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u-blox

u-blox is a semiconductor and modules company that develops hardware and services for positioning and wireless communication used in embedded, Internet of Things (IoT), automotive, and industrial systems.

  • GNSS positioning chips and modules for location and timing in embedded and IoT devices (location and positioning).
  • Cellular communication modules and chipsets for Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-M, Narrowband Internet of things (NB-IoT), and related technologies (mobile connectivity).
  • Short-range radio modules for Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, and other local wireless standards (short-range connectivity).
  • Cloud and service offerings for device management, data delivery, and positioning augmentation (IoT services and platforms).
  • Reference designs, development tools, and integration support for OEMs building connected products (device enablement).

More About u-blox

u-blox focuses on hardware modules, chipsets, and services that provide positioning and wireless connectivity for enterprises that build connected devices in sectors such as automotive, asset tracking, industrial automation, smart city, and healthcare. Its offerings are typically embedded by OEMs and system integrators into higher-level products, so its technology operates at the component and platform layer rather than as end-user applications.

In positioning, u-blox supplies GNSS receiver chips and modules (location and positioning) that support constellations such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou. These products are used for navigation, tracking, and timing and are integrated into devices like telematics units, fleet trackers, drones, and industrial equipment. The technology often interoperates with external antennas, inertial sensors, and timing references, and is used in architectures where precise and stable position or time information feeds into application logic, analytics platforms, or vehicle control systems.

For cellular connectivity, u-blox provides modules and chipsets (mobile connectivity) that implement 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards including LTE, LTE-M, and NB-IoT, targeting Low-Power Wide Area (LPWA) IoT as well as higher bandwidth use cases. These products are integrated on system boards via standard electrical interfaces such as UART, USB, Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI), or PCI Express (PCIe), and support protocols like Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) at the data layer. Enterprise deployments use them to connect devices such as meters, trackers, industrial controllers, and security systems to backend systems over public or private cellular networks.

In short-range wireless, u-blox offers modules for Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth (short-range connectivity), including support for Bluetooth Low Energy and dual-mode variants. These modules fit into architectures where local connectivity to smartphones, gateways, or access points is required, and they often coexist with cellular or GNSS modules in a single device. They support standard IEEE 802.11 protocols and Bluetooth profiles, enabling integration into enterprise Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) infrastructures and mobile ecosystems.

On the services side, u-blox operates cloud-based offerings (IoT services and platforms) for device management, secure data delivery, and enhanced positioning. These services typically expose RESTful APIs and dashboards that enterprises use to monitor fleets of devices, provision connectivity parameters, and route data into enterprise applications or analytics platforms. Positioning services can use assistance data and augmentation techniques to improve time-to-first-fix, accuracy, or reliability, especially in constrained environments.

u-blox also supplies reference designs, evaluation kits, software development kits, and documentation (device enablement) that support integration into embedded Linux, Real-Time Operating System (RTOS), and proprietary firmware environments. This positions the company in enterprise and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) procurement categories such as IoT connectivity hardware, GNSS and timing components, embedded wireless modules, and IoT device cloud services. Its components are typically evaluated alongside other semiconductor and module vendors on criteria such as power consumption, form factor, RF performance, certification coverage, lifecycle support, and integration effort.

At-A-Glance

  • Employees: 1,500
  • Estimated Annual Revenue: $250M-$500M

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Corporate Headquarters

1902 Campus Commons Dr
Reston, VA 20191

Market Segmentation

  • Type: Public
  • Sector: Information Technology
  • Group: Technology Hardware & Equipment
  • Industry: Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
  • Sub-Industry: Computer Hardware