Telit, a global enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT), is expanding its presence in India with a substantial R&D center in Bangalore. With the recent acquisition of Silicon Valley-based GainSpan Corporation, a wireless connectivity solution provider specializing in design and development of ultra-low power Wi-Fi technology, Telit gained about 60 software development, application and support engineers in one of India’s top high-tech regions.
The new Telit R&D center will continue working on Wi-Fi technologies for battery-powered devices along with related intellectual property (IP) in embedded software, including network stacks and application reference designs. Efforts from the Bangalore team have resulted in state-of-the-art developments in Wi-Fi and advanced security protocols, reflected in key patents that have influenced Wi-Fi industry standards. Wi-Fi is a desirable technology for IoT applications and the arrival of ultra-low-power options opens the door to a vast market of battery-powered application areas that have been protracted to date.
ABI Research forecasts the global wireless connectivity market, excluding cellular, to reach more than 10 billion annual integrated circuit shipments by 2021, with 47% of devices enabled by Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi will see its most significant growth in IoT verticals, such as wearables, automotive, the smart home, and other nascent IoT verticals that demand low power. With the new Bangalore R&D center, Telit bolsters its foothold in India and augments talent and capabilities critical to maintaining its innovation leadership edge. The strategic move will enable Telit customers to benefit from an extensive end-to-end IoT solutions portfolio, now addressing the growing market of battery-powered devices that rely on Wi-Fi and other low-power technologies.
“With the new Bangalore R&D center, we look forward to working closely with our solution partners to help our customers leverage the power of an IoT solutions portfolio that now addresses the full gamut of technologies for the growing market of battery-powered devices, including Wi-Fi, BLE and other low-power technologies,” said Ashish Gulati, Country Head, Telit India. “Access to the existing GainSpan talent at the Bangalore facility brings Telit into a leadership position in technology development capabilities. The resulting combined R&D strength helps us to deliver even more comprehensive solutions to our target segments and customers.”
The recent acquisition of GainSpan strengthens the company’s “sensor-to-cloud” solution proposition and positions Telit to better exploit new short range opportunities leveraging existing products including cellular, BT/BLE, GNSS modules; IoT connectivity and platform services. The integration of the unique variety of low-power Wi-Fi technology from GainSpan, with low standby current and fast wake-up time into the Telit portfolio enables customers to extend the battery life of their devices for years. Additionally, customer devices can be designed with a simple and inexpensive MCU or without one at all, enabling increased sales to existing customers and the capture of customers in new segments.