Qualcomm announced the addition of two new modems — the MDM9207-1 and MDM9206. Qualcomm described the modems as featuring "Scalable, Power-Efficient and Cost-optimized Cat 1 LTE Connectivity" and providing "a Path to LTE Cat-M (eMTC) and NB-IOT Standards," respectively. Both the MDM9207-1 and the MDM9206 offer connectivity with the growing number of IoT devices.
IoT, or the Internet of Things, is a wide and ever-expanding sphere of physical products that utilize varying degrees of network capacity. Collectively, these "things" and their combined bandwidth will have an impact on communication, knowledge acquisition, data and other services. These products will also allow us to better connect with each other and the virtual world, easily and efficiently.
IoT connectivity also allows us to monitor and control devices remotely, which sounds outlandish, but IoT is more prevalent than many people are aware of. Your phones, computers and TVs can all be classified as "things."
Qualcomm's intent with the MDM9207-1 and the MDM9206 is to introduce modems that specifically cater to the IoT market. The MDM9206, for example, is aimed at IoT devices requiring low data rates and offers support for Cat-M and narrowband IoT. The MDM9207-1 packs more horsepower and is intended for heavier IoT applications such as smart metering, security and industrial automation, while providing Category 1 LTE connectivity. These two modems will expand 4G LTE, which is just a small step as Qualcomm's long-term goal is to create a foundation for future 5G connectivity.
Features and specs for the MDM9206 will be revealed at a later date, but Qualcomm provided information about the MDM9207-1 to keep us interested. The MDM9307-1's features consist of power saving for devices communicating with the modem constantly or infrequently; a Linux-friendly, Integrated Applications Processor with ARM Cortex A7 clocked at 1.2 GHz; global positioning support for Beidou, Glonass, and Galileo; and security.
Additional features include 10 Mbps downlink and 5 Mbps uplink; over 10 years of battery life; support for major cellular standards (LTE FDD, LTE TDD, DC-HSPA, GSM and TD-SCDMA); integrated voice support; and support for Qualcomm VIVE Wi-Fi, 802.11ac MU | EFX MU-MIMO technology, and BT 4.1 BLE.
The MDM9207-1 will launch in the first half of 2016. The MDM9206's release date is yet to be revealed.
Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
