Sequans Dips Its Toe into LTE Silicon

| Mar 18, 2010 | Mobile Device Silicon | Analyst: Ron Westfall

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Event Summary

March 16, 2010 - 4G chipmaker Sequans announced that its first LTE chip, the SQN3010, will soon be sampling with key customers. The chip has been in development for many months, and it will be delivered first to China Mobile, the leading proponent of TD-LTE technology. The carrier selected Sequans to provide TD-LTE chips and USB dongles for the world’s first TD-LTE demonstration network, which China Mobile will deploy at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai beginning in May.

Quick Take

Analytical Summary

• Current Perspective: Negative on Sequans’ debut of its first LTE chip, the SQN3010, since the announcement indicates that Sequans has a good deal more to prove within the LTE silicon realm and the launch would have benefited more from the inclusion of a few more product details. On the other hand, the launch serves notice that Sequans now has viable stakes in the LTE silicon arena, and the inclusion of the China Mobile TD-LTE demo accompanying the launch announcement gives the company near-term sales and marketing cache.

• Vendor Importance: High to Sequans, since the company needed to introduce the SQN3010 LTE chip to complement its extensive assets within the WiMAX silicon space, including the SQN1100/SQN1200 series mobile station and the SQN2130 series base station silicon assets. The foray into LTE silicon represents an anticipated and logical segue way for Sequans from its WiMAX roots as 4G technology and services mature beyond bleeding/cutting edge testing and trials and into mainstream services.

• Market Impact: Moderate on the mobile silicon market, since Sequans’ entry into the LTE chipset segment did not surprise its rivals; established 4G/LTE silicon players such as Qualcomm and ST-Ericsson have already unveiled their LTE chipset initiatives and independent silicon vendors such as Altair and Beceem have done the same.

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Competitive Positives and Concerns

Response & Recommendations

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