YOU ARE AT:ChipsetsChip maker Altair integrates new small-antenna tech to miniaturise IoT devices

Chip maker Altair integrates new small-antenna tech to miniaturise IoT devices

Israeli IoT chipset manufacturer Altair Semiconductor has announced a new small antenna technology to enable the development of miniaturised IoT and wearable devices without sacrificing coverage or performance.

The technology combines an ultra-small antenna from US based Ethertronics with Altair’s ALT1250 dual-mode LTE-M/NB-IoT chipset algorithms to reduce the size of cellular wearable devices without sacrificing performance, said Altair.

Dima Feldman, head of product management at Altair, said: “Combining Altair’s modem algorithmic capabilities with a world class antenna designer has resulted in the smallest antenna design for cellular wearable devices and other tiny IoT devices, setting a new standard for antenna performance that improves coverage, power efficiency and overall user experience.”

Altair will show a prototype device, described as a “new cellular IoT wearable concept”, featuring the small-antenna solution at Mobile World Congress Americas in Los Angeles next week. The miniaturisation of wearables has been a “sticking point” for IoT developers until now.

Olivier Pajona, chief scientist at Ethertronics, commented: “Until now, wearable device manufacturers have struggled to reduce the size of their products without sacrificing cellular coverage and overall performance.”

The ALT1250 chipset includes GNSS location positioning, a RF front-end supporting all commercial LTE bands, a hardware-based security framework, and an internal application subsystem. Altair claims it is the market’s most integrated dual-mode chipset, and boasts the “lowest power consumption for the longest battery life.”

ABOUT AUTHOR

James Blackman
James Blackman
James Blackman has been writing about the technology and telecoms sectors for over a decade. He has edited and contributed to a number of European news outlets and trade titles. He has also worked at telecoms company Huawei, leading media activity for its devices business in Western Europe. He is based in London.