U‑blox featured a live Narrowband IoT (NB‑IoT or LTE Cat NB1) demo at MWC Americas in San Francisco, featuring SARA‑R410M‑02B, a configurable LTE Cat M1/NB1 multi‑mode module with worldwide coverage. NB‑IoT is a highly efficient type of spectrum and the globally preferred standard due to benefits like cost savings, extended battery life 
and the ability to support a large number of connected devices.
U‑blox has partnered with Bluvision, a provider of highly scalable end‑to‑end IoT platforms, to display Cold Chain Temperature Monitoring and Condition Monitoring using Bluvision’s BluCell. BluCell, a narrowband gateway that uses Bluetooth to wirelessly monitor hundreds of beacons, each measuring temperature, vibration analysis, door openings, location and movement. BluCell is connected via the U‑blox SARA‑R410M‑02B to T‑Mobile’s network, expected to be the first NB‑IoT network in North America. The module is expected to be certified and available in early 2018 for T‑Mobile’s NB‑IoT network, which is expected to launch nationwide in mid‑2018.
For the demo, Bluvision’s BEEKs beacons with sensors for temperature, vibration, magnetic fields and ambient light were attached to a cooler. The beacons transmited telemetry data, which includes real‑time and historical temperature log for the cooler and the vibration data from the compressor motor in the cooler, to the Bluzone cloud solution.
SARA‑R410M is a configurable LTE Cat M1/NB1 multi‑mode module with worldwide coverage. Measuring just 16 x 26 mm, it offers both LTE Cat M1 and Cat NB1 in a single hardware package, as well as software‑based configurability for all deployed global bands. It provides enormous efficiencies in logistics and SKU management. Customers can easily respond to changes in business or market conditions, since supported frequencies and operator configuration decisions can now be made at “zero hour” or even later in the field.
U-blox | www.u-blox.com
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