Sequans' Taurus 5G NR Chipset Platform for 5G Broadband IoT Applications

“The world’s first chipset platform, purpose-built for 5G broadband Internet of Things (IoT) devices.”

That’s the scoop today. Let’s cover it.

Sequans Communications (News - Alert) – fabless designer, developer and supplier of comprehensive sets of 5G/4G chips and modules fully optimized for IoT applications like smart mobility, smart homes smart city infrastructure, logistics, e-health and wellness and more – has announced its Taurus 5G NR.

The Taurus 5G NR is what this article’s first line described; designed with price-sensitive industry trends in mind, the Taurus 5G NR provides cost-effective support for IoT needs. (Specifically, applications that include fixed wireless access, or FWA, as well as portable hotspots, mobile computing, video surveillance and even high-end industrial IoT, or IIoT.)

The Taurus 5G NR’s main features:

• Compliant with 3GPP Release 17 for both standalone and non-standalone 5G
• Combines a sub-6 GHz (FR1) modem with a powerful system-on-chip (SOC) that is comprised of a dual-core APU capable of supporting smart edge applications and integrated routing
• Also supports co-existence and radio interference mitigation techniques for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth companion modem (plus LTE (News - Alert) fallback for smooth migration to 5G, to boot)
• High-speed interfaces (including native Ethernet)

"Initial 5G IoT uses came as no surprise: automotive, FWA and gateways – namely, high-bandwidth applications that can reuse chips that were originally developed for smartphones,” said Jamie Moss, Research Director, ABI Research. But now, the rest of the IoT needs 5G silicon that has been acutely optimized; simpler, more efficient and more affordable, and not mere cut-downs or hobbled versions of higher-performance chips. Economies of efficiency intensely resource-sensitive, and only fit-for-purpose designs can unlock the mass market potential for 5G in the IoT.”

“Sequans' Taurus 5G NR,” Moss continued in this rundown, “is a 5G chip developed solely for broadband IoT. And, according to ABI Research (News - Alert), annual shipments for broadband IoT modules that contain the chips used in IoT devices will grow to 217 million units globally by 2027."

"With our new cutting-edge Taurus platform, we are addressing the exact needs of the 5G broadband IoT industry,” said Bertrand Debray, EVP for Broadband IoT at Sequans. “Taurus provides all the capabilities expected for the support of enhanced broadband services, but it is tailored to fit the requirements of today's most in-demand broadband IoT applications, thus enabling cost-conscious solutions for the mass market."