Zhilian Security Technology: Based on NB-IoT, it brings diversified cellular communication chips to 5G Internet of Things

In 2021, the cellular IoT market will maintain rapid growth. Whether it is low-speed NB-IoT, medium-speed LTE Cat.1 and LTE Cat.4, or high-speed 5G Sub-6GHz, this year's preparation will determine the development pattern in the next 3 to 5 years. The latest data from market research firm Counterpoint IoT shows that the number of global IoT cellular connections will exceed 5 billion in 2025, of which NB-IoT will contribute nearly half. In the pyramid diagram of the distribution of applications at different rates, the industry widely believes that NB-IoT technology meets the needs of low speed and low cost, and will have huge market prospects in water/electricity/gas/heat meters, emergency/fire/smoke sensors, smart door locks, anti-theft/positioning, environmental monitoring and smart agriculture. With the withdrawal of 2G in China and its inclusion in the 5G standard, as well as the continuous implementation of business scenarios, NB-IoT chips are constantly being innovated.

Beijing Zhilianan Technology Co., Ltd. is one of the new forces in the domestic NB-IoT chip industry. The company was founded in September 2013 and is one of the first companies in China to achieve mass production of NB-IoT chips. Its first-generation NB-IoT chip MK8010 has also been put into large-scale mass production, and in January this year, it launched its second-generation world's smallest NB-IoT chip MK8020.

At the IOTE 2021 5G Internet of Things Industry Ecosystem Conference held in Shanghai recently, Wang Zhijun, Vice President of Marketing and Sales of Zhilian'an, revealed that as of now, the shipments of MK8010 have exceeded one million pieces, and MK8020 has gradually begun to be supplied in batches. The goal this year is to achieve cumulative shipments of 10 million pieces. According to the current industry prosperity forecast, this goal is expected to be exceeded.

Wang Zhijun emphasized that the core technology of cellular communication must be self-developed. This is because: first, the communication protocol is complex, and operators only release standard frameworks, which require full self-development capabilities and years of experience to implement; second, the wireless communication application environment is complex and changeable, and full self-development capabilities are required to achieve continuous and flexible optimization of chip performance; finally, the evolution of 3GPP standards requires accurate and timely tracking, and full self-development capabilities are required to achieve seamless docking of modules while reducing costs. To this end, Zhilian'an has self-developed all core technologies from communication algorithm platforms, physical layer technologies, protocol stack technologies to radio frequency technologies, and SoC design platforms. From architecture layer design to considering terminal needs, it continuously iterates chip products to meet market demand, greatly improving Turn Key capabilities.

The first generation NB-IoT single-mode terminal communication chip MK8010 developed on this basis supports LTE Cat-NB1 and LTE Cat-NB2 communication standards, adopts 55nm process, and integrates baseband processor BP, application processor AP, analog unit, radio frequency unit and power management module on a single chip, truly realizing NB-IoT wide-area low-power Internet of Things single-chip solution.

It is worth mentioning that Wang Zhijun emphasized that MK8010 is a true Open CPU solution. He explained that most of the general Open CPU solutions on the market currently have only one MCU, which needs to be used to run the protocol stack, and then temporarily open several processes on this protocol stack for customers to call. "This is not a true Open CPU and cannot be used at all. MK8010 integrates two MCU cores, one for running the protocol stack and the other for customers to call, and is completely independently programmed." He pointed out.

Another major feature of MK8010 is security. Wang Zhijun said that traditional security solutions include MCU+SE national encryption algorithm, MCU (software encryption) and ARM-TEE (Trustzone technology). The national encryption algorithm is not satisfactory in terms of power consumption, and software encryption is also unsatisfactory in terms of security, while TEE services only implement certain specific functions. "MK8010 has M4+M0 dual cores, and implements asymmetric encryption algorithms and multi-core secure communication chip technology through physical isolation, realizing user data rights confirmation, privacy protection and secure chaining. Moreover, this application has been selected as a major project of the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2020."

Based on MK8010, Zhilian Security Technology launched the smaller second-generation NB-IoT chip MK8020 developed independently in January this year, which can activate more scenarios that cannot be applied due to size limitations, such as small wearable devices, cargo tracking, traceability, smart livestock management, etc. The size of MK8020 is only 4.5mm*4.5mm, using 55nm process, and can run at an ultra-low operating voltage of 2.1V, the lowest in the industry; the chip also has 32KXTALess, two-stage RTC, high-speed LPUART, fast frequency scanning and other performance, which can be deeply differentiated for multiple typical IoT scenarios. The chip will start to provide samples in the second quarter of this year.

Regarding the numerous technologies in the cellular IoT market, Wang Zhijun believes that although the industry generally believes that NB-IoT occupies the largest market size, with the withdrawal of 2G/3G networks, this part of the market is naturally suitable for LTE Cat.1 technology, so the future prospects of LTE Cat.1 technology will be broader, but other technologies will also have their own application space. To this end, Zhilian Security Technology has also made arrangements, including the first-generation Cat.1 bis chip MK8110, which is expected to start providing samples in the third quarter of this year.

"Our goal is to create more practical and differentiated solutions that better meet industry needs through the integration of multiple technologies." Wang Zhijun emphasized, "For example, at the Huawei HDC conference, the Hongmeng NB-IoT terminal, the Harmony OS smart card, created by Zhilian Security and Thundersoft, made its debut. The Hongmeng OS is successfully installed on the independent MCU based on the M0 core in the MK8010, which can be applied to scenarios such as elderly care, child positioning, luggage anti-lost, and asset tags."

Wang Zhijun pointed out that innovation comes from the industry and customers. As a chip startup, it is even more necessary to communicate with industry users on demand, which in turn can promote chip innovation and enable differentiated applications in vertical industries. "In the future, Zhilian'an will continue to enrich its IoT product line, achieve continuous innovation, and provide stronger competitiveness in the era of the Internet of Everything."