Avnet Silica, an Avnet company (NASDAQ: AVT), today announced it has signed a distribution agreement with Insight SiP, a leading developer of ultra-miniature RF modules with embedded antennas, using system-in-package and antenna-in-package technology.
Avnet Silica customers across the EMEA region are now able to purchase a range of Insight SiP modules, including:
- Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) modules for short range networking, including the iSP19, iSP18 and iSP15 series. These devices are designed to provide low-cost, low-power wireless connectivity in PCs, smart phones, IoT smart objects and M2M across diverse sectors such as domotics/home automation, healthcare, industrial and wearables.
- Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) iSP45 series, which incorporates long-range LoRa connectivity with short-range BLE 5.0 and NFC for set up and maintenance.
All of the Insight SiP modules offered by Avnet Silica feature integrated antennas and are fully certified by Bluetooth SIG and by global regulatory bodies such as the FCC, CE and TELEC.
The increased demand for wireless connectivity in portable electronic devices has driven manufacturers to deliver smaller, more cost-effective solutions. This makes the integration of RF into a single product more and more complex and increases technical risk, while at the same time design engineers are under increasing pressure to shorten the product development cycle. SiP technology enables greater functionality to be achieved in less time than is associated with designing and certifying products based on discrete devices. SiP design also avoids incurring the time-to-market penalty and higher upfront cost of ASIC development.
Laurence Dellicott, Director Supplier Management at Avnet Silica, commented, “Insight SiP’s system-in-package approach makes complex RF systems easy to integrate in any existing or future connected application. By developing products with Insight SiP modules, our customers are able to reduce their design complexity and achieve faster time-to-market.”
Nick Wood, Sales and Marketing Director at Insight SiP, added, “Avnet Silica’s strength is in the semiconductor sector and its existing distribution partnerships with the world’s top chip suppliers, including some of those that supply Insight SiP. This makes our agreement particularly beneficial for mutual customers across EMEA, enabling them to access our integrated modules alongside these chip level offerings.”
Avnet has regional agreements in place with Insight SiP and recently announced a distribution partnership in Japan.