The deployment of over 450 million LoRa terminal nodes worldwide marks that the inflection point of technological scale has arrived. At present, the field of Intelligent Internet of Things (AIoT) is at a critical stage in its development process. Market competition continues, and the pace of technological evolution has significantly accelerated. The focus of the industry has gradually shifted from the initial expansion of connection scale to deeper industrial empowerment and the construction of a global layout. As one of the key technologies of low-power wide area networks (LPWAN), LoRa technology is continuously evolving with its core advantages such as low power consumption, long distance, strong anti-interference, low cost and open ecosystem. As of May 2025, over 450 million terminal nodes equipped with LoRa chips have been deployed globally, and LoRa technology's leading position in the LPWAN field is firmly established. Recently, Semtech successfully held the "2025 LoRa Innovation Forum: Empowering the Transformation of China's Smart iot". During the forum, Semtech released the first chip of the new generation LoRa Plus™ series, LR2021, marking the official entry of LoRa technology into the fourth generation. This chip will provide stronger technical support for multiple application fields such as industrial Internet of Things, satellite communication, smart agriculture, and intelligent buildings. At the same time, it will further promote the coordinated development of the LoRaWAN ecosystem, helping customers enhance innovation efficiency and explore new business growth.

Innovation: LR2021 Breaks the ceiling of LPWAN technology

As the integration of AI and the Internet of Things deepens continuously, the demand for low power consumption, long-distance transmission and penetration capabilities of iot devices is constantly increasing. Traditional LPWAN technologies are limited by factors such as rate and protocol compatibility, and often can only meet the connection requirements of a single scenario. As a result, "data silos" are formed among different scenarios, making it difficult to achieve large-scale and cross-domain intelligent interconnection. The emergence of LR2021 has broken these limitations.

At the forum, Shahar Feldman, the senior Director of Product marketing at Semtech, introduced the LoRa Plus™ LR2021 transceiver launched by Semtech.

One of the innovation points of this product lies in its multi-protocol compatibility. After integrating a third-party protocol stack, it can be compatible with multiple low-power wireless protocols, including Amazon Sidewalk, Meshtastic, W-MBUS, Wi-SUN FSK and Z-Wave. Enable it to demonstrate outstanding flexibility and adaptability in various Internet of Things applications.

LR2021 also features a higher-speed data transmission capability. It natively supports FLRC modulation technology with a data rate of up to 2.6Mbps while maintaining long-distance transmission capability. This is specifically designed for edge AI workloads, meeting the high-speed data transmission requirements of modern iot applications and is sufficient to meet the demands of emerging iot applications such as audio streaming and image transmission.

Based on the fourth-generation LoRa technology, LR2021 is also an advanced multi-physical layer (multi-PHY) solution, supporting ground and satellite communication networks in sub-gigahertz, 2.4GHz ISM bands and authorized S bands. This enables devices to achieve positioning and data transmission through direct satellite connection in remote areas (such as oceans and deserts) or scenarios without ground network coverage.

In addition, the LR2021 transceiver design remains backward compatible with the previous generation of LoRa devices, ensuring backward compatibility for over 450 million deployed LoRa devices, thereby protecting existing investments and simplifying the upgrade process. Shahar said, "This means that the new product solution is fully compatible with the previous generations of LoRa technology and related devices that have been deployed, while adding AI technology and support for data rates up to 2.6Mbps."

Another prominent feature of LR2021 is its adoption of a single SKU and multi-regional design, which enables global deployment and adaptation to the frequency bands and regulatory requirements of different regions, thereby significantly reducing the bill of materials (BOM) cost. In this regard, Shahar believes that "the support of a single SKU in various regions around the world can enable better economies of scale."

Connection: Internet of Things (iot) technology supports strategic emerging industries

Obviously, one technology cannot solve all problems, and different applications may have different technical requirements. Semtech has developed scenario-based solutions around LR2021, delving into key areas such as industrial Internet of Things and supply chain, satellite Internet of Things communication, industrial automation, agriculture and environmental monitoring, medical health and smart buildings. It has transformed its technological advantages into practical application value, addressing the future compatibility and fragmentation demands of the Internet of Things.

Among them, the most typical integration trends are:

The first is LoRa+ satellite communication: By natively supporting the S-band, LoRa devices can directly connect to satellites, solving the problem of blind spots in ground network coverage. This is of revolutionary significance for fields such as ocean transportation, agricultural asset monitoring in remote areas, wildlife tracking, and cross-border logistics. For instance, in ocean shipping, sensors on ships can be connected to satellites via LR2021 to transmit real-time navigation data, cargo status and other information. Even in sea areas far from land and without ground network coverage, it can ensure that the data is not interrupted, guaranteeing shipping safety and the accuracy of cargo management.

The second is LoRa+ high-speed transmission: In the field of industrial Internet of Things and supply chain, the multi-protocol support of LR2021 enables the high-speed transmission capability based on third-party protocols to fully demonstrate its capabilities. In industrial scenarios, different devices may adopt different protocols. For instance, W-MBUS is used for smart instruments and Wi-SUN FSK for industrial control. LR2021 can simultaneously adapt to these protocols to achieve data intercommunication among devices. In supply chain management, goods tracking devices need to transmit location information and status data in real time. Their high-speed FLRC mode can quickly upload information such as goods images and temperature and humidity. Combined with low power consumption features, they can support long-term full-process tracking of goods, enhancing the transparency and management efficiency of the supply chain.

Thirdly, LoRa+AI/ edge computing: The medical and health care as well as intelligent building sectors have also witnessed new changes due to the application of LR2021. In medical and health scenarios, after wearable devices are equipped with LR2021, they can transmit patients' physiological data such as heart rate and blood pressure in real time. The low power consumption feature ensures the long-term battery life of the device, and the high-speed transmission ensures that the data is delivered to medical staff in a timely manner, providing a guarantee for remote monitoring and emergency rescue. In intelligent buildings, the multi-protocol supported by LR2021 can be adapted to devices of different systems such as lighting, security, and air conditioning, achieving intelligent interconnection of devices within the building. Its highly sensitive signal reception capability ensures stable communication between devices even in the complex structural environment within buildings, enhancing the intelligent management level and energy utilization efficiency of buildings.

In the future, driven by new-generation technologies such as LR2021, the application prospects of LoRa will present two major trends: "deepening of existing capacity" and "explosive growth of new capacity". Among them, this product will achieve in-depth application in existing core fields such as smart cities, smart agriculture, and industrial Internet of Things. At the same time, it will also achieve rapid coverage and growth in emerging application fields such as global seamless asset tracking and logistics, low-power multimedia Internet of Things, wide-area environmental monitoring and disaster early warning.

As Mike Wong, Vice President of Sales for Semtech Asia Pacific, emphasized in his speech, openness and cooperation, technological innovation, and ecological co-construction are the keys to promoting the development of the LoRa technology ecosystem and the Internet of Things industry. As a founding member of the LoRa Alliance, the launch of Semtech's latest product, LR2021, is not only a significant iteration of LoRa technology but also a key strategic layout for its ecosystem to address the increasingly complex and diverse demands of the Internet of Things market.

Achievement: Facilitating Chinese enterprises to go global

Of course, a powerful ecosystem is the key for new technologies to be widely applied. Olivier Beaujard, Senior Director of Semtech LoRa Ecosystem and Chairman of the LoRa Alliance Board, introduced that over the past decade or so, the LoRa ecosystem has gradually grown and now has more than 400 core alliance members worldwide, covering the entire industrial chain links such as chips, modules, gateways, terminal devices and cloud services. A global ecological network has been formed, with technical standards at its core and enterprise collaboration as its driving force. Through an ecosystem covering all links of the industrial chain and compliance certification of the LoRaWAN protocol and standards, it can help Chinese iot enterprises smoothly set sail overseas.

At present, the LoRa Alliance has 21 Chinese member companies, all of which are exported to the global market. Olivier admitted that although there are not many Chinese enterprises in the LoRa ecosystem at present, due to China's strong manufacturing industry and vigorous overseas demand, there will be a very large demand for LoRa technology and standards. In particular, joining the LoRa alliance can bring three advantages: ‌ technical standards, ecological resources, and market channels ‌.

Most importantly, by joining the LoRa Alliance, you can receive our support in terms of regulation. "Because we are using this unlicensed frequency band, it will provide regulatory convenience for Chinese enterprises going global." In this regard, the leadership of the LoRa Alliance is also focusing on the Chinese market and emerging application demands, and has stated that it will provide global exposure opportunities, regulatory support and network capabilities for Chinese members.

At this forum, Semtech, along with four representatives from Chinese enterprises with overseas expansion experience, engaged in a brainstorming session on the topic of "overseas expansion strategy".

Roundtable guests (from left to right) : Mike Wong, Vice President of Sales for Semtech Asia Pacific; Jiang Yu, Partner of Shenzhen Sidi Technology Co., LTD.; Xia Yunfei, Product Director of Shenzhen Ruike Huilian Technology Co., LTD.; Zheng Yuanrui, Deputy General Manager of Xiamen Xingzong Internet of Things Technology Co., LTD.; Zhang Hui, Product Line General Manager of Wide Area Wireless Division of Zhejiang Lierda Technology Group

Mike was the first to share the strategic insight of "borrowing a boat to go to sea". He pointed out that the LoRa Alliance, as a powerful global ecosystem platform, is like a "big ship" about to set sail, gathering over 400 member enterprises, among which more than 90% are overseas customers. These customers generally have advantages in software and platforms, but they have demands in hardware and application scenario realization, which provides clear cooperation and overseas expansion opportunities for Chinese enterprises. He sincerely invites more partners to join this ecosystem and jointly explore the international market.

Zheng Yuanrui stated that Xingzong Internet of Things has been deeply engaged in the field of globalization and going global for nearly two decades and has currently established a relatively complete global channel network. The company has always emphasized "brand going global" rather than simply "product going global", and is committed to building sustainable brand value in overseas markets.

In the practice of brand going global, Sidi Technology has deeply realized that product reliability is the core cornerstone of brand building. Jiang Yu believes that true brand value stems from the quality of the product itself. In other words, "the product is the brand", rather than merely relying on cost control. If a 20% cost reduction leads to a 10% drop in the product yield rate, it will directly cause an increase in customer complaint rates and ultimately damage the brand's reputation.

The guests jointly looked forward to the future and all held a high degree of recognition and anticipation for LoRa technology and the LoRaWAN industrial ecosystem. The LoRa Alliance will continue to drive technological innovation, with an expected annual growth rate of over 20%. It is committed to meeting the specific needs of the Chinese market, helping Chinese members achieve global development, and promoting the LoRaWAN industrial ecosystem towards a more prosperous future.

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