# E058 Polte's Ed Chao | What is Cloud Location over Cellular?

- Show: [IoT For All Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast)
- Published: 2020-03-23
- Length: 37m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-03-23-e058-poltes-ed-chao-what-is-cloud-location-over-cellular
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/iot-for-all/episodes/E058-Poltes-Ed-Chao--What-is-Cloud-Location-over-Cellular-e28bmre

## Summary

Ed Chow, CEO of Polte, explains Polte's Cloud Location over Cellular (C-LoC) technology, which leverages existing cellular infrastructure to provide location data without GPS. He contrasts this with GPS's high power consumption and indoor limitations, highlighting C-LoC's ability to offer building-level accuracy (30-70 meters) both indoors and outdoors. Chow discusses the shift toward 5G Massive IoT (Cat-M1, NB-IoT) to enable sub-$5 trackers for enterprise asset tracking, such as pallets and dollies, and emphasizes the importance of ecosystem partnerships with chipmakers like Sequans and Altair.

## Chapters

- [0:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-03-23-e058-poltes-ed-chao-what-is-cloud-location-over-cellular#t=4) Introduction and Ed Chow's Background
- [3:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-03-23-e058-poltes-ed-chao-what-is-cloud-location-over-cellular#t=231) Polte's C-LoC Technology and Architecture
- [5:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-03-23-e058-poltes-ed-chao-what-is-cloud-location-over-cellular#t=302) C-LoC vs. GPS: Accuracy and Power Trade-offs
- [12:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-03-23-e058-poltes-ed-chao-what-is-cloud-location-over-cellular#t=773) Use Cases: Wheeled Assets and Supply Chain
- [19:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-03-23-e058-poltes-ed-chao-what-is-cloud-location-over-cellular#t=1172) The Role of 5G Massive IoT in Enterprise Scale
- [25:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-03-23-e058-poltes-ed-chao-what-is-cloud-location-over-cellular#t=1551) Ecosystem Strategy and Partnership Advice
- [33:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-03-23-e058-poltes-ed-chao-what-is-cloud-location-over-cellular#t=2018) 2020 Predictions and Industry Outlook

## Topics

- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Polte (company)
- Sequans (company)
- Altair (company)
- Nortel (company)
- Bell Labs (company)
- Metro PCS (company)
- T-Mobile (company)
- Link Labs (company)
- Nimble Link (company)
- Fleet Tilla (company)
- GPS (product)
- Bluetooth (product)
- Cat-M1 (chip)
- NB-IoT (chip)
- LTEM (chip)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Tracking & Locationing Technologies from Renesas](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-11-12-tracking-locationing-technologies-from-renesas) (EE Times Current)
- [#005: The Current Realities of Cellular IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2025-03-19-005-the-current-realities-of-cellular-iot) (Coredump Sessions)
- [Space Age Bluetooth with Alex Haro](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-07-09-space-age-bluetooth-with-alex-haro) (The Amp Hour)
- [Gregory Charvat and Three New Companies](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-09-17-gregory-charvat-and-three-new-companies) (The Amp Hour)
- [Emerging Technologies in IoT with Patrick Wilbur, Co-Founder at Hologram](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2023-05-11-emerging-technologies-in-iot-with-patrick-wilbur-co-founder-at-hologram) (Over the Air)

## Citing this page

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