Embedded M2M Solutions – Franklin Wireless Continuing to Establish itself as a Market Leader
July 21, 2011 Leave a comment
By Carrie SchmelkinTMCnet Web Editor
Franklin Wireless (News – Alert) has a pretty impressive resume, including the fact that it was the world’s first supplier of both CDMA EVDO Rev A and dual-mode (CDMA EVDO Rev A + WiMax) data modems. Currently, the company holds the title as the sole supplier of dual-mode (CDMA EVDO Rev A + WiMax) data modems and M2M modules.
Yet despite its founding more than 30 years ago, Franklin Wireless has showed no sign of stopping at just those accomplishments as the company has been making a dent in the wireless broadband high-speed data communications and machine-to-machine (M2M) spaces.
“Franklin has a 30-year history of offering high quality telecom equipment and SW to the customers,” David Kim, director of M2M solutions for Franklin Wireless, told TMCnet. “It was a natural path that Franklin found the big potential wireless market and moved to wireless device design and manufacturing business.”
“After successful launching and market acceptance of its unique multi-technologies in a single box, Franklin debuted its M2M products based on the same technology for fast growing M2M market,” he added.
Franklin Wireless is engaged in the design, manufacturing and sale of high speed wireless data products including third generation (“3G”) and fourth generation (“4G”) modems, routers, and M2M modules. Its current products focus on widely deployed cellular technologies including CDMA EVDO Rev A, HSPA, WiMAX and LTE (News – Alert).
Franklin Wireless M2M modules and solutions are based on this dual-mode (CDMA EVDO Rev A + WiMax) technology to offer wider selection of frequency bands and wireless technologies to M2M customers.
The company was able to bring its vision to life by challenging new areas of business and combining two different wireless technologies, which requires a huge amount of engineering resources and expertise, according to Kim. It also got a little help along the way from embedded M2M solutions leader Sprint (News – Alert).
“Franklin Wireless had to gain full access to the resources by acquiring a R&D company; we shared vision of dual-mode data products with Sprint,” Kim said. “We developed a unique algorithm of combining two different technologies to meet Sprint’s unique need of CDMA + WiMax dual mode data modems and M2M modules.
Franklin Wireless has been a partner with Sprint since it first started supplying CDMA+WiMax dual-mode modems. In fact, Sprint was the first customer of such products.
“Sprint is offering 3G and 4G service with different technologies, CDMA and Wi-Max, which matched well with Franklin’s unique strategy of dual-mode products,” Kim said when asked why Franklin Wireless teamed with Sprint. “Sprint is also very aggressively pursuing M2M business by offering various solutions including the collaboration center, the command center etc.”
As the M2M space continues to burgeon and wireless technology keeps evolving, operators worldwide are beginning to offer next generation technology such as WiMax and LTE while keeping their existing 3G (CDMA, HSPA) networks. Accordingly, the demand for dual-mode or tri-mode products – something with which Franklin Wireless already has experience – is necessary to facilitate the transition period.
So what’s next for Franklin Wireless and where does the company see the industry heading?
“The M2M market is growing fast with increasing demands of wireless solutions from various applications such as digital signage, POS kiosks, surveillance cameras, wireless routers (both consumers and industrial), remote monitoring and so on,” Kim said. “Unlike traditional M2M solutions of simple remote monitoring which require small data usage, recently emerging new M2M applications such as real-time video monitoring and digital signage require broader pipe for bigger data transmission. Emerging 4G technologies with broader bandwidth are more likely to be used for these M2M demands.”
“Based on the specialty in the first CDMA+WiMax dual-mode solution, Franklin Wireless is dedicated to developing other technology combination in a M2M module, for instance, CDMA+HSPA, CDMA+LTE, CDMA+WiMax+LTE,” he added.
Carrie Schmelkin is a Web Editor for TMCnet. Previously, she worked as Assistant Editor at the New Canaan Advertiser, a 102-year-old weekly newspaper, covering news and enhancing the publication’s social media initiatives. Carrie holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a bachelor’s degree in English from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Rich Steeves
