Quectel modules, antennas and local support accelerate S4IoT’s deployment of LPWA solutions in Latin America

Quectel's IoT hardware and support were key in speeding up the deployment of LPWA solutions in Latin America

Mexican IoT specialist, S4IoT, is dedicated to helping companies and industries undertake digital transformation by adopting IoT and 5G wireless solutions. As well as Mexico, the company operates throughout Latin America and in the US, and uses both the Quectel BG95 and BG96 to deploy Cat M1 and narrowband-IoT solutions.

“We really liked working with Quectel from day one and appreciated Quectel’s support for a Mexican start-up like ours,” says Onofre Tamargo, the CEO of S4IoT. “S4IoT appreciated Quectel’s support and the performance of the BG95 and BG96 low power wide area network (LPWAN) platforms, which comply with Latin American carriers’ requirements. Quectel helped us with strong technical support to ensure best practice in terms of PCB design and antenna performance. Quectel also helps by enabling us to participate in many webinars and shows in order to promote S4IoT more widely.”

“We constantly provide IoT solutions to our customers in different areas, so as we are based in Mexico, we need to ensure firstly the coverage of the Cat M1 or NB-IoT network from some carriers,” adds Onofre Tamargo. “To ensure this troubleshooting can be completed, we have decided to develop a network analyzer for cellular LPWAN which permits us to know which carriers are present, in different technologies such as NB-IoT or Cat M1 and to display important network parameters like the service provider name, the location area, cell ID, frequency bands, latency and some testing network testing. The S4IoT network analyzer is an ideal solution for troubleshooting IoT installation and carriers deployments.

Supporting deployment of LPWA in Latin America and beyond

The BG95 is a series of multi-mode LPWA modules that support LTE Cat M1/Cat NB2/EGPRS and integrated GNSS which meets the 3GPP Release 14 specification. The BG95 achieves maximum downlink rates of 588 Kbps and uplink rates of 1119 Kbps under LTE Cat M1. The module’s integrated RAM and flash memory enables ultra-low power consumption and its compact SMT form factor of 23.6mm × 19.9mm × 2.2mm allows integrators and developers to benefit from its mechanical intensity and low power consumption and design their applications with ease. The BG96’s highly integrated, cost-effective and compact SMT form factor of 26.5mm × 22.5mm × 2.3mm also offers an advanced LGA package that enables fully automated manufacturing for high-volume applications.

Onofre Tamargo adds that S4IoT selected Quectel because of the availability and presence of support in Mexico both from sales personnel and field application engineers. “We are working with Quectel for new antenna designs based on Quectel antenna references,” he says. “Quectel also supported us with detailed information on international standards and compliance.”

Ricardo Simon, Sales Director LatAm at Quectel, says: “We’re delighted to have helped S4IoT develop its business in Mexico and beyond as it brings new offerings to market and grows from a start-up. We’re proud to bring our experience and local knowledge to companies of all sizes as we grow the IoT market together and build a smarter world.”