MWC 2022: Bullitt Group announces Cat Q10 rugged mobile 5G hotspot, services and MVNO | ZDNet

Bulltt Group, which is the global licensee for Cat Phones and Motorola in the rugged device space, has been busy during 2021, launching an H+ version of the Cat S42 smartphone whose external components are laced with an antimicrobial silver ion additive, and two phones for T-Mobile in the US — the Cat S62 and Cat S22 Flip. The company also launched its first rugged Motorola phone, the Motorola Defy. 

At Mobile World Congress (MWC), Bullitt Group is addressing a growing category – mobile internet hotspots – with a rugged 5G device called the Cat Q10. There’s a good number of mobile hotspots available, but few are 5G compatible, and fewer are durable and weatherproof, the company points out. The canonical use case is an outdoor space such as a building site, a farm, or a pop-up business, where the need is for fast and secure internet connectivity to a good number of devices via a battery-powered device that’s quick and easy to set up and carry around. 

The Cat Q10 is a 283g device measuring 81mm by 128mm by 26mm that’s dust and water resistant to IP68 level, and MIL-STD-810H certified for ruggedness. It packs a swappable 5300mAh battery that’s claimed to deliver 10 hours usage, 1000 hours standby and can act as a power bank to recharge smartphones if necessary. 

Powered by a MediaTek T750 chipset supporting 5G (SA and NSA, but no mmWave as yet), 4G LTE and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), the Cat Q10 can support up to 32 connected users simultaneously. It accepts a single Nano SIM, supports WPA 3 security and is set up via a mobile (Android or iOS) app. 

The Cat Q10 will launch at the end of Q2 2022. No pricing details were available at the time of writing. 

Bullitt Group also announced a range of services designed to prolong the lifecycle of their rugged devices, enhancing the company’s sustainable credentials. ‘Business Edition’ on selected Cat phones provides an extra year’s warranty, while ‘Rugged Care’ and ‘Rugged Care+’ service contracts cover the replacement of parts such as batteries and device repairs. 

Finally, Bullitt Group announced its own MVNO for the UK market – Bullitt Connect. Built in partnership with Transatel and utilising the EE mobile network, Bullitt Connect will offer voice, text and data services to consumers and industry verticals, focusing particularly on sectors such as logistics and the gig economy.