https://www.iotworldtoday.com/wp-content/themes/ioti_child/assets/images/logo/IoTWorldToday-mobile-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
    • Back
    • Roundups
  • Strategy
  • Special Reports
  • Business Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Industry Perspectives
    • Featured Vendors
  • Other Content
    • Back
    • Q&As
    • Case Studies
    • Features
    • How-to
    • Opinion
    • Podcasts
    • Strategic Partners
    • Latest videos
  • More
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Editorial Submissions
  • Events
Iot World Today
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
    • Back
    • Roundups
  • Strategy
  • Special Reports
  • Business Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Industry Perspectives
    • Featured Vendors
  • Other Content
    • Back
    • Q&As
    • Case Studies
    • Features
    • How-to
    • Opinion
    • Podcasts
    • Strategic Partners
    • Latest videos
  • More
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Editorial Submissions
  • Events
  • newsletter
  • IIoT
  • Cities
  • Energy
  • Homes/Buildings
  • Transportation/Logistics
  • Connected Health Care
  • Retail
  • AI
  • Metaverse
  • Development
  • Security
ioti.com

Embedded Computing


iStock / RobinOlimb

Cell connectivity has traditionally been difficult for many IoT developers to implement.

Cellular-Based IoT Doesn’t Have to Be So Hard: Q&A with Particle’s CEO

Although cellular connectivity has a myriad of advantages for IoT applications, it has traditionally been difficult to implement. Particle and Twilio want to change that.
  • Written by Brian Buntz
  • 2nd June 2016

In many ways, cellular is ideal for IoT applications, declares Zach Supalla, CEO of Particle. “It works pretty much anywhere (we humans have managed to put cell towers just about everywhere you would want them), it works out-of-the-box (no setup required), and it’s extremely reliable,” he explains.

But cellular has its drawbacks as well. It has ongoing costs that can be variable and sometimes unpredictable, and the hardware is expensive—costing five times as much as Wi-Fi modules. In addition, it is relatively power hungry, Supalla says. “To run off a battery for an extended period of time, cellular devices need to spend most of their time asleep and disconnected from the tower,” he says. For these reasons, cellular connectivity has, up until now, been best suited for applications with a clear revenue model that can offset the monthly fees. Not surprisingly, cellular IoT has grown at a slower pace than Wi-Fi.

Now, Particle, which has already developed a popular prototype-to-production IoT platform, is hooking up with Twilio to launch a cellular IoT platform. Twilio will offer SIM cards and the data plan for Particle’s cellular IoT platform, which will launch later this year.

In this Q&A, Particle’s CEO, Zach Supalla explains why the collaboration with Twilio makes sense and how it is making it easier to develop cellular-based IoT applications.

What are the main advantages of your Twilio partnership?

Twilio has built strong hooks into the cellular providers and is leveraging those integrations and relationships to build an affordable, reliable cellular infrastructure for IoT. Data plans and SIM cards are only one piece of the puzzle, however, and Particle provides the rest (APIs, device management, communications protocol, firmware libraries, software development tools, hardware, etc.). Together, Particle and Twilio are everything you need for a cellular IoT product.

What do you see as being the main traditional challenges of using cellular for IoT applications?

Dealing with cellular carriers is time-consuming and expensive. It can take a year or more to negotiate a deal with a carrier, and at the end of the day you have no idea whether your product is viable until you have a price sheet, which could be months into the process. You also have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to certify your product with your carrier of choice. By working with Twilio, we instead get transparent, no-negotiation pricing and a business model that works from the first prototype to the millionth unit shipped.

What do you see as some of the most promising IoT applications for cellular?

I see a lot of asset tracking applications. Essentially, you would know the precise location of an asset—from a shipping container to a bicycle. It could also be used in sensor networks and industrial automation.

I’ve noticed an uptick in IoT-related partnerships. Do you think that this is something we will see more of this year?

Yes, absolutely. Building an IoT product is a massive undertaking, and it makes sense that companies are partnering up because it’s difficult for any one company to provide a comprehensive solution.

You have previously said that the future of the Internet of Things is making things cheaper so it can go everywhere. How is Particle working to help make that happen?

We’re working to reduce or eliminate a lot of the fixed costs that go into making an IoT product. That includes everything from making it easier to build a product so a customer can spend less time on engineering to providing hardware that is pre-certified avoiding paying up to $20K on certifications. Fixed costs make it hard for entrepreneurs to get their businesses off the ground and for innovators at big companies to get their ideas out of R&D. If we eliminate the fixed costs, then a lot more people and companies can start building new products and experiences.

Tags: Article Embedded Computing Q&As

Related Content


  • Chinese Researchers Develop Mind-Controllable Metasurface
    Bluetooth-enabled sensor uses brainwaves to control scattering patterns on programmable metasurface
  • Image shows National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) deputy director for innovation Simon Plant at Quantum Summit 2022
    Quantum Summit 2022: U.K. National Quantum Computing Centre Update
    The facility is dedicated to researching and developing quantum computing in the U.K. and around the world
  • Omdia chief quantum computing analyst Sam Lucero
    Quantum Summit 2022: Where is Quantum Computing Now?
    The industry is on a multi-year path to achieving quantum advantage over classical computers
  • Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng
    Quantum Summit 2022: UK Government Invests in Quantum Computing
    Investment in U.K. quantum technologies program expected to pass $1.2 billion by 2024

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your IoT World Today account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest News

  • Digital Pets Company
    Lonely in the Metaverse? Breed and Train Your AI-Driven Virtual Dog
  • Musk Offers to Buy Twitter for $43B
  • Embedded IoT World 2022: Suzanne Deffree Talks DesignCon History
  • Embedded IoT World 2022: Omdia's Josh Builta Talks Trends, Chips, 5G and More

Roundups

View all

IoT Product Roundup: Canonical, InfluxData, Wiliot and More

23rd June 2022

IoT Product Roundup: Cisco, Telit, Draganfly and More

9th June 2022

IoT Deals, Partnerships Roundup: Google, Arm, Senet and More

26th May 2022

White Papers

View all

The Role of Manufacturing Technology in Continuous Improvement Ebook

6th April 2022

IIoT Platform Trends for Manufacturing in 2022

6th April 2022

Latest Videos

View all

AI Summit 2022: easyJet’s Ben Dias on AI in Aerospace

The company’s director of data science and analytics talks about the industry’s use of AI.

AI Summit 2022: Bob Compton, CIO of Mobilize Financial Services

Compton talks about some of the biggest business challenges with AI

E-books

View all

How Remote Access Helps Enterprises Improve IT Service and Employee Satisfaction

12th January 2022

An Integrated Approach to IoT Security

6th November 2020

Webinars

View all

Rethinking the Database in the IoT Era

18th May 2022

Jumpstarting Industrial IoT solutions with an edge data management platform

12th May 2022

AI led Digital Transformation of Manufacturing: Time is NOW

9th December 2021

Special Reports

View all

Omdia’s Smart Home Market Dynamics Report

7th January 2022

Cybersecurity Protection Increasingly Depends on Machine Learning

28th October 2020

IoT Security Best Practices for Industry and Enterprise

20th October 2020

Twitter

IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

IoT Deals and Partnerships Roundup: Sony, Emnify, Nexxiot and more dlvr.it/STBT4j https://t.co/F9miX0gvkV

1st July 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

AI Summit 2022: easyJet’s Ben Dias on AI in Aerospace dlvr.it/ST9SXq https://t.co/ZFAoLpy4v5

1st July 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

#Selfdriving tech leaders urging @CAgovernor to allow #autonomous trucks to operate in the state. #AVs @Waymo… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

30th June 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Wimbledon 2022: AI Operations Inside the Control Room  dlvr.it/ST6sQs https://t.co/dXvyIjtuJD

30th June 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

AI Summit 2022: Bob Compton, CIO of Mobilize Financial Services dlvr.it/ST4sVs https://t.co/1dq3tbwycl

29th June 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Vodafone Hints at IoT Spinoff dlvr.it/ST46FV https://t.co/5SNxgkK9yN

29th June 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

Autonomous Helicopter Takes off in Canada dlvr.it/ST3sPr https://t.co/OA9RA1XJcY

29th June 2022
IoTWorldToday, IoTWorldSeries

AI Summit 2022: AutoTrader’s Nick King dlvr.it/ST3Ylw https://t.co/XgT5qZtme1

29th June 2022

Newsletter

Sign up for IoT World Today newsletters: vertical industry coverage on Tuesdays and horizontal tech coverage on Thursdays.

Special Reports

Our Special Reports take an in-depth look at key topics within the IoT space. Download our latest reports.

Business Resources

Find the latest white papers and other resources from selected vendors.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IoT World Series
  • Channel Futures
  • RISC-V
  • Dark Reading
  • ITPro Today
  • Web Hosting Talk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Login/Register

FOLLOW IoT World Today ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X