Internet of Things Product of the Year

Product Name: ORC3990 SoC

Company: Orca Systems

Entry Statement

Orca Systems is a champion of always-on live IoT wireless connectivity, delivering a cost-effective, low-power wireless solution for IoT applications indoors and outdoors, had introduced a fully integrated ORC3990 SoC to meet the demands of satellite IoT connectivity. Orca Systems’ new SoC solution provides critical enabling technology for satellite connectivity, enabling direct-to-satellite bidirectional operation over Low Earth Orbit (LEO) networks both indoors and outdoors.

Orca Systems created a whole new category for IoT connectivity. Combining the global coverage of satellite with an indoor reach comparable to cellular puts us in a unique position to solve some of the thorniest problems in IoT today. Critically, we can do this with a total cost of ownership (TCO) that beats cellular. Not surprisingly, the market is responding, and we’ve built strong partnerships with OEMs, solution providers, and value-added resellers who have placed advance orders for millions of devices with service.
The Orca Systems IoT solution provides both connectivity and position fixes for low-powered IoT location tracking and monitoring systems which require a battery life of up to 10 years. Orca Systems unlocks innovative, high-volume applications for supply chain, logistics, agriculture, transportation, energy, and industrial markets which require global coverage and indoor reach, in total a $20bn+ connectivity opportunity for the exploding IoT market.
Patented Orca Live Wireless RF™ digital radio and digital power amplifier (DPA) technology provide ultra-low power consumption to extend the battery life of IoT devices. The new ORC3990 SoC to meet the demands of satellite IoT connectivity. The ORC3990 SoC, with its high level of integration and low power requirements, is expected to enable the lowest cost bidirectional endpoints in the industry with 10-year battery life. This is game-changing technology for satellite IoT connectivity.

A Totum Labs-based terrestrial endpoint for an LEO network using the ORC3990 SoC requires a minimal bill of materials (BOM). External components are reduced to a temperature-compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO), passive filters and switches, a PCB antenna and a battery. For simple, compact “tracker-on-a-chip” applications supporting connectivity and global positioning, Totum Labs has announced a sub-$10 endpoint solution based on the ORC3990 SoC, which is expected to drive high-volume demand.

ORC3990 Details – World’s First Fully Integrated SoC Solution for Direct-to-Satellite IoT Connectivity

The ORC3990 SoC integrates all required system functions into a single, cost-effective device in a very small 68-QFN package. An essential building block of the SoC design includes Orca Systems’ flexible, third-generation Live Wireless™ RF and digital radio subsystem, which has been customized to support the requirements of Totum Labs’ LEO satellite network. Additional function blocks integrated within the ORC3390 SoC include a low noise amplifier (LNA), a digital power amplifier (PA), a satellite modem, power management unit (PMU) subsystem including all analog blocks, dual Arm Cortex-M0+ CPUs for separate network and application processing, all necessary memory (volatile and non-volatile) for the on-chip CPUs, required security functions, and key analog and digital peripherals.

On-chip sensors provide temperature of an ORC3990-based IoT endpoint. The device also supports a suite of digital and analog interfaces to enable direct connection to external sensors based on the developer’s application requirements. For example, IoT endpoints with a seamless interface to the ORC3990 SoC use sensors that detect temperature, humidity, shock, vibration and flow.

Orca Systems is the exclusive provider and manufacturer of the ORC3990 SoC to Totum Labs and its partners. To help accelerate development and time to market, Orca Systems provides comprehensive collateral, including data sheets, application notes, evaluation/demonstration boards and software SDK. Sample quantities of the ORC3990 SoC are available now from Orca Systems. For more information, development tools and samples, contact Orca Systems at www.orcasystems.com.

Orca’s unique architecture lends itself to integrating everything required in an IoT-focused SoC application. Manufacturing the ORC3990 SoC with GlobalFoundries’ 22FDX 22nm FD-SOI technology assured a cost-effective, low-power SoC solution. Our innovative approach to IC design leverages extensive reuse of our SoC architecture, circuitry and methodologies, enabling us to achieve first-time-right silicon in one year of design.