LARA-R3121 Module, Single-mode LTE Category 1 Modem

u-blox announced the LARA-R3121, developed exclusively for IoT and M2M devices and equipped with a single-mode LTE Category 1 modem and a GNSS positioning engine.

The LTE modem, GNSS, and modularization technologies were all developed in-house by u-blox. This versatile LARA-R3121 module is an ideal solution for IoT applications and can be applied not only to wearable devices such as action cameras but also to smart utility metering, connected health and patient monitoring, smart buildings, security and video surveillance, smart payment, and POS systems.

Andreas Thiel, co-founder of u-blox and Senior Vice President of Cellular Products & IC Design, stated, “Most IoT modules on the market use LTE modem technology developed by specialized manufacturers focused on handsets. These modules are fundamentally optimized for major handset manufacturers with short lifecycles and therefore fail to provide the optimal solution for IoT applications.” “The LARA-R3121 module is a new solution developed based on function and performance standards optimized for the industrial module market,” he said.

In addition, they stated, “This module is a solution that includes an LTE Cat 1 modem and a GNSS engine, and it is the only cellular module where both the module hardware and software are developed by a single vendor. We will specialize in the IoT market and present an ‘IoT-first’ strategy to the semiconductor design field.”

The LARA-R3121 module is manufactured in a compact 24 x 26 mm LARA LGA form factor, making it ideal for applications in small IoT devices. This standardized package enables manufacturing automation and provides pin compatibility with the u-blox LARA-R2 series, which supports multimode LTE Cat 1 with 2G/3G fallback.

This module is a notable achievement of u-blox’s long-term module development strategy, based on the UBX-R3 LTE modem technology platform, a flexible SDM (Software Defined Modem) architecture designed specifically for IoT and M2M.