CES 2021: Sequans Calliope 2 to be unveiled during the IT event

Sequans Communications S.A. announced that its second-generation LTE Cat 1 chip platform, Calliope 2, will be unveiled at CES 2021.  Designed to be cost-effective support of IoT applications, it enables VoLTE and a data rate transfer higher than 100 kilobits per second that cannot be supported by LTE-M or NB-IoT technologies.

Sequans Calliope 2 technology has enabled the widespread deployment of Cat 1 for IoT. These include:

1. higher integration that has lowered the Cat 1 module cost closer to the level of LTE-M module cost.
2. significantly improved power consumption, in both active and low power modes, lowering the power profile close to the LTE-M power profile, and thereby extending the battery life of Cat 1 IoT devices.

“Calliope 2 is a truly universal and highly effective IoT solution, and we are excited about the many new IoT applications that are being built because of it,” said Georges Karam, Sequans CEO. “Calliope 2 complements our Monarch 2 LTE-M/NB-IoT product family and makes Sequans a one-stop-shop for virtually all IoT applications—ranging from simple low-speed sensor devices to higher speed security cameras, and from low-power, battery-operated consumer devices to sophisticated, higher speed industrial devices.”

The soon launched technology is 5G-ready, and its user application software and interfaces are compatible with Sequans’ Monarch 2 LTE-M/NB-IoT platform.

Calliope 2 Feature Highlights

• 3GPP Release 15
• Up to 10 Mbps DL, and 5 Mbps UL
• Interfaces include USB 2.0, 4xHS-UART, SPI, PCM/I2S
• Advanced low power features eDRX and PSM with rock bottom at 1µA
• Comprehensive VoLTE voice engine including HD-quality Voice (EVS)
• Baseband, RF, power management, and memory integrated into one chip platform
• Compatible with Sequans Monarch 2 LTE-M/NB-IoT platform for easy migration among Cat 1, Cat M, Cat NB1/NB2
• EAL5+ security for iSIM
• Streaming audio

“Sequans pioneered Cat 1 technology for IoT and has always recognized its value. We are the only cellular IoT chipmaker with a strategic product roadmap for Cat 1, and we have designed our Calliope 2 platform to be scalable and in sync with the sunsetting of 2G and 3G networks, thereby answering a key industry demand at just the right time. There are real and valuable opportunities in Cat 1 for IoT, complementing LTE-M/NB-IoT, and Calliope 2 is the ideal starting point.”

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