Telit Cinterion is a global technology company that specializes in Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, helping businesses connect, manage, and secure devices across networks and platforms. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Telit Cinterion’s Director of Global Partnerships & Development Imad Hourani to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Imad Hourani’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Hourani said:
“I am the Director of Global Partnerships for deviceWISE at Telit Cinterion, which is the largest western IoT company. I lead strategic initiatives to expand the reach of the company’s industrial IoT platform through impactful global collaborations.”
“With over two decades of experience in telecom and technology, I bring a unique blend of commercial and technical expertise. Prior to joining Telit Cinterion three years ago, I served as Senior Sales Director for a leading Japanese automotive Tier 1/Tier 2 supplier, overseeing $500M in annual revenue across the Americas and Europe supporting OEM’s like Nissan, Honda, Tesla, Toyota, Ford and GM. I also spent nearly 12 years at T-Mobile in a variety of roles spanning National Retail, B2B, and B2C, gaining deep insight into connectivity, customer engagement, and enterprise solutions.”
“My diverse background and strategic mindset continue to fuel my passion for driving innovation and building lasting partnerships.”
“I lead the development and execution of a partnership strategy to drive the growth of our Global Channel Partner network. By creating and defining a Go-To-Market strategy, we successfully increased product awareness and revenue growth. I also negotiate and managed contractual agreements with partners to ensure mutual benefits and alignment with the company’s goals.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Hourani reflected:
“Being part of our Mobile World Congress booth in Barcelona this year is a personal highlight. We made some great connections and helped promote our story around Total IoT Systems Management – as well as presenting at several innovation forums hosted by some of our Global partners.”
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Hourani highlighted:
“Although I can’t share the customer’s name, we partnered with a large global mining company operating across 90 locations to provide real-time visibility into each site’s operational status. The challenge was clear: fragmented systems, siloed data, and limited transparency across geographically dispersed operations. Using our deviceWISE platform, we connected to a wide range of industrial assets—including conveyors, kilns, crushers, transport systems, and virtually any equipment capable of producing a data point. This allowed us to collect, standardize, and transmit critical operational data across all sites.”
“The data was then integrated into enterprise systems and on-prem databases, while also being pushed to cloud-based platforms for advanced business analytics and insights. The result was a unified, real-time view of the entire operation, enabling faster decision-making, predictive maintenance, and overall efficiency gains across their global network.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Hourani explained:
“Telit Cinterion makes it easier for customers to onboard connected devices with a comprehensive portfolio that includes enterprise-grade wireless communication and positioning modules, cellular MVNO connectivity plans, management services, edge and cloud software, data orchestration tools, and full-scale IoT and industrial IoT platforms.”
“With a proven end-to-end system approach, our IoT experts have enabled thousands of successful IoT deployments around the world—helping drive innovation and shape the future of the industry.”
“Our product lineup features industry-leading solutions like the deviceWISE® Platform, NExT Network, and OneEdge. The deviceWISE suite, powered by Telit Cinterion, includes advanced components such as deviceWISE AI, deviceWISE EDGE, deviceWISE VIEW, and deviceWISE CLOUD.”
“We also offer a range of cellular modules that support cutting-edge technologies, including 5G and 5G RedCap, along with smart modules that run on Android or Linux and feature integrated GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Hourani noted:
“Telit Cinterion has nearly a 40-year history, which began with us in the very low categories of wireless data, starting in the GSM technologies. We have been a module and hardware provider for years up to 5G, bringing the ecosystem together with our connectivity, eSIM and cloud solutions. As we have grown, Telit Cinterion moved toward the higher bandwidth categories per carriers’ demand for better performance on their networks. More broadly, our technology offering has evolved from a focus on cellular modules into full-stack IoT enablement. Specifically, we gradually incorporated advancements in connectivity, device management and security, and – most notably – strategic acquisitions, which significantly broadened our portfolio and further solidified Telit Cinterion as the largest IoT company in the west.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Hourani cited:
“Telit Cinterion has a lengthy history that puts us as one of the most credible IoT enablement companies in the industry, with notable milestones that span decades. We were established in 1986 as Telital, an engineering company providing research and development services for multinational telecoms. In 1997, we began manufacturing and marketing products under the Telit brand. After recognizing the potential of cellular M2M and IoT solutions, we launched our first M2M module in 1998.”
“Fast forward to 2006, and we launched the GE864, the first-ever IoT module to employ a direct-to-PCB mounting solution: ball-grid-array (BGA). Later, in 2010, we introduced the xE910 wireless module family form factor. In 2011, we acquired Motorola M2M and GlobalConnect, Ltd. to establish our services business. Over the next several years, we would go on to acquire many more companies, including, but not limited to, Navman Wireless OEM Solutions to add GNSS expertise to our portfolio, ILS Technology, a leading provider of cloud platforms services, CrossBridge Solutions to expand our connectivity offering to enterprise customers in the US, as well as ATOP, Stollman, Novatel and GainSpan.”
“In 2018, we announced the LM960, the world’s first global mPCIe module delivering Gigabit LTE (Cat 18) for enterprise routers and appliances. The next year, in 2019, we announced Telit OneEdge, a first-of-kind device and connection management, data orchestration software and platform for IoT modules. In 2021, we announced Telit NExT, our IoT mobile core network with access to over 600 networks in 190 countries. 2022 saw the introduction of NExTPlus, a fully eUICC-compliant SIM. In 2023, we became Telit Cinterion. And in 2024, we introduced the NExT Connected Module offering.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Hourani affirmed:
“As a trusted partner and leader in the evolving IoT landscape, Telit Cinterion isn’t merely a connectivity provider but an IoT enabler. We support the entire IoT ecosystem, meaning our expertise isn’t limited to modules but everything from connectivity plans and custom solutions to hardware proficiency and platforms. Uniquely, we offer complete lifecycle management, empowering our customers to reduce time to market and costs. Telit Cinterion’s solutions are purpose-built for every phase of the IoT journey – we support customers from start to finish of an application’s lifecycle, helping optimize connectivity for the best performance and longevity.”
“In our industry, experience matters. Throughout Telit Cinterion’s history, we have gone from low-category technology to gigabits per second speeds, successfully launching solutions and products in all those categories. Our decades of experience and award-winning products and services enable us to address traditional and emerging market segments. Additionally, our uncompromising engineering practices and design methodologies exceed stringent environmental requirements and industry standards, which ensures our customers’ products remain compliant.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the future company goals? Hourani emphasized:
“Telit Cinterion strives to empower our customers to overcome new challenges and future-proof their products. They often sell products they don’t have yet because they’re talking to their customers about 2026, 2027, 2028 and beyond. We help them by developing strategies and plans that are mindful of our customers’ future needs.”
“For example, there is a growing need for 5G, which we aim to address through our new AI-powered 5G modules and data cards, like the FE990D and FN990D. These integrate Qualcomm® X85/X82 5G Modem-RF and utilize AI capabilities to support traffic prioritization, energy efficiency and location accuracy. Built for future-ready connectivity, the FE990D and FN990D support 3GPP Release 18, ensuring superior performance, reliability and longevity across enterprise and industrial applications.”
“Likewise, we just launched new modules in the LE310 LTE Cat. 1 bis module series and SL871K2 GNSS module. These two modules serve as a unique, industry-leading solution for asset tracking, telematics, wearables and other applications that require ultra-compact size, low cost, cellular connectivity and multi-constellation GNSS location capabilities.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Hourani concluded:
“In the world of IoT and manufacturing, data is the fuel that powers AI-driven transformation. From machines on the factory floor to connected sensors and robotic systems across the supply chain, the ability to capture, process, and analyze real-time data is critical for predictive maintenance, operational efficiency, and autonomous decision-making. Robotics relies on high-quality data to enable adaptive behavior, precision control, and continuous learning. However, the true value of AI depends on seamless access to clean, contextualized data from diverse sources. That’s where deviceWISE comes in—by providing a robust industrial IoT platform that connects equipment (legacy and new), robotics, and systems, normalizes data, and delivers it to AI engines in real time. deviceWISE empowers manufacturers to unlock the full potential of AI with speed, scale, and precision.”
