French IoT chipmaker Sequans Communications claims its Calliope 2 platform is the first Cat 1bis unit to be approved by AT&T in the US. The product, which combines the firm’s Calliope 2 chip and GC02S1 module, is approved for interoperability and features for use on the FirstNet emergency services network, as well. The GC02S1 module has gained technical acceptance from AT&T’s Lab, and the Calliope 2 chip has passed AT&T’s ADAPT chipset verification scheme, said Sequans.
Cat 1bis, a version of the LTE Cat 1, requires only a single antenna, and therefore reduces the cost and complexity of IoT design. Typical applications for Cat 1bis include vehicle telematics, security and alarm systems, payment systems, and healthcare devices. FirstNet is the nationwide high-speed broadband communications network built by AT&T, in public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority, for America’s first responders and the public safety community.
The Calliope 2 platform supports the Cat 1bis standard on any LTE network. It is designed in Europe and manufactured in Taiwan. The Calliope 2 GC02S1 module is assembled in Vietnam. The platform supports PSM and eDRX for low power power consumption, data rates of up to 10 Mbps and 5 Mbps and on the uplink and downlink, an external SIM and external / integrated eSIM, Common Criteria (CC) EAL5+ security for iSIM. It works with the Sequans Monarch 2 platform for easy migration with LTE-M and NB-IoT.
Cameron Coursey, vice president of connected solution at AT&T, said: “We are very pleased to have these first Cat 1bis solutions from Sequans now approved for our network. The availability of Cat 1bis technology is of paramount importance to AT&T customers looking for efficient and reliable connectivity required by demanding IoT applications operating on AT&T’s network and the FirstNet network.”
Georges Karam, chief executive at Sequans, said: “Earning the first Cat 1bis approval from AT&T is a key accomplishment and of key importance to our customers. There are numerous IoT use cases where Cat 1bis is the ideal technology choice, and now that it is approved for FirstNet, I believe we will see a proliferation of Cat 1bis applications coming to market.”
