XSun Selects Sierra Wireless Device-to-Cloud IoT Solution for Solar-Powered Autonomous Drone

February 27, 2018

SolarXOne Unmanned Aerial Vehicle designed for long-endurance flights
to collect real-time data and efficiently monitor agriculture, maritime,
land and industrial infrastructure

Sierra Wireless and XSun demonstrate drone flight simulation at
Mobile World Congress 2018, GSMA Innovation City, Hall 4, stand #4A30

BARCELONA, Spain–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ:SWIR) (TSX:SW), the leading provider of fully
integrated end-to-end solutions for Internet of Things (IoT)
applications, today announced that XSun
has selected Sierra Wireless’ device-to-cloud IoT solution, including AirLink®
RV50 gateways, multi-operator smart
connectivity services and the AirVantage®
IoT platform, for its solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
XSun’s SolarXOne is designed to be autonomous in energy and flight
control to enable long-endurance flights for agriculture, maritime, land
and industrial infrastructure surveillance.

XSun, a startup based in France, architected the 4.5m-wide SolarXOne
with a wide surface of solar panels and a large variety of sensors,
giving it the ability to fly autonomously for days, covering long
distances while collecting data. Supported by distributor Sphinx Connect
France, XSun chose Sierra Wireless’ device-to-cloud solution to enable
reliable connectivity and real-time data transmission, which allows its
customers to see exactly what’s happening on their sites at any time, so
they can intervene quickly, even immediately, in the event of an
emergency. The Sierra Wireless solution also enables XSun to measure
data consumption and manage its entire fleet lifecycle from its control
center.

“Our mission is to create a UAV with the maximum level of autonomy to
release the full potential of drones,” said Benjamin David, CEO and
founder of XSun. “Sierra Wireless provided us with a complete solution
to cover all aspects of communication and monitoring, including
multi-operator coverage to ensure a continuous connection between the
drone and XSun’s control center. This allows us to focus on bringing a
drone to market that can secure critical infrastructure, protect the
environment and save lives.”

Critical infrastructure, such as oil and gas pipelines, railways, and
electrical grids, must be monitored on a regular basis. Today, this is
often done by a piloted helicopter, which has a very high cost and
limited range. The SolarXOne is a much more cost-effective,
energy-efficient and safer option, plus the drone can fly at a lower
altitude, providing higher resolution data. It can be reliably operated
from hundreds of kilometers away, flying for days instead of hours,
making it ideal for surveilling large areas for applications such as
commercial farming, search and rescue, and monitoring for forest fires.

“Integrating IoT technology into the SolarXOne allows XSun to create new
business opportunities for its customers,” said Marc Overton, senior
vice president and general manager, IoT Services, Sierra Wireless. “With
real-time intelligence, XSun customers can automate operations, increase
responsiveness and lower their costs to survey and maintain critical
infrastructure.”

Mobile World Congress Demonstration

Sierra Wireless and XSun are showcasing a flight simulation of the
SolarXOne monitoring a pipeline between France and Spain at Mobile World
Congress 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, Feb, 26 – Mar. 1. Visitors to stand
#4A30 in the GSMA Innovation City, Hall 4, will experience XSun’s
Control Center application and see all the drone data reliably
transmitted through Sierra Wireless’ AirLink RV50 gateway and
multi-operator smart connectivity services. Sierra Wireless’ AirVantage®
IoT platform is used to measure data consumption and manage the drone
fleet lifecycle.

To contact the Sierra Wireless Sales Desk, call +1 877-687-7795 or visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/sales.

Note to editors:

To view and download images of Sierra Wireless products, visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/newsroom/productimages.aspx.

About Sierra Wireless

Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ:SWIR) (TSX:SW) is an IoT pioneer, empowering
businesses and industries to transform and thrive in the connected
economy. Customers Start with Sierra because we offer a device to cloud
solution, comprised of embedded and networking solutions seamlessly
integrated with our secure cloud and connectivity services. OEMs and
enterprises worldwide rely on our expertise in delivering fully
integrated solutions to reduce complexity, turn data into intelligence
and get their connected products and services to market faster. Sierra
Wireless has 1,400 employees globally and operates R&D centers in North
America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.sierrawireless.com.

Connect with Sierra Wireless on the IoT Blog at http://www.sierrawireless.com/iot-blog,
on Twitter at @SierraWireless, on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/sierra-wireless
and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/SierraWireless.

“AirLink”, “AirVantage” and “Sierra Wireless” are trademarks of Sierra
Wireless. Other product or service names mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.

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