Nordic Semiconductor today announced that Polte, innovator of Cloud Location over Cellular (C-LoC) technology, has joined the Nordic Partner Program as a Solution Partner. The partnership will provide developers using Nordic’s nRF9160 low power System-in-Package (SiP) the ability to integrate secure, accurate, and globally available location intelligence into their Massive IoT-based asset tracking designs.
Together, Polte and Nordic Semiconductor are providing an out-of-the-box ready location solution leveraging Polte’s CoreRes (CR) capability via the Polte Location API. Polte CR is a Massive IoT location service targeted at developers of asset tracking solutions using Nordic’s nRF9160 SiP. The product provides real-time, universal asset visibility while improving on Cell ID and Enhanced Cell ID accuracy, and enabling global continuity while roaming. Polte CR currently supports any cellular-connected IoT device based on LTE-M, NB-IoT, as well as Cat-1+.
The product can be integrated into any nRF9160 SiP-powered IoT device simply through the use of standard AT commands and API integration. By leveraging Polte CR instead of other location technologies that require dedicated chips such as GPS or Wi-Fi, developers can offload computational complexity from the IoT device to the cloud. This in turn reduces power consumption and increases data security.
The solution is designed for use cases in sectors ranging from transportation and logistics to manufacturing, healthcare and construction, in which location insights into moveable assets are currently restricted by limited visibility either indoors or outdoors. For example, a pallet can be tracked along its journey as it is transported between a factory, warehouse and retail location, without visibility restricted to the range of beacons or a line of sight to satellites. It also avoids an enterprise or solutions provider needing to create a more costly, complex amalgamation of traditional location technologies in order to fill the gaps in location coverage.
“We believe that achieving universal asset visibility should be simple,” says Ed Chao, Polte CEO. “This partnership will provide Nordic customers with a cloud-based cellular location capability that is accessible through any cellular-connected IoT device integrating the nRF9160 SiP, without the need for additional infrastructure. This allows developers to benefit from enhanced performance indoors, outdoors, and everywhere in between.”
“This technology will deliver secure, accurate, global location solutions that empower enterprises with unprecedented real-time visibility into all the things that matter,” says Kristian Sæther, Nordic’s Product Manager for Cellular IoT. “We are transforming what is possible with asset tracking for our customers across supply chain, logistics, and many other vertical industry sectors.”
The Nordic Partner Program is an ecosystem of companies with experience of Nordic’s solutions that will drive greater adoption of wireless technology and help the company’s customers bring their wireless products to market faster. Companies already working with Nordic wishing to become Nordic Partner Program Design or Solution partners should contact their Nordic sales representative. Following the qualification process, members can leverage Nordic Semiconductor marketing channels and gain access to dedicated technical resources including training and roadmaps.
