Kinéis, a satellite-based IoT operator, along with Sensing Labs, a provider of smart IoT solutions for the EMEA market, and ZiFiSense, a provider of “ZETA LPWAN” silicon IP and “chip-to-cloud”IoT infrastructure, are working on a SW-configurable and self-adaptive LPWAN chipset that is capable of connecting to Access Points on the ground and to satellites when it is out of reach of ground based infrastructure. With its innovative DSP+ASIC signal processing architecture, the chipset is expected to be the industry’s first that supports direct communication to LEO satellites through the same LPWAN radio. The work is also backed by fabless chip makers from the ZETA Alliance providing volume production capability that meets the demand of the global market at the lowest cost. Sensing Labs shall bring to the European logistics industry complete IoT solutions making use of the technical features of this new chip.
With seven satellites already in orbit and 25 more to be launched within the next 18 months, Kinéis differentiates itself with a very low-power wireless communication technology that has been used for over 40 years to receive signal from battery powered sensors, as well as producing GPS-free location estimates,. On the other hand, based on the company’s proprietary ZETA AM-FSK radio technology, ZiFiSense is leading the “LPWAN 2.0” road-map in which the size and cost of sensors equipped with long range radios become comparable to those of RFID tags enabling a ubiquitous mass of connected “things” beyond billions.
This new chip is scheduled to be launched globally in Q1 2023. The companies believe it shall lead to the emergence of a seamless infrastructure with the convergence of LEO satellites covering things in rural areas and those on the move, with ground-based networks covering urban areas and indoors. There are a wide range of use cases in verticals such as Connected Transport, Logistics, and Oil & Gas & Wind industries that are expected to benefit from connecting battery powered sensors to such a global infrastructure.
Alexandre Tisserant, Kineis, CEO:
“ZiFiSense integration of Kinéis technology is a significant milestone towards simplifying access to satellite IoT. The global coverage we provide is the perfect complement for terrestrial networks and this chipset will make integration and hybridization easier, opening the way for many new use cases requiring such seamless hybrid connection”.
Yann Guiomar, Sensing Labs, CEO:
Yann Guiomar, Sensing Labs, CEO:
‘’This coming LPWAN new chipset will be a real game changer in the field of hybrid satellite-terrestrial communication and will unlock the business potential of the myriad of use cases requiring such an hybridation without any extra cost compared with traditional terrestrial legacy technologies. We are proud and excited to be part of this adventure with ZifiSense and Kinéis.“
Dr. Zhuoqun Li, ZiFiSense, CEO:
‘’It is a great pleasure working with Kinéis and Sensing Labs in this cutting-edge project. By converging satellite IoT and LPWAN with a low power single radio chip, we shall present to the industry how the vision of “connected intelligence anytime anywhere” could be achieved with minimal cost.“
About Kinéis:
Founded in 2018, Kinéis is a satellite operator and a global connectivity provider. It inherited CNES and CLS expertise from forty years of working with the Argos system and developed reliable technology that provides easy access to useful satellite data. In order to make life easier for professionals and individuals and to encourage them to use its product and services, Kinéis locates and connects objects wherever they are on the planet. It does this by deploying its full capacity for technological innovation to combine NewSpace and IoT.
About Sensing Labs
Sensing Labs is a rapidly-growing company founded in 2014 in France, specialized in the design and sales of ultra-low power smart wireless sensors using LPWA technologies with up to 20 years of battery life. Sensing Labs offers a complete solution (sensors, concentrators and software tools) to companies that wish to develop end-to-end business solutions requiring long range & long battery life duration sensors, in the fields of Smart Building, Smart Metering and Asset tracking. Sensing Labs is a team of enthusiastic and highly experienced wireless product designers, IoT architecture experts and seasoned business developers with a strong successful track record for developing and commercializing wireless sensors around the world.
About ZiFiSense
ZiFiSense is "chip-to-cloud" LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) technology provider while operating its own cross-country network dedicated for tracking of goods in transit. Based on its proprietary ZETA AM-FSK ultra-narrowband radio technology, the company strives to promote the vision of “LPWAN 2.0” that shall see LPWAN connectivity reaching a ubiquitous mass of “things” beyond billions. The ZETA Alliance, an ecosystem of IoT chip, hardware and solutions providers that have adopted the technology, has attracted more than 300 members globally across 20+ industries.