A Triple-Mode Cellular IoT SoC Achieving −136.8-dBm eMTC Sensitivity

Abstract

A triple-mode RF system on a chip (SoC) is reported which supports cellular Internet of Things (IoT) standards eMTC, NB-IoT, and EC-GSM, as well as 2G fallback. In the eMTC mode, the SoC achieves best-in-class performance for reference sensitivity (-112.3 dBm), coverage extension mode A (-128.5 dBm) and B (-136.8 dBm), respectively. A very efficient RTC, combined with dynamic power management of unused clocks and idle blocks, also leads to excellent performance in cellular IoT power-saving modes, such as extended discontinuous reception and power-saving mode.