Sequans joins with Gemalto to revolutionize IoT connectivity with LTE Cat M1 technology

Digital security company Gemalto is joining with LTE chipmaker Sequans Communications to revolutionize Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity with LTE-M technology.

The companies are demonstrating at GSMA Mobility Live! in Atlanta, their Cat M1 IoT solution, based on Sequans’ genuine Cat M1 chip, delivering the greatest level of network efficiency and simplicity achieved to date. The solution boosts power saving capabilities to extend the lifespan of IoT devices while boosting performance in indoor environments.

It is ideal for low bandwidth IoT use cases including alarm systems, asset trackers, smart meters, smart city controllers, wearables and industrial sensors. New low-power, wide-area (LPWA) network technologies like LTE-M will give network operators the opportunity to generate significant revenues from the billions of connected things.

The LTE-M demonstration leverages a Gemalto wireless module that uses dedicated Cat M1 technology based on Sequans’ Monarch chip to enable a whole new level of low power, low bandwidth IoT connectivity. The module connects to Ericsson‘s RBS6000 Multi-Standard base station updated with Cat M1 software.

The solution is capable of supporting more than 10 LTE frequency bands from a single hardware device allowing for true global coverage. Dynamic power management technology enables more than 10 years of battery life for standard IoT devices.

Samples of Gemalto’s forthcoming LTE Cat M1 wireless module are expected to ship this quarter.

“Gemalto is the ideal partner to deliver evolving IoT-optimized LTE solutions enhanced by digital security expertise,” said Georges Karam, Sequans’ CEO. “Our successful Gemalto-Sequans partnership has led to major first to market LTE innovations that combine our respective key capabilities and offer customers distinct competitive advantages not available elsewhere.”

“Cat M1 will enable a wide range of new IoT applications to the benefit of Industry and Society at large. We are pleased to work with Sequans and Gemalto to foster the development of an early Cat M1 ecosystem to support, for example, a multi-function Vehicle Telematics application as enabled by this demo” said Thomas Norén, VP Business Unit Network Products, Ericsson.

“The potential of next generation LTE technology to expand the IoT market presents an enormous opportunity for low power, low bandwidth Cat M1 devices, as well as for applications best addressed by LTE Cat 1,” said Andreas Haegele, Senior Vice President M2M at Gemalto. “Together with Sequans, Gemalto is continuing to deliver first to market IoT connectivity solutions that drive the market forward.”

Link Labs, a provider of low-power, wide-area network technologies that power the Internet of Things, also announced Monday that it is developing a Cat M1 Sensor Suite planned for later this year for the Verizon LTE network. Link Labs will integrate the Sequans Monarch chipset into both OEM systems and a fully integrated Sensor Suite.

The Link Labs LTE-M1 Sensor Suite will offer an open source hardware and software platform to accelerate solution development and lower costs for manufacturers and solution providers. The Sensor Suite is based on Link Labs software which makes utilizing the low power features of LTE-M1 easy to implement out of the box. The Link Labs solution also makes use of the Verizon Thingspace platform for device provisioning and management.

The LTE Cat M1 powered Sensor Suite is a set of around a dozen highly integrated sensor and controller devices ready for use on the Verizon LTE network right out of the box. With the LTE-M1 Sensor Suite, customers can pilot LTE-M1 based solutions in under a day, instead of the months traditionally needed to build new connected devices.

Encore Networks also announced Monday that it has partnered with Verizon and Sequans to develop the first CAT M1 LTE router designed for low-cost cellular connectivity of IoT devices requiring low power consumption and utilizing low bandwidth.

EN M-Class routers will support Verizon’s LTE network and will utilize Sequans’ Monarch LTE chip for narrowband IoT applications. Encore’s EN M-Class LTE routers will provide customers with network longevity and more robust security, enabling a cost-effective migration path for existing IoT deployments to move from legacy 2G devices that are at the end of the serviceable lifetime.

The chip inside Encore’s EN M-Class routers is Sequans’ Monarch LTE platform, its CAT M1/NB1 solution, integrating baseband, RF, power management and memory in a single chip. Monarch is fully optimized in hardware and software and is purpose built for narrowband LTE for IoT applications.


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