At first sight, wireless modules would seem to be commodity products. They employ standardized air interfaces and their basic function is to monitor physical parameters and convert the analog data into IP packets for subsequent transmission. So, does the GSM module of vendor “A” do the same thing as vendor “B”? Yes and no.

The functionality is basically the same, but solution providers will normally favor vendors who can: (a) supply modules in all the requisite air interfaces and (b) supply a product family, i.e. all modules should have the same form factor and mounting method(s). The vendor then becomes a single-stop shop. In addition, if they have the same software interface then the integration process can be standardized and modules can be exchanged with minimal adaptation. 

However, until I read Telit’s company profile — I rarely read profiles because they tend to be bland and puffy — I hadn’t realized that while modules stay in place for several years (typically between 5 and 10), the functionality of the module has to stay in step with the application. This objective, which is realized using over-the-air firmware upgrades, allows application developers to deploy new features and ideally these upgrades should only involve sending “delta” changes.   

I also found out that Telit developed its own protocol stack for both wide and local area network protocols. Having control of this key parameter allows the performance of the module to be aligned easily and quickly with the individual requirements of the application.   

Conclusion: a rose is a rose is a rose, but wireless modules are definitely not commodities.