Borqs releases new array of products featuring Qualcomm Platforms for India

At India Mobile Congress, Qualcomm Technologies and Borqs International Holding Corp. have announced Borqs’ range of commercial-ready smartwatch and tracker designs based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear platforms, as well as connected IoT modules and development boards based on Qualcomm Technologies’ platforms to help device manufacturers accelerate the design, development and deployment of innovative IoT solutions for Indian Consumers.

The company has revealed that, to address the specific needs of Indian manufacturers and consumers, the smartwatches and IoT modules have undergone LTE testing with operator networks in India. The trackers are designed to support emerging LTE IoT technologies including Cat-M1 (eMTC) and NB1 (NB-IoT), and are developed to support some of the latest LTE technologies that are expected to be rolled out over the next year by operators in India.

The smartwatch designs are based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 platform, which is designed to bring new and enhanced wearable experiences to smartwatches. It is defining a new benchmark in wearables by supporting sleek designs and long battery life. The designs feature GSM, 3G and LTE connectivity and run on Android with a range of optimizations for wearables. Currently, smartwatch designs are available for adult and kid watches.

The tracker designs are based on the Snapdragon Wear 1200 platform. This new platform takes advantage of the emerging LTE IoT technology in mobile networks to help usher in a new generation of ultra-low power, highly energy-efficient, and connected experiences in targeted purpose wearable devices. Snapdragon Wear 1200 complements the existing Snapdragon Wear 2100 and Snapdragon Wear 1100 platforms, extending the proven Snapdragon Wear product family across the smart wearables ecosystems. These trackers provide support to LTE IoT Category M1 and NB1 radio technologies, with E-GPRS connectivity for fallback.

“India is a growing and exciting opportunity for customers looking to introduce the latest wearable technologies. Borqs is working with Qualcomm Technologies and the Make in India initiative to deliver differentiated devices and powerful user experiences,” said Jim Cathey, Senior Vice-President & President, Asia-Pacific & India, Qualcomm Technologies Inc. “The Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 and 1200 platforms supports a new generation of always-connected wearables with key features that consumers want, including thin and sleek profiles, long-battery life, and a smart sensing experience.”

Additionally, Borqs also announced the availability of its 4G IoT modules and development boards based on Qualcomm Technologies’ platforms, for connected solutions such as mobile IoT gateways and remote data products. Due to their small size and open design, these boards can be used for both commercial as well as development purposes. The module is designed to be deployed for a multitude of use-cases, including POS terminals, digital signage, industrial gateways, fleet control, driver recorders, etc.

“We are proud to be working with Qualcomm Technologies to accelerate the deployment of connected IoT solutions that use the latest technologies for India,” said Hareesh Ramanna, EVP & GM Borqs Technologies and Managing Director Borqs Software Solutions. “The entire solution was developed in India at our facility in Bangalore for India and the world. As part of the Make in India initiative, we are also partnering with local manufacturers for hardware manufacturing and a leading Indian operator to develop multiple end-to-end tracking solutions.”