French cellular IoT technology firm Sequans Communications unveiled at this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona two additions to its flagship Calliope and Monarch IoT families.

By enabling a seamless transition from 4G low-speed modem categories to 5G eRedCap, these chips address the longevity problems faced by most IoT applications. Additionally, they feature a leap in innovation, delivering enhancements in power consumption, integration and cost efficiency.

The development of these chips benefits from the French 2030 grant awarded to Sequans in 2024 by the French government.

Building on the success of the Calliope 2 Cat 1bis, Calliope 3 adds 5G NR eRedCap to LTE Cat 1bis, offering longevity with improved data rates and robust connectivity. This makes the Calliope product line suitable for IoT applications requiring reliable and cost-effective connectivity, including fleet management, wearables and security devices.

Completing the LTE-M/NB-IoT Monarch 2 offering, Monarch 3 adds 5G NR eRedCap to LTE-M, providing longevity and low-power efficiency for a wide range of cellular LPWA applications. The Monarch line is designed to meet the growing demand in industries such as smart metering, healthcare and asset tracking.

Users of Calliope 2 (LTE Cat 1bis) and Monarch 2 (LTE-M/NB-IoT) now have a roadmap to manage their transition to 5G NR eRedCap. Calliope 3 and Monarch 3 modules will be footprint and software compatible with Calliope 2 and Monarch 2 modules. Sequans plans to begin providing samples to customers in 2026.

“We are excited to introduce our new generation of cellular IoT semiconductors at Mobile World Congress,” said Georges Karam, CEO of Sequans. “With the support of 5G eRedCap and enhanced performance, these new chips demonstrate our commitment to innovation and our dedication to providing our customers with the most advanced and efficient cellular connectivity addressing their specific IoT needs.”

Dan Shey, vice president at ABI Research, added: “As network operators plan their migration from 4G to 5G, it is critical to have 5G eRedCap semiconductors purpose-built for the IoT to achieve the cost and power efficiency needed for IoT applications. Offering products that enable a seamless transition of IoT applications from 4G to 5G eRedCap is extremely important so IoT application designers can develop future-proof products.”

Sequans (sequans.com) is a semiconductor company specialising in wireless cellular technology for the IoT. Established in 2003, it is headquartered in France and has offices in the USA, UK, Israel, Hong Kong, Singapore, Finland, Taiwan and China.