Solutions
Inside Telit Cinterion’s IoT R&D Process
July 8, 2026
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Telit Cinterion’s Internet of Things (IoT) R&D team develops connected products and devices for companies at every stage of development. Some customers arrive with a product concept and a target market. Others have a device that needs connectivity added, or a cellular product approaching end of life that needs to migrate to a newer network generation.
Wherever a project starts, the requirements are the same. A connected product only works when hardware, firmware, and wireless connectivity perform together across every region the device operates in.
Connected products rarely fail in one place; they fail at the seams between those layers. When separate companies each build a piece, no one owns the whole picture. Firmware doesn’t match the hardware. RF performance may not be tested in regions where the product will ship.
Telit Cinterion’s IoT product development process closes those gaps before they become field failures.
Telit Cinterion runs IoT R&D centers in the U.S., Italy, Korea, and India, keeping technical expertise close to the markets customers sell into. The global research and development teams operate as one across time zones and disciplines, covering:
One team owns the product at every stage. A four-phase development process sets clear expectations for what the customer provides and what the R&D team delivers at each stage.
While not every IoT project needs every discipline, the full bench is there:
A security architect is always assigned to the project. RF expertise is also a constant; it’s the most critical part of almost any IoT product.
Because the same core IoT R&D team stays with a project from feasibility through mass production, the engineers who built the product are the ones who diagnose any issue that may surface after launch.
Throughout the development cycle, a dedicated Telit Cinterion contact provides regular status updates, and customers can reach the R&D team if they have questions.
Telit Cinterion’s customer support team collects the full set of product requirements from the customer. Product management then refines those requirements with the customer before the R&D team begins the feasibility assessment.
Two inputs shape the project.
The first is a clear, well-negotiated set of product requirements. When specs are ambiguous, the cost shows up later as rework, iteration cycles, and sometimes a full design restart.
The second is the end use case. Knowing how the connected device will operate in the field lets the R&D team focus development and testing on the conditions that matter.
A checklist of what to have ready before starting the development process. Get My R&D Checklist
Much of R&D starts with technology, not a specific customer. Telit Cinterion’s R&D team builds IoT platforms around each new generation of cellular technology and each chipset advancement, anticipating where the market is heading.
These platforms become portfolio products, the standard modules and solutions any customer can buy. Because they’re general-purpose, testing aims to cover the broadest possible range of operating scenarios.
About 50% to 60% of projects are custom IoT solutions built for specific deployment requirements. These solutions range from software modifications to full hardware redesigns.
Customization works a little like the auto industry. You build a standard model, then a customer wants a specific color, a heavier wire gauge, or a different engine because they’re racing.
Larger enterprises typically engage the R&D team for that deployment-specific work.
Roughly 80% of customizations are software:
Hardware changes account for the other 20%.
For smaller businesses, a standard portfolio product usually matches their needs without custom development.
The IoT R&D team has developed products across a range of industries:
Roughly 90% of solution products include a Telit Cinterion module. About 40% use NExT™ connectivity services, and another 40% run on the deviceWISE® platform.
Once requirements are set, development moves through four phases.
Engineering Validation Test
Design Validation Test
Production Validation Test
One R&D team owns the product from feasibility through mass production.
The IoT R&D team spends significant time in this phase:
Because the products are general-purpose platforms used across many applications, the security review must anticipate a wide range of deployment scenarios up front.
Cellular products also need ongoing software and firmware updates to stay secure and stable as network requirements change. Knowing that those updates will be required for years after launch shapes design and testing from the start.
The team runs design reviews before prototyping, bringing R&D engineers and technical support together to catch design problems early. Product management reviews the assessment and negotiates terms with the customer. Once approved, the project moves into execution.
In the current supply chain environment, a single PCB fabrication cycle can take months. Prototype fabrication can account for half of the total development timeline. That is why the team would rather spend two extra weeks getting the first prototype right than wait months for a second PCB spin. Telit Cinterion averages 1.8 prototype iterations per project; most products reach mass production after one or two.
The first working prototype. Hardware and software are both preliminary. Main features are in, but some components and performance may not yet meet the full requirements. Customers can begin early evaluation of the product, but EVT samples shouldn’t be used for final application design, performance testing, or certification.
Hardware is stable. Software is still preliminary, with additional features added but not yet final. Customers can use DVT samples for hardware application design and initial performance testing. DVT is also when product certification and new product introduction production can begin.
DVT-stage designs are built in a small series on the final production plant’s assembly and test lines, the same ones that will be used for mass production. The product has received all required regulatory and carrier certifications for its target region. The customer approves the final design, and manufacturing begins.
Once software is ready, the team runs endurance testing and security testing to verify stability and identify vulnerabilities before the product moves forward.
Telit Cinterion’s anechoic chambers at the Trieste, Italy, facility are purpose-built for multiple cellular technologies. The RF team tests every frequency combination a product might encounter in deployment and confirms performance across all of them. This is not a formality. The team has seen customer IoT devices that were effectively blind in certain frequency bands and couldn’t connect in parts of the U.S. For a tracking device, that’s a nightmare, and it’s exactly what this testing prevents.
Products are tested against real-world operating conditions:
For modules and select solution products, the IoT R&D team deploys devices across multiple countries, testing with different operators and cross-border roaming scenarios to confirm connectivity in the field.
Before mass production, the team validates the manufacturing process, including reflow process analysis with X-ray verification to confirm solder joint reliability for BGA modules on the application PCB. Every module is tested and calibrated before it leaves production.
Every Telit Cinterion product needs regulatory and carrier certification before it can ship. This is handled in-house by the Global Certification team, with application-level precertification testing to expose issues before formal certification cycles begin.
Certification timelines vary by target region, and newer technology increases complexity. Products targeting multiple regions carry a proportionally larger certification workload.
R&D support continues past production. The team:
More often than not, an issue traces back to configuration or usage rather than a product defect, and the team helps the customer find and fix the source of the problem.
If a device fails in the field, Telit Cinterion runs a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) analysis to determine whether the root cause is the product design or how the device was used. Support continues until the product reaches stable operation.
Any company bringing a connected product to market needs to decide how much of the development lifecycle to manage internally. Telit Cinterion’s IoT product engineering and R&D services are built to carry the rest. The team that evaluates feasibility is the same team that:
Because the module, connectivity, and platform come from one organization, R&D has end-to-end visibility into how each layer interacts. If an issue arises, there is one point of accountability.
Ready to start the R&D process? Get in touch
Who owns the IP when outsourcing IoT product development?
IP for Telit Cinterion’s own modules stays with Telit Cinterion. For custom solution products, ownership is negotiated on a per-project basis. Some customers fund the development costs directly and retain full IP rights, while others leave ownership with Telit Cinterion.
When does it make sense to use an IoT R&D partner instead of building in-house?
When a company has a clear vision for a connected product and an existing customer base, but lacks the in-house engineering capacity to develop the device on its own. The company brings the concept and market knowledge. Telit Cinterion brings the IoT product development expertise to deliver a certified, production-ready device.
Companies that don’t need a fully custom IoT solution can also work with Telit Cinterion’s existing portfolio. In many cases, a standard product meets their requirements without customization.
