Verizon Business introduces IoT on 5G Nationwide, new suite of Intelligence features

What you need to know:

• Verizon-certified IoT devices can now access Verizon’s 5G Nationwide network through current compatible data plans in the ThingSpace IoT Marketplace, with new 5G Nationwide-compatible hardware and plans coming later this year. Devices and plans compatible with 5G Ultra Wideband are expected by Q1 2022.

• Verizon Business has opened customer trials for ThingSpace Intelligence, a new suite of analytics and management tools that give users predictive visibility into their IoT device and network performance. The Intelligence layer applies machine learning to millions of Verizon network signals to help manage massive IoT and generate predictive alerts and notifications, with overlays for extreme weather.

• A low-cost narrowband IoT module (sub$4) from Quectel, powered by the Qualcomm® 212 LTE IoT modem, is now certified on Verizon’s network. The module makes narrowband massive IoT applications more cost-effective than ever and enables turnkey connectivity for a vast array of industrial sensors.

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Verizon Business today announced a potent combination of customer-facing network, hardware and intelligence offerings for Internet of Things (IoT) applications across industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, utilities, transportation, retail/supply chain, public safety and more. Verizon-certified IoT devices can now access Verizon’s 5G Nationwide network through current compatible data plans, a new low-cost narrowband IoT module has achieved certification on Verizon’s network, and new Intelligence capabilities combining network and device analytics on a single dashboard are available for customer trials now, all via Verizon ThingSpace, the company’s IoT marketplace and management platform. IoT devices and plans compatible with 5G Ultra Wideband are expected by Q1 2022.

“Verizon Business is a single-provider destination for IoT, with solutions spanning broadband and narrowband, 5G and LTE, and intelligence, hardware, and management, for applications across industries,” said TJ Fox, Senior Vice President of Industrial IoT and Automotive, Verizon Business. “But it’s not just the expanding breadth of offerings -- it’s the lowered costs, power-efficiency, and heightened accessibility. Broadband IoT on 5G Nationwide and new narrowband IoT hardware in the sub $4 range, with plans under $1, can help open up IoT for new customers, new use cases, and innovative developers.”

The ThingSpace Intelligence suite includes a bundle of existing IoT services, such as Intelligence Analytics Dashboard, SIM Secure, Device Diagnostics and Location Services, and new capabilities including the features listed below, which together allow customers to protect against, detect, and respond to device and connectivity issues and threats. These features are available for customer trial now, with commercial availability expected later this year:

• Wireless Network Performance, an advanced analytics-as-a-service offering for coverage, outage, event, service notifications and performance metrics. For example, customers could view network status and service/maintenance tickets during powerful weather events such as hurricanes.

• Anomaly Detection, a service that leverages machine learning to alert users to atypical device behavior (coming in Q4 2021). For example, customers could see that a device is using unusual amounts of data, an indication that it might be compromised.

• Network-coordinated firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) management, a software management feature designed for 5G massive IoT devices that performs reachability checks when managing firmware upgrades, resulting in higher device compliance ratios. For example, users will know that firmware could not be upgraded in some devices because they might have been powered off or experiencing a similar interruption, allowing users to better coordinate and manage upgrades.

• ThingSpace Analytics engine, a tool that puts network and device analytics side by side for insight into predictive maintenance and performance notification and alerting. By monitoring and analyzing the millions of signals on Verizon’s networks, this tool generates predictive visualizations of devices and visibility into the health and performance of IoT connections to rule out connection issues. For example, customers can visualize data usage trends and adjust data plans, budgets, or device configurations to be more efficient.

Quectel’s new BC660K-GL module achieved certification from Verizon, making the carrier the first in the U.S. to enable the module on its nationwide narrowband IoT network. The module is powered by the Qualcomm 212 LTE IoT modem and supports multiple frequency bands with extremely low power consumption. It’s ultra-compact profile of 17.7 mm × 15.8 mm × 2.0 mm and low cost of sub $4 makes it an ideal choice for new narrowband-IoT device launches. Connectivity plans from Verizon will start at less than $1. The module offers vital low power consumption for applications that expect to operate for 15 or 20 years without being touched, such as smart meters, HVAC units, air and water quality monitors, manufacturing controls, smart lighting nodes, municipal smart infrastructure and more, at a price point that significantly lowers barriers to entry and opens up massive IoT possibilities.

“We’re delighted that our BC660K-GL module has been certified with Verizon so it can be enabled on their nationwide narrowband IoT network and form part of its single-provider offering,” said Patrick Qian, the Chief Executive Officer of Quectel Wireless Solutions. “The ability to supply Verizon customers with the module at a very cost-effective rate alongside connectivity plans from Verizon for $1 is transformative and will make a huge variety of IoT use cases possible for the first time. We’re proud to be playing our part, along with Verizon and Qualcomm Technologies, in helping IoT innovators build a smarter world.”

“Qualcomm Technologies is continuously optimizing and developing industry-leading technologies with high-performance, power-efficiency, and low-latency at the core. The Qualcomm® 212 LTE IoT modem – the world’s most power-efficient NB-IoT chipset – supports the creation of new, global smart IoT devices and applications, equipped with cutting-edge power efficiency and LTE connectivity capabilities. We are pleased to see that Quectel’s module – BC660K-GL – based on Qualcomm Technologies’ 212 LTE IoT modem has received this important validation by Verizon to support the proliferation of next generation, low-power global IoT devices,” said Jeffery Torrance, Senior Vice President, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.