u-blox acquires Thingstream
25 March 2020
News
u-blox has acquired IoT communication-as-a-service provider, Thingstream. Thingstream provides a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for global IoT connectivity using the industry standard MQTT protocol. The product is offered ‘as-a-service’ which provides predictable cost and on-demand scalability for customers.
MQTT, short for message queuing telemetry transport, has become a widely used data transfer protocol in the Internet of Things, along with MQTT-SN, which is tailored to the needs of sensor networks. Designed for constrained environments characterised by low power and bandwidth requirements, MQTT transmits messages from one device to one or many others via a broker.
To achieve reliable machine-to-machine communication, users can set the quality of service to the specific requirements of their applications. Thingstream’s MQTT Anywhere service offers data transfer across 600+ telecom carriers in 190 countries without necessitating a cellular data plan by transmitting MQTT-SN messages over 2G, 3G, LTE and LTE-M networks.

Thomas Seiler, CEO of u-blox.
“The acquisition of Thingstream and its platform accelerates u-blox’s entry into a new dimension of our services business, the IoT Sphere, which will provide customers with a reliable, smart and secure solution to connect sensor data to their cloud enterprise,” said Thomas Seiler, CEO of u-blox. “Our customers can focus on scaling their business rather than the complexities of acquiring and establishing a connectivity platform and maintaining the data flow management.”
u-blox acquired the company for CHF 10 million, plus coverage for some deferred staff retention.
Further reading:
Embit signs NeoMesh wireless protocol stack licensing agreement
News
The agreement enables Embit to offer fully customised module solutions with integrated NeoMesh wireless protocol stack that leverage NeoMesh’s ultra-low power consumption and exceptional scalability.
Read more...
Latest European market figures
News
The latest market figures indicate a modest, but notable return to growth across the European electronic components sector.
Read more...
2025 GSA award nominees
News
The Global Semiconductor Alliance recently announced the nominees in various awards categories. Winners will be revealed at a gala event on 04 December 2025.
Read more...
Automation and AI: powering Africa’s energy future
News
Driving innovation, reliability, and digital transformation in Africa’s energy sector – a key focus at the 2026 Africa Energy Indaba.
Read more...
SAPVIA hails R2bn credit guarantee fund for transmission expansion
News
Soon after the mini budget was delivered in parliament, the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) congratulated Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, for the announcement of a R2 billion Credit Guarantee Vehicle.
Read more...
Automotive Ethernet communications
EBV Electrolink
News
EBV Elektronik has expanded its automotive solutions offering with Infineon’s Marvell Automotive Ethernet portfolio.
Read more...
Tronics Microsystems begins machine and asset health monitoring
News
Tronics Microsystems, a subsidiary of TDK, has announced its expansion into vibration sensor solutions, targeting process and asset monitoring to support predictive maintenance and industrial IoT applications.
Read more...
Electronic News Digest
News
A brief synopsis of current global news relating to the electronic engineering fields with regards to company finances, general company news, and engineering technologies.
Read more...
4000 A containerised DB for power project
News
Power Process Systems has successfully completed the design, fabrication, and commissioning of a 4000 A containerised distribution board for a wind/PV solar hybrid renewable energy project.
Read more...
Datacentrix Industrial Indaba 2025
News
Datacentrix recently hosted its inaugural Industrial Indaba 2025, where industry leaders explored how digitalisation, resilience, security and compliance are shaping the future of sustainable industrial operations in Africa.
Read more...