Swiss firm U-Blox has expanded its range of R10 products for the fast-growing LTE Cat-1bis cellular connectivity market.

Predicted by analyst firm Techno Systems Research to account for 43.6% of all non-handset cellular devices by 2029, LTE Cat-1bis is expected to be the best-selling cellular technology for the IoT for the next four to five years.

The latest modules serve both the IoT and users migrating from legacy 2G and 3G cellular connectivity.

The Lexi-R10 Global (www.u-blox.com/en/product/lexi-r10-series) is a 16 by 16mm LTE Cat-1bis module that can be used worldwide in size-constrained IoT applications such as people or pet trackers and wearables. It is said to be the world’s smallest single-mode LTE Cat-1bis module with indoor location and a US MNO certified core.

Meanwhile, the Sara-R10 (www.u-blox.com/en/product/sara-r10-series) series brings the same capabilities as the Lexi-R10 Global to the Sara form factor. With 2G and 3G sunsets continuing globally, the Sara-R10 offers product designers using 2G and 3G Sara modules an upgrade path to 4G LTE.

Both modules have the option to embed an eSIM, and include an integrated wifi sniffer, providing indoor localisation via the firm’s CellLocate service based on wifi and cellular networks.

One of the variants is the Sara-R10M10, said to be the world’s smallest LTE Cat-1bis module with embedded GNSS capable of concurrent communication and tracking. It is suitable for asset tracking and telematics applications that demand continuous connectivity as well as indoor and outdoor positioning anywhere in the world, thanks to the blend of GNSS, wifi scan and global LTE coverage. This module is also half the size of U-Blox’s previous LTE Cat-1bis combo, the Lena-R8M10.

These latest R10 modules give product designers a 4G cellular connectivity option for IoT applications that require medium data rates, worldwide portability, low power consumption and compact sizes.

Samples will be available by Q3 2024.

Headquartered in Thalwil, Switzerland, U-Blox (www.u-blox.com) has a global presence with 1400 experts.