In a push to accelerate the adoption of cellular connectivity, Sequans Communications and NXP Semiconductors have collaborated to bring LTE for Internet of Things (IoT) to NXP’s microcontroller (MCU) ecosystem. The crux of the partnership will see the combination of NXP’s LPC5500 MCU series with Sequans’ Monarch GM01Q and NB01Q modules, providing a development platform that includes LTE-M and NB-IoT connectivity for IoT devices.
“With this NXP/Sequans collaboration, we’re offering a best-in-class LTE for IoT plus MCU solution that is based on Sequans’ expertise in cellular IoT connectivity and NXP’s expertise in low-power MCUs,” said Didier Dutronc, Sequans CMO. “The result is an easy-to-use solution for IoT device development or prototyping that will work on LTE networks around the world on supported operators in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and Europe.”
Sequans’ GM01Q and NB01Q modules support 17 LTE bands for worldwide connectivity and include an LTE-optimized transceiver and a Single-SKU RF front end. They provide low power consumption at 1uA.
NXP’s LPC5500 MCU, on the other hand, consists of a development board intended for use during product evaluation and prototyping. The MCU is based on Arm’s Cortex-M33 architecture and features an onboard debug probe, audio subsystem, accelerometer and several options for add-on boards that can be used for networking, sensors, displays and other interfaces.
“Sequans’ leadership is well-established, and their LTE for IoT chip solutions are well-proven,” said Tom Pannell, NXP senior director of marketing. “As LTE for IoT demand grows across our customer base, having a pre-integrated platform that enables device makers to easily add LTE-M or NB-IoT connectivity to their designs will do much to drive the market. Combining the low power capabilities of Monarch and the high performance of LPC5500 series MCU results in a powerful solution for key market segments such as smart meters.”