Qualcomm today announced the 212 LTE IoT modem, a single-mode NB2 (NB-IoT) chipset, claimed to be the "world's most power-efficient" NB2 chipset.

According to Qualcomm, the 212 modem requires less than 1uA of sleep current and is compatible with IoT devices using a power supply as low as 2.2 volts.

The Qualcomm 212 LTE IoT chipset includes a modem baseband, an ARM Cortex M3 processor (204 Mhz), memory, RF transceiver with an RF front end, and power management components. The RF frequency bands span from 700MHz to 2.1GHz and the modem enables LTE modules below 100 square millimeters in size. Single-mode 3GPP Release 14 Cat. NB2 IoT connectivity is supported.

Th new chipset is best suited for IoT devices that need to "operate for 15 years or longer in the field" with low power or battery-operated usage, such as those buried deep within buildings and not easily reached or replaced.

Qualcomm is also launching a software development kit (SDK) for the device, allowing developers to create and run custom software on the chipset. Pre-integrated support for cloud platforms including the Microsoft Azure IoT SDK is also included.

The Qualcomm 212 LTE IoT modem will be made commercially available in the second half of 2020.