MIPS IP cores help ease LTE development, says ImgTec

Recent Sequans releases include the following products, all certified for the Verizon Wireless network:

• Verizon Ellipsis Jetpack MHS800L, an ultra-compact mobile hotspot that allows users to connect up to eight WiFi devices to the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network
• BestBuy Insignia Flex LTE 8” Android tablet, the first 4G LTE tablet in Best Buy’s Insignia product line
• MSI (Micro-Star International) S100 Note LTE (model ND12), a 2-in-1 LTE tablet and keyboard
• D-Link eMBMS TV Dongle, a consumer LTE broadcast dongle that enables users to receive HD video content over LTE eMBMS, for display on their TV screens

Sequans uses a range of MIPS CPUs across its existing product line. Sequans’ StreamliteLTE and StreamrichLTE chipset solutions all use MIPS CPUs running Sequans’ carrier-proven LTE protocol stack:

• Calliope Platform: this latest member of Sequans’ StreamliteLTE family of chipset solutions is optimised for low cost and low power, and is designed for LTE Category 1 (10Mb/s downlink) devices such as wearables and other IoT and M2M products.
• Colibri Platform: also a member of Sequans’ StreamliteLTE family, is designed for Category 4 (150Mb/s downlink) M2M and IoT devices such as modules, routers and tablets.
• Cassiopeia Platform: this LTE-Advanced platform, which supports Category 6 throughput and flexible dual carrier aggregation, is a member of Sequans’ StreamrichLTE product family designed for feature-rich, high-performance LTE mobile devices such as tablets and mobile routers, and for PCs and residential gateways through add-on datacards.

In addition, Sequans leverages MIPS CPUs in its EZLinkLTE family of all-in-one LTE connectivity modules, which are designed to significantly reduce development cost and time by giving device makers plug-and-play LTE connectivity solutions. This includes the VZ20Q for consumer electronics and M2M devices, the VZ20M for notebooks, laptops, tablets and other portable computers, and the VZ21M for designs with GPS capability, all of which are certified by Verizon.

“We use MIPS in many of our LTE chipset platforms. With significant differentiators like hardware multi-threading, MIPS enables Sequans to provide a range of LTE solutions, from the world’s first Cat 1 Calliope platform for IoT, to our highest performing Cassiopeia Cat 6 LTE-Advanced platform,” said Craig Miller, Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Sequans. “As LTE finds its way into a huge range of types of devices, companies are looking to Sequans’ pre-integrated, pre-tested, and pre-certified MIPS-based LTE platforms and modules to significantly reduce development risk and time.”

“We’re proud of our long-standing collaboration with Sequans in LTE,” said Tony King-Smith, Executive Vice President of Marketing, ImgTec. “Using unique MIPS features such as hardware multi-threading has helped Sequans create innovative platforms that are gaining traction in the market, illustrating the competitive advantages of the MIPS architecture. With its Calliope and Colibri IoT platforms, as well as its other chipsets and modules, Sequans is driving our high-performance, power-efficient MIPS CPUs into an exciting new generation of LTE solutions.”