Silicon Labs Accelerates Low-Power Cellular IoT Applications with LTE-M Solution

-- New Jointly Developed Kit Delivers LPWAN Connectivity with Digi XBee Pre-Certified Modem and Silicon Labs Gecko Microcontrollers --

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Silicon Labs

Oct 22, 2018, 08:05 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB) delivers ultra-low-power, long-range wireless connectivity to battery-powered IoT devices with a new LTE-M expansion kit featuring Digi International's Digi XBee3™ pre-certified cellular modem. The LTE-M expansion kit works with Silicon Labs' EFM32 Giant Gecko 11 starter kit and simplifies and accelerates the development of gateways and end devices that operate in deep-sleep mode and require extended battery life. The solution is ideal for agricultural, asset tracking, smart energy and smart city IoT applications.

Silicon Labs' LTE-M expansion kit, jointly developed with Digi International, accelerates low-power cellular IoT applications.

"Together, Silicon Labs and Digi International are dedicated to connecting people, networks and 'things' with best-in-class IoT and M2M technologies," said Matt Johnson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of IoT products at Silicon Labs. "We've collaborated with Digi to deliver flexible LTE-M cellular connectivity capabilities, enabling cloud-connected applications that are remote, on the go and ready to deploy."

"The jointly developed LTE-M expansion kit works with Silicon Labs' starter kits to accelerate development by quickly enabling cellular IoT connectivity and avoiding costly cellular device certifications," said Mark Tekippe, Director of Product Management, Digi International. "Digi XBee3 cellular modems and Silicon Labs Gecko MCUs are an ideal pairing to deliver seamless cloud connectivity with ultra-low power capabilities. The pre-certified Digi XBee3 cellular modem is easy to configure and provides secure, flexible out-of-box connectivity over LTE-M and NB-IoT networks."

"LTE-M is a great option for LPWAN applications that require a combination of long battery life, LTE reliability and low latency. LTE-M is compatible with existing LTE networks and in the future will coexist with 5G technologies," added Mike Krell, Head of IoT Strategy, J. Brehm & Associates. "Vendors offering easy-to-use development tools to accelerate LTE-M solutions will be well-positioned for growth in the cellular IoT market."

Developers can take advantage of the LTE-M expansion kit's advanced development tools including the Digi Remote Manager®, Silicon Labs' Energy Profiler and pre-programmed demos to rapidly deliver optimized LTE-M products. Digi XBee3 modems certified on AT&T and Verizon cellular networks, combined with energy-friendly EFM32 microcontrollers (MCUs), provide developers with a mobile IoT development toolkit to deliver advanced, low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) connectivity.

Flexibility and Simplicity, All in One Kit

FCC certified and carrier end-device certified Digi XBee3 LTE-M modem
Ready-to-use kit development tools and demos with Giant Gecko 11 MCU starter kit
Common Digi XBee^® family for easy migration to NB-IoT
Digi XBee API frames, MicroPython and XCTU^® software tools to simplify development
Digi TrustFence^® integrated device security, identity and data privacy
Digi Remote Manager^® for over-the-air device configuration and firmware updates
MCU host examples easily migrated from Giant Gecko 11 to other Silicon Labs low-power EFM32 MCUs and EFR32 Wireless Gecko SoCs and modules

Pricing and Availability
Silicon Labs' LTE-M expansion kit and EFM32 Giant Gecko 11 starter kit (SLSTK3701A) are available now, and both are priced at $99 (USD MSRP). The SLSTK3701A kit provides an excellent starting point to get familiar with Giant Gecko MCUs. To learn more about the LTE-M expansion kit and Giant Gecko starter kit, visit silabs.com/lte-m.

About Digi International
Digi International (NASDAQ: DGII) is a leading global provider of business and mission-critical Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity products and services. We help our customers create next-generation connected products and deploy and manage critical communications infrastructures in demanding environments with high levels of security, relentless reliability and bulletproof performance. Founded in 1985, we've helped our customers connect over 100 million things, and growing. For more information, visit Digi's website at www.digi.com, or call 877-912-3444 (U.S.) or 952-912-3444 (International).

Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB) is a leading provider of silicon, software and solutions for a smarter, more connected world. Our award-winning technologies are shaping the future of the Internet of Things, Internet infrastructure, industrial automation, consumer and automotive markets. Our world-class engineering team creates products focused on performance, energy savings, connectivity and simplicity. silabs.com

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Cautionary Language
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on Silicon Labs' current expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of factors that could impact Silicon Labs' financial results and cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, please refer to Silicon Labs' filings with the SEC. Silicon Labs disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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