CEVA has announced that WiSig Networks, an incubated company of Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad and a developer of products for 5G wireless technology, has licensed the CEVA-Dragonfly NB2 IP solution for the rapid development of a 3GPP Rel.14 compliant eNB-IoT System-on-Chip (SoC).
The SoC will be deployed in systems and products of a leading Indian mobile network operator to enable a range of services such as asset tracking, home, building and industrial automation, smart grid, agriculture and remote monitoring and control. With nationwide NB-IoT coverage expected in India starting in 2020, more than two billion IoT devices are forecast to be connected to India’s cellular networks within the next few years.
Dr Kiran Kuchi, Founding Director of WiSig Networks, commented: “The CEVA-Dragonfly NB2 IP provides us with a proven and comprehensive solution for our eNB-IoT SoC development, allowing us to fast-track our design and reduce the enormous complexities associated with developing cellular technology. We look forward to continued collaboration with CEVA for other cellular IoT and 5G projects targeting the flourishing Indian mobile ecosystem.”
Ange Aznar, Vice President and General Manager of the Wireless IoT Business Unit at CEVA, stated: “We’re pleased to see innovative companies like WiSig Networks thrive as we transition into the 5G era. With a strong engineering team and our CEVA-Dragonfly NB2 IP, WiSig is primed to fulfill an important role in the Indian semiconductor industry, delivering a homegrown cellular solution targeting its large mobile market of more than one billion subscribers.”
The CEVA-Dragonfly NB2 IP solution is a modular technology, composed of the CEVA-X1 IoT processor, an optimized RF Transceiver, baseband, and a protocol stack to offer a complete Release 14 Cat-NB2 modem IP solution that significantly reduces time-to-market and lowers entry barriers. It is a fully software-configurable solution and can be extended with multi-constellation GNSS and sensor fusion functionality.
The IP includes a reference silicon of the complete modem design, including an optional embedded CMOS RF transceiver and PA, an advanced digital front-end, physical layer firmware, and a protocol stack (MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, and NAS).
