Azzurro Digitale Uses BLE, Cellular IoT and DECT NR+ for Asset Monitoring

Azzurro Digitale has launched the MATIX Box, an industrial asset monitoring device that combines Bluetooth LE, LTE-M, NB-IoT and DECT NR+ to connect machinery, local BLE sensor nodes and cloud applications across factories, supplier sites and challenging radio environments. The architecture is built around Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9151 module and nRF54L15 multiprotocol SoC.

Azzurro Digitale is an Italian digital transformation company focused on industrial IoT, asset monitoring and connected operations. Nordic Semiconductor is a Norwegian semiconductor company specializing in low-power wireless technologies including Bluetooth LE, cellular IoT and DECT NR+.

Installed directly on industrial equipment, the MATIX Box uses a high-precision motion and vibration sensor to monitor operating cycles, cycle times, uptime and downtime. Data is sent to the MATIX EAM cloud platform for asset performance management, work-order management and preventative maintenance.

The key feature is the wireless architecture. Instead of depending on one network, the MATIX Box combines Bluetooth LE for local sensing and location, cellular IoT for direct cloud connectivity and DECT NR+ for private industrial networking.

Cellular IoT Connects Assets Directly to the Cloud

Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9151 module provides LTE-M and NB-IoT, allowing the MATIX Box to communicate directly with cloud applications without relying on the customer’s Wi-Fi infrastructure.

This is particularly useful when equipment is installed at subcontractors, external suppliers or other locations where access to local corporate networks is unavailable or undesirable.

“The nRF9151 module’s cellular and DECT NR+ connectivity is what makes the device truly plug-and-play, as it does not require any local network infrastructure on the customer’s side,” says Marco Barbetta, CTO at Azzurro Digitale.

According to Azzurro Digitale, data is protected using encrypted SSL communication and is accessible only to authorized users.

DECT NR+ Adds a Private 5G Connectivity Layer

The most distinctive element is DECT NR+, or DECT New Radio Plus.

DECT NR+ is a non-cellular 5G technology designed for IoT and industrial communications. Unlike LTE-M or NB-IoT, it does not require a public mobile network operator. Companies can establish their own local private wireless networks, making the technology particularly interesting for factories, industrial campuses and remote facilities.

For the MATIX Box, DECT NR+ provides an alternative communication path when public cellular coverage is weak or unavailable.

In shielded facilities, large production environments or remote sites, monitoring data can instead be relayed through a private DECT NR+ network. Azzurro Digitale says this can cover an entire facility with relatively few gateways.

DECT NR+ therefore complements cellular IoT rather than replacing it: LTE-M and NB-IoT provide wide-area public connectivity, while DECT NR+ provides a private industrial network where cellular connectivity is unsuitable.

Bluetooth LE Connects Local Sensors and Indoor Location

Bluetooth LE provides the short-range layer of the architecture.

The MATIX Box integrates Nordic’s nRF54L15 multiprotocol SoC to scan Bluetooth LE beacons for indoor asset location and communicate with local BLE sensor nodes positioned around the monitored equipment.

These sensors can measure parameters including temperature, pressure and flow and transmit the data wirelessly to the MATIX Box.

This extends monitoring beyond operating cycles and downtime to more complete machine-condition data.

The MATIX Box effectively becomes the communications hub: Bluetooth LE collects local sensor and location data, while LTE-M, NB-IoT or DECT NR+ transport that information beyond the machine and toward the cloud.

Low-Maintenance Monitoring for Industrial Assets

Beyond connectivity, the MATIX Box is designed for low-maintenance deployment. It is powered by a LiSOCl2 primary cell combined with a lithium pulse capacitor, and Azzurro Digitale says the device can operate for up to two years before battery replacement.

That helps support installations without permanent wiring, charging infrastructure or frequent service visits.

Azzurro Digitale also says the MATIX system can reduce maintenance costs and downtime and deliver up to 15 percent higher productivity with fewer production defects.

The broader value is therefore not only continuous asset visibility, but also the ability to deploy monitoring with limited infrastructure and maintenance effort across factories, supplier sites and other industrial environments.

Original source

Nordic Semiconductor – September 25, 2026
https://www.nordicsemi.com/Nordic-news/2026/09/Azzurro-Digitales-uses-nRF9151-nRF54L15-for-asset-data-between-the-device-satellite-and-the-cloud