Sony ALT1350 is a new ultra-low-power 5G LPWA LTE-M/NB-IoT chip that supports non-terrestrial networks (NTN) for satellite connectivity and also integrates sub-GHz and 2.4 GHz radios for remote communication. short range and improved efficiency.
The chip is comprised of an Arm Cortex-M4 MCU core along with an always-on Arm Cortex-M0+ core for sensors and will be upgradable to 3GPP version 17 to support higher throughputs for Cat-M1 (eMTC) and Cat-NB2 (NB-IoT). It also implements GNSS, cellular and wifi location, supports AI acceleration and integrates a secure element for secure communication.
Sony ALT1350 specifications:
- MCU Cores
- Arm the cortex-M4 with 1MB NVRAM and 752KB RAM
- Low-power, always-on Arm Cortex-M0+ detection hub
- Memory and Storage I/F – Quad SPI flash and PSRAM
- Wireless
- Cellular
- 3GPP Release 15, future proof to support 3GPP up to 17 via SW upgrade
- CAT-M1: up to 588 Kbps in DL and 1119 Kbps uplink (up to 1.2 Mbps with version 17)
- CAT-NB2: up to 127 kbit/s in DL and 158 kbit/s in uplink (up to 254 kbit/s with version 17)
- 2nd generation iSIM aiming for ELA5+ certification
- LTE frequency band support
- HFDD (half-duplex FDD) and TDD
- OneSKU frequency range
- Low band: 617–960 MHz
- Midband: 1700–2200 MHz
- List of supported bands:
- LTE-M: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 66, 71
- NB-IoT: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18,19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 65, 66, 70, 71, 85
- NTN: n255, n256
- 410-466 MHz (bands 31, 72, 73, 87, 88) can be supported using additional FE RF components.
- Sub-GHz and 2.4 GHz 802.15.4 radios for short-range communication
- Cellular
- Location
- Intermittent LTE and GNSS (GPS/GLONASS) navigation for low cost applications
- Simultaneous LTE and L1/L5 GNSS for tracking applications
- Location based on cellular network
- Location based on built-in Wi-Fi SSID
- Network Protocols – IPv4/IPv6 with TCP/UDP, PPP, FTP, HTTPP, TLS, HTTPS, SSL, DTSL, MQTT, CoAP, LWM2M
- Host and peripheral interfaces
- UART, SPI master and slave, I2C master and slave, PWM
- PCM/I2S audio,
- LEDs, GPIOs
- USIM or eIUCC
- Auxiliary CAN
- Capture/Compare Timer
- Security – built-in security feature
- Power management – Integrated PMU with voltage regulators and real-time clock (RTC)
- Power Consumption – “Optimized Sleep Mode (eDRX) reduces power consumption by 80% compared to current generation and by 85% when used to send short messages”
- Temperature range – -40 to +85°C
Designed by Sony Semiconductor Israel, formerly known as Altair Semiconductor, the chip aims to provide a hybrid solution with cellular, location and short-range connectivity for smart meters, smart cities, trackers, connected health, etc.
Various optimizations and multiple radios enable much lower power consumption up to 85% when sending short messages, with the company also claiming 4x longer battery life for a typical device. The 802.15.4 radio also enables protocols such as Wi-Sun, U-Bus Air and wM-Bus, as well as point-to-point and mesh technologies.
The Sony ALT1350 is currently being sampled to “core customers” and is expected to be commercially available in 2023. More details can be found on the product page.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 on a part-time basis, before stepping down as Director of Software Engineering and starting writing daily news and reviews full-time later in 2011.
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