President, Chief Executive Officer & Director, Semtech
Search every verified Hong Hou interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Hong Hou, who became President and CEO of Semtech approximately 100 days ago after serving as a board member for a year, discussed the company's strategy for its LoRa technology at The Things Conference in October 2024. Hou described himself as a technologist by training with experience in national labs in China, Japan, and the US, and said he previously led the Ethernet and Cloud networking business group at Intel for five years. He stated that LoRa is "one of the bright spots" in Semtech's portfolio and that the company is committed to expanding the product portfolio and supporting the ecosystem. Hou outlined a five-year plan to identify key applications and work with ecosystem partners to provide more enablement from hardware and software to accelerate industry adoption. He noted that LoRa technology has demonstrated stability, with devices from 2015 still working with base stations purchased years ago, which he said gives confidence in the long-term strategy. Hou also mentioned that Semtech has a broader portfolio to solve IoT challenges including cellular, LoRa, and LoRaWAN, and that the company does not push any particular technology but develops enabling blocks to make integration easier. He said this was his first time at The Things Conference but would not be his last, and he looked forward to working with the community.
“I became the CEO of Semtech about 100 days ago, but I was a board member a year prior to that, so I know the company pretty well. I'm a technologist by training with experience in National Labs in China, Japan, and the US, and I worked at Intel for five years in charge of the Ethernet and Cloud networking business grou...”
“LoRa is one of the bright spots in Semtech's broad product portfolio. It has demonstrated tremendous potential with a very comprehensive ecosystem that pushes the technology from concept to product to industry. We continue to be very excited about LoRa and are committed to expanding the product portfolio and supporting...”
“We have done an in-depth review of the technology and product roadmap, identified some opportunities and gaps, and I am committed to providing the resources to continue innovating and supporting the ecosystem by providing key building blocks and enablement capabilities.”
“LoRa technology has pushed the product in building blocks and enabled the industry to develop many applications. We are very successful in smart metering and connected spaces, and in the future, asset tracking is another area where we want to provide more technology to make integration easier and unlock the potential f...”
“Looking back nine years since 2015, the beauty of LoRa is that devices still work flawlessly with base stations bought years ago, which gives confidence in the long-term strategy Semtech has with LoRa. This stability is a key reason for adoption in the ecosystem.”
“There is no one cookie-cutter solution for all industry challenges. LoRa provides unique capabilities like long range, low power, low latency, and high sensitivity. Over the next five years, we aim to identify key applications and work with ecosystem partners to provide more enablement from hardware and software to acc...”
“We have a broader portfolio to solve IoT challenges including cellular, LoRa, and LoRaWAN. We do not push any particular technology but believe every technology exists for a good reason. We develop enabling blocks in hardware and software to make integration easier and help customers do their job better.”
“The total cost of ownership benefits of using LoRa technology are tremendous, with opportunities to reduce costs in factory automation, connected spaces, and asset tracking, which can significantly improve productivity.”
“I met with the EcoStar Telemark team in Switzerland who demonstrated that an end device can communicate with a satellite 36,000 kilometers away without line of sight, showing the high sensitivity and tracking capabilities of LoRa technology. This is fascinating and shows the boundless opportunities for new applications...”
“This is my first time at The Things Conference, but it will not be my last. I look forward to getting to know the community, sharing successful stories, and continuing to innovate together to help the industry flourish.”
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