CellularIoT

Cellular IoT project costs come down to the specific product requirements. The big variables are the application's data needs, power budget, antenna and RF design, and whether a backend platform or companion app is in scope. A focused engagement, like integrating a pre-certified module with straightforward firmware, lands in the five-figure range. Most custom cellular IoT projects that must be robust, possibly last years on a battery, and be manufactured in volume sit in the six-figure investment range. Applications with stricter compliance requirements or other demanding constraints can push investment even higher. For example, projects that cover multi-region rollout, ultra-low-power design for years of battery life, and backend platforms or fleet management. Let's start with a conversation about your use case. Get in touch.

Cellular IoT timelines depend on how far you want to take your concept and what the device actually needs to do. A proof of concept built around a development kit and pre-certified modules can come together in a handful of months. A custom cellular IoT product taken through to production runs 9 to 15 months. Projects with more custom design can add months on top. Talk to us early. The right choices at the start can save months later.

The right technology depends on data rate, mobility, battery life, and coverage. NB-IoT suits fixed, low-data sensors (under 10 kbps, with higher latency depending on reception) with multi-year battery life and deep indoor penetration, such as utility meters and environmental monitors. LTE-M (Cat-M1) supports up to ~1 Mbps with mobility and voice, which is ideal for asset trackers and wearables. 4G LTE Cat-1 or Cat-4 handles higher-bandwidth applications like video upload or real-time control. 5G (including RedCap) is used when sub-20 ms latency or tens of Mbps throughput are required. In New Zealand, Spark and One NZ both support LTE-M and NB-IoT nationally, which is why we default to those for most battery-powered IoT builds.

For cellular, we've worked with many types of modules, including u-blox, Telit, and Nordic. Typically, we now tend to work with Nordic modules as they suit the low-power, battery-driven products we usually build. We can work with other major IoT module vendors when a project requires. Module selection comes down to what the device needs to do, where it's deployed, the power budget, and how long it needs to be supported. For fleets that roam across regions, we implement multi-IMSI and eSIM solutions.

Of course, you can always add a bigger battery. There are also a few other intelligent ways to achieve multi-year battery life on a cellular device. On the hardware side, implementing good design practices to reduce total current draw will stretch battery life on the same cell. The other big lever is how often the device checks in. A device that sleeps most of the time and only sends data periodically lasts much longer than one that's always connected. The right interval depends on the application. There's always a trade-off between battery life and update frequency.