In this episode of the IoT for All Podcast, we sat down with Polte CEO Ed Chao to discuss their Cloud Location over Cellular (C-LoC) technology and where it fits in the landscape of IoT location technologies, especially as an alternative to GPS.

To start the episode, Ed shared a bit of his background with us, including his more than thirty years' experience working in wireless technology. When asked what had changed in those thirty years, Ed said that the biggest change he'd seen in the industry was the rate of change. Unlike when he started in his career, Ed said: "you can no longer predict the changes coming over the next two to three years - it changes too quickly."

As CEO of Polte, Ed has supported the development of C-LoC, a technology he calls “the next generation of GPS.” Ed shared that, by leveraging millions of existing cellular towers, Polte’s C-LoC enables indoor tracking with levels of accuracy that were previously unavailable.

Ed walked us through some of the technical aspects of C-LoC, some of the benefits it has over GPS, and how its design allows for highly secure data collection and transfer. Ed also spoke to some key Applications that drive C-LoC adoption, including the tracking of equipment like dollies and forklifts in warehouses and trucks - ensuring that, whether indoors or out, equipment is always exactly where it's needed.

Changing the subject to IoT at the industry level, we discussed obstacles to scaling enterprise IoT. Ed spoke to a lack of coverage availability, preventing IoT deployments where they are needed the most. Ed also shared a little advice for companies looking to rise above the noise in the IoT ecosystem, including his biggest tip for choosing partners: “find the person who’s going to pick up the phone and answer your phone calls.”

To close out the episode, Ed shared a few of his predictions for the IoT space in the rest of 2020, especially the impact of 5G and mobile IoT (harkening back to the importance of coverage and availability to adoption).

Interested in connecting with Ed? Reach out to him on Linkedin!

About Polte: Polte’s Mobile IoT location technology has completely transformed the IoT market, creating new opportunities for growth and efficiency at organizations across the world. Other location solutions, such as GPS, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth, are limited to indoor or outdoor only positioning. Using cellular networks, Polte delivers accurate location indoors, outdoors and everywhere in between. And as a software-only solution, deployment is fast, scaling is rapid, and updates are a simple over-the-air command.

Key Questions and Topics from this Episode:

(00:52) Introduction to Ed Chao

(02:06) Given your experience in wireless technology, how has the industry changed?

(03:42) Introduction to Polte

(04:42) How does Polte’s technology compare to GPS?

(06:21) How does Polte’s technology work for indoor tracking?

(09:07) Where in the development process is your technology?

(10:19) How does its accuracy compare to GPS?

(12:32) What are some specific applications or Applications for the technology?

(17:11) How does it work when you’re moving in and out of areas with cell coverage?

(18:12) How do you think we’re going to scale enterprise IoT solutions to millions of devices?

(25:14) What advice do you have for organizations looking to rise above the noise in the IoT space?

(33:22) What are your predictions for the IoT space in the rest of 2020?