Sequans Communications, a developer and provider of 5G and 4G chips and modules for IoT, has collaborated with Microchip Technology to deliver 5G LTE-M/NB-IoT connectivity solutions based on Sequans Monarch family of chips and Microchip’s family of microcontrollers (MCUs). The collaboration supports Microchip’s strategy of making it possible for developers to connect easily to any major core or cloud, and rapidly prototype their IoT devices using best-in-class technologies.
Sequans’ collaboration with Microchip aims to make massive IoT a reality by providing developers with a simple yet powerful IoT development environment that integrates microprocessor power with 5G IoT connectivity. Microchip’s highly sophisticated MCUs combined with Sequans’ industry-leading Monarch LTE-M/NB-IoT chip platforms provide this by enabling the easy and rapid development of secure IoT applications across a wide range of markets.
Sequans’ Monarch LTE-M/NB-IoT technology is an important part of Microchip’s embedded IoT solutions strategy and this collaboration with Sequans helps to overcome the challenges developers face in connecting MCUs to the cloud via cellular IoT networks. Sequans’ Monarch platforms provide critically important and advanced IoT capabilities, including industry-leading low power consumption, secure connectivity, and global deployment capability.
Sequans’ Monarch chip family supports 3GPP Release 14 and 15 and LTE UE categories M1/NB1/NB2. Monarch chips are single-chip solutions, each with a very high level of integration, optimizing cost. They support all power classes, +23/20/14 dBm, for extended coverage, and support all major networks with Single-SKU™ hardware. Monarch 2 and Monarch N are 5G ready and fully compatible with first generation Monarch chips. These chips deliver significant improvement in power consumption, overall solution cost, and advanced features, including an embedded secure element (SE) with the highest, government-grade security level possible, EAL5+, and iUICC functionality. For positioning, Monarch embeds Sequans’ location engine, IoT-Findit™, which provides indoor and outdoor positioning via a wide range of LTE-based location technologies.
The Microchip/Sequans LTE-M/NB-IoT development kit will be released in Q3 2020.
