Cellular
When GSM and mobile phones were introduced to the market in the 80s, the smooth start quickly gave way to a consumer revolution, as the devices became more and more compact. Evolving from GSM to GPRS then to 3G (UMTS / WCDMA) we are now seeing global coverage with LTE / 4G, with next generation 5G leading the way in applications which require higher data transfer.
Older generations such as 3G, and increasingly 2G, are being phased out of the market, substituted by 4G and 5G technology for higher bandwidth applications and LPWAN for lower bandwidth 2G use cases.
There are various categories of LTE products, supporting different LTE-Bands, with significant performance differences.
For cellular products, it is mainly modules that are offered to the market, specifically solder own modules as well as pluggable modules in Mini-PCIe and M.2, along with Formfactor products and some special formfactors from DIGI. Integrating modules from other vendors, Digi’s portfolio offers a compatible form factor.
For fast selection, the following table should help you finding your product or, alternatively, call Avnet Silica Sales office for support.
| Cellular Technology | Chips | Modules | Router | Gateway | 2 G | 3 G | 4 G | 5 G | CatM1/NBIOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supplier | |||||||||
| Quectel Wireless Solutions | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| MaxLinear | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||
| Nordic Semiconductor | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||
| STMicroelectronics | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||
| Teltonika | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Digi International | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
WiFi
Avnet Silica offers a full range of WiFi products, including chips, modules, and devices, as well as a full technology range from WiFi 4 to WiFi 6e. We also support routers and gateways.
ISM 2.4GhZ and Sub-GHz
ISM radio bands are portions of the radio spectrum reserved internationally for industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) purposes. ISM Bands are license free and not available for Telecomm Applications, which are regulated.
ANTENNAS
Avnet Silica offers antennas from specialised suppliers, that focus solely on antenna design and production, such as Antenova and 2J Antenna, along with other suppliers that offer antennas as part of overall portfolio for wireless products, such as Quectel.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is one of the most common wireless technologies in the market, propelled into the consumer world by the smartphone, as well as increased demand for fitness, health, and entertainment devices.
RFID / NFC
Radio Frequency Identification, is a technology that enables simple, secure and fast identification of things, persons and animals. It is mainly made for very short ranges, with one exception, the UHF based RFID called RAIN-RFID for mid range identification, used mainly in logistics.
ROUTER / GATEWAYS / MODEMS
Connecting short range wireless devices, or some wired devices to a wired or wireless infrastructure, requires bridging technologies, such as Modems, Gateways or Routers / Access Points.
LPWAN
In Europe, major networks have announced their intention not to support 3G networks across Europe beyond 2020. We offer LPWAN technology from our market-leading suppliers, available in a range of modules.
UWB / Ultrawide Band
Ultra-wideband is a radio technology that can use a very low energy level for short-range, high-bandwidth communications (approx. 500 MHz or 20% of the arithmetic center frequency) over a large portion of the radio spectrum. This co-existing with other radio standards is a major advantage.
GNSS
Today GNSS technology is not only used for military and cars, but for many types of vehicle, in applications such as container tracking, animal and people tracking and logistics.
DECT
Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications, or DECT, was introduced to the market in 1992. It mainly uses the frequency bands 1880 to 1900 MHz, but due to the extension of the ETSI, also 2010-2025 MHz and 24-00 – 2480 MHz are specified.