The largest mobile operator in the US, Verizon is collaborating with chip maker Sequans to accelerate development of CAT M-capable LTE chipsets after an earlier partnership between the two companies which led to Verizon becoming the first in the world to deploy CAT 1 LTE devices commercially.
The CAT-M capable chipsets will be based on the up-coming Release 13 of the 3GPP LTE standard which is expected to conclude by early 2016.
The CAT-M defines new features such as extended coverage, lower data rate and lower power consumption called for by a new class of LTE applications for machine-type-communications (MTC) devices such as wearables, asset trackers, smart meters and industrial sensors.
Sequans said that its CAT 1 LTE chipsets will, for the foreseeable future, continue to address the growing list of devices for higher bandwidth IoT applications in areas such as security, telematics and digital signage.
Rosemary McNally, VP of Device Technology at Verizon
Verizon was the first in the world to make IoT-optimized Category 1 features available on our LTE network, and we’re committed to continuing our leadership in this space.
Georges Karam, Sequans CEO
We led the industry when we introduced our Calliope CAT 1 LTE chipset platform, tested it on Verizon’s network, and introduced it to the market where it is now being deployed broadly,
