTE modem and platform IOs, and customise AT commands.

Renesas will also offer the Indian market the RH1NB200 LTE NB-IoT module that includes a complete RF front end for quick time-to-market.