Smart metering, smart grids and smart home applications are all starting to use advanced technologies for insights and efficiencies in their sector, including cloud computing, edge computing and data and analytics. Automation, robotics, IoT, artificial intelligence, digital twins, and many other technologies are all also becoming increasingly critical to help accelerate deployments in this sector.

Smart meters, intelligent grids and cloud-based platforms will allow customers to pay only for what they use, while in the automotive world, indicators suggest that advanced driver assistance systems will enable a saving of 400,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, through efficiency gains per mile driven. Quectel’s broad portfolio of modules and antennas, alongside the recently launched connectivity service, means it is uniquely positioned to support these initiatives and others like them with effective wireless connectivity, providing the IoT solutions needed to help drive this digital transformation.

“The current energy crisis means we are seeing a meaningful need to manage our energy requirements, both from a supply and cost point of view,” said Norbert Muhrer, President and CSO, Quectel Wireless Solutions. “Technologies that we’re seeing today, whether it’s smart metering, smart grids, automotive systems or smart charging posts are one such way that we can optimize our use of energy and alleviate some of these issues that we’re seeing across the world.”

The utilities sector is a natural fit for connected technologies and is already being fundamentally transformed through IoT development. In a sector where assets are frequently in remote or hard-to-reach locations, the value of reliable connectivity - with minimal demands on power and maintenance - is clear. Previously used for 2G, the LTE 450 band is increasingly used as a network for IoT and critical applications and is ideal for the wide area coverage that IoT demands. Quectel modules that support LTE 450 such as the EG921N-EN, an LTE Cat 1 wireless communication module is optimized especially for M2M and IoT applications and is ideal for home smart meters.

Other modules that are ideal to help drive the transformation of the utility industry include the industrial standard Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 5.2 FC41D module, designed to meet the requirements of low flow control and data acquisition applications such as smart homes and industrial control and the BC660K-GL, designed specifically to meet the needs of the smart metering industry.

Furthermore, Quectel’s extensive module portfolio and its comprehensive range of antennas can offer charging point operators the capabilities they need to facilitate connectivity for their charging points. The BG950 and BG951 LTE Cat M1 modules offer ultra-low power consumption, ideal for periods of non-use at charging points while the EG91 series and EG915 series offer potentially even better performance across LTE Cat 1 for electric vehicle charging points.

The Quectel module offering is complemented by its range of antennas which help optimize connection efficiency and aid ease of installation of devices. These can be supplied pre-integrated with Quectel IoT modules to accelerate time to market and help eliminate commonly found integration issues. At the same time, completing the module and antenna range, the Connectivity-as-a-Service offering adds connectivity to the portfolio available and helps customers to simplify the journey of designing, building, connecting, and commercializing their IoT offerings.