Airgain announced the launch of the NimbeLink Skywire Cat 1 bis Embedded Modem, the industry’s first plug-and-play Cat 1 bis modem for end applications in industrial IoT. Engineered to streamline cellular integration for a wide range of applications, this new modem marks a major leap forward in simplifying and accelerating IoT deployments across industrial, healthcare, logistics, and smart city environments.
Built on next-generation Cat 1 bis technology, the Skywire Cat 1 bis modem offers the ideal balance of performance, power efficiency, and cost—particularly well suited for IoT devices that require moderate data rates, global network coverage, and long-term deployment. Unlike traditional cellular modules, which require time-consuming and costly certification, Airgain’s modem comes pre-certified as an end device, allowing customers to bypass most regulatory bottlenecks and bring solutions to market up to 80% faster.
“The launch of our Cat 1 bis modem represents a meaningful step forward in simplifying cellular connectivity for IoT,” said Joe Porrazzo, Senior Director of Product, Airgain. “By combining end-device certification, plug-and-play integration, and global carrier support in a compact form factor, we’re helping customers reduce complexity, speed up development cycles, and deploy with rapid time-to-market.”
To help developers and product teams navigate the evolving landscape of low-power cellular technologies, Airgain is hosting a free webinar: ‘Choosing the Right LTE Modem for Your IoT Application’. Join our experts as we break down Cat 1, Cat 1 bis, Cat M, and other key options to help you make the right decision for your next design.
As LTE networks evolve and older 2G/3G technologies are being sunset, Cat 1 bis has emerged as the new baseline for reliable, globally compatible IoT connectivity. Offering single-antenna design (lower BOM cost), extended coverage in hard-to-reach areas, and improved power efficiency, Cat 1 bis is well suited for smart meters, asset trackers, sensors, gateways, and remote monitoring systems. Airgain’s Cat 1 bis modem also delivers Cat 1-class performance at nearly the same price point as Cat M modules—making it an ideal upgrade path for developers looking to reduce costs without sacrificing speed or reliability.
Key benefits:
- Certified for end device applications: pre-certified on select global networks to eliminate most regulatory certification hurdles
- Plug-and-play: standard Skywire 20-pin footprint enables drop-in replacement for existing designs
- Cost optimised: MSRP 20–30% lower than previous Cat 1 solutions
- Global carrier support: available in North American (TC1bisNAG) and Worldwide (QC1bisWWG) versions
- Compact and durable: industrial-grade form factor (29 x 33.9 x 10.8 mm) optimized for space-constrained applications
- Future proof: built on the latest Telit and Quectel Cat 1 bis cellular modules
The Skywire Cat 1 bis modem is available now for evaluation, with immediate commercial availability. Customers can access development kits, reference designs, and migration guides to enable a seamless integration process. The Cat 1 bis modem is available through Airgain’s authorised distribution partners, including DigiKey, Braemac, Mouser, GetWireless, Arrow, and Richardson.
There’s plenty of other editorial on our sister site, Electronic Specifier! Or you can always join in the conversation by visiting our LinkedIn page.
