PARIS — December 19, 2011 — 4G chipmaker Sequans S.A. [NYSE: SQNS] is the provider of the WiMAX chip inside the new WiMAX tablet recently made available by Sharp for its customers in Japan.
“Sharp’s tablet combines the latest features for usability and mobility in a perfect seven-inch size and we are pleased to contribute our WiMAX technology to this highly advanced product for Japanese consumers,” said Georges Karam, Sequans CEO.  “With WiMAX, users can download videos, play games and surf the web at super high speed.”

The new Sharp tablet provides WiMAX, and Wi-Fi connectivity.  It carries a high-end platform the same as in 10-inch tablets, but comes in a slim and handy 7-inch size.  It combines Sharp’s advanced technology and beautiful display with Google’s Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) platform and features a dual-core CPU and dual cameras.

“Sequans’ WiMAX chip technology is optimized for tablets and handsets and delivers all the advanced capabilities of WiMAX with very low power consumption,” said Masayuki Hachinoda, Division General Manager, Media Tablet Business Center, Communication Systems Group, Sharp.  “The excellence of Sequans’ semiconductor solutions combined with their long and successful track record in 4G are the reasons we selected Sequans’ technology for this new tablet design.”

The WiMAX chip inside the Sharp tablet is Sequans’ SQN1210, one of the most highly integrated semiconductor solutions in the industry. The SQN1210 is highly optimized for mobile handsets, delivering baseband and triple band RF integrated in a single, 65 nm die for ultra low power consumption and ultra high performance at a very low cost.  These innovations enable users to enjoy faster web browsing and smoother streaming media playback.  The chip also features Sequans’ patented dual transmit uplink technology, a technology pioneered by Sequans that can greatly improve coverage and performance.

The new Sharp tablet is now available to consumers through a leading WiMAX network operator in Japan.