Sequans Monarch and Calliope Cellular IoT Chips

Sequans Communications is a fabless semiconductor company founded in 2003 and headquartered in Colombes, near Paris, France, listed on the NYSE as SQNS. It designs 4G and 5G cellular chips and modules for IoT and also provides design services and technology licensing, with offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Israel, Finland, Taiwan and China.

The Monarch family covers low-speed LTE-M and NB-IoT for battery-powered devices, Calliope covers LTE Cat 1bis at about 10 Mbps, and Cassiopeia covers LTE Cat 4. The third generation, Monarch 3 and Calliope 3, adds 5G NR eRedCap with 4G fallback and stays footprint and software compatible with Monarch 2 and Calliope 2 modules, giving device makers an upgrade path. Sequans also sells modules such as Monarch 2 GM02S, the Iris software-defined radio transceiver, and licensable modem, RF and 5G protocol stack IP.

• Monarch: LTE-M and NB-IoT chips and modules for low-speed, low-power devices.
• Calliope: LTE Cat 1bis chips and modules at around 10 Mbps.
• Cassiopeia: LTE Cat 4 chips and modules at around 100 Mbps.
• 5G eRedCap: Monarch 3 and Calliope 3 add 5G NR eRedCap with 4G fallback.
• Iris RF: software-defined radio transceiver for industrial and defense uses.
• IP licensing: modem, RF, SoC IP and a carrier-grade 5G protocol stack.

A Vietnamese smart meter maker can use Monarch modules for NB-IoT electricity and water meters. An EMS or ODM factory can design trackers with Calliope and later upgrade to 5G eRedCap on the same board. A local chip design firm can license Sequans modem or RF IP.

Device makers get one vendor for LTE-M, NB-IoT, Cat 1bis and upcoming 5G eRedCap, with pin and software compatibility between generations. Low-power designs suit meters, trackers and health devices that must run for years on batteries. Licensable IP lets chip and system companies build their own modems faster. Named users include Itron, Geotab, Withings, NTT DOCOMO and KDDI.

2G and 3G shutdowns push meters and trackers to LTE-M, NB-IoT and Cat 1bis, while 5G RedCap and eRedCap are set to carry IoT into 5G standalone networks. Device makers want long product lifecycles and drop-in upgrades. Vietnamese and Southeast Asian electronics manufacturers increasingly build connected meters and trackers for export.

Founded in 2003, headquartered in Colombes, France, with more than 200 employees and offices in the US, UK, Switzerland, Israel, Finland, Taiwan and China. Listed on the NYSE (SQNS). 5G eRedCap development is backed by France 2030 financing.