Nordic Semiconductor has launched its smallest and lowest power system-in-package (SiP) cellular IoT solution, along with a development kit, for the massive IoT market. The new nRF9151 is a fully integrated, pre-certified SiP, integrating an application microcontroller (MCU) for application development or use as a stand-alone cellular modem. Target applications include industrial automation, asset tracking, smart city, smart metering and smart agriculture.
In addition to the programmable application processor, the nRF9151 solution includes software, cloud services, development tools and tech support. Like its predecessor, the nRF9161, the nRF9151 supports 3GPP release 14 LTE-M/NB-IoT global coverage and DECT NR+. Compared to the nRF9160 and nRF9161, the nRF9151 offers a smaller footprint and supports Power class 5 (20 dBm) output power, in addition to Power class 3 (23 dBm), leading to 45 percent reduced peak power consumption thanks to its unique low power design. The nRF9151 will also add support for non-terrestrial network (NTN) support in a future firmware release.
(Source: Nordic Semiconductor)
The nRF9151 SIP includes a dedicated 64-MHz Arm Cortex-M33 application processor with 1-MB flash and 256-KB RAM, a multimode LTE-M/NB-IoT modem with GNSS, power management and an RF front-end, all designed by Nordic. Nordic’s nRF Connect SDK and nRF Cloud Services supports application design. The company also handles regulatory certifications and carrier module pre-approvals.
Available with SIM Cards from Onomondo and Wireless Logic preloaded with free data, the nRF9151 development kit is a good starting point for cellular IoT application development, Nordic said. It is supplied pre-flashed with Nordic’s Serial LTE Modem application for interfacing through AT Commands, which also enables the nRF9151 to be used as a stand-alone cellular modem, simplifying its integration into existing customer solutions. Other firmware samples are available in the Quick Start tool found in nRF Connect for Desktop, Nordic’s cross-platform development software.
The nRF9151 is also software and tools compatible with the nRF9160 and nRF9161. nRF Cloud offers location services, including assisted and predictive GNSS, single-cell and multi-cell locationing, SSID Wi-Fi locationing, security services and device management.
The nRF9151 SiP and nRF9151 DK are now available through Nordic’s distribution partners. The nRF9151 has a country of origin that is not subject to U.S. tariffs, Nordic said.
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