Newratek

Newratek is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in Wi-Fi System-on-a-Chip (SoC) solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) market. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, the company was established by a group of twenty-eight individuals from the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI). The company operates globally with offices in the United States and Taiwan to serve the growing IoT market.

The company's core business revolves around the design and provision of semiconductor technology that enables long-range, low-power wireless connectivity. Newratek was the first to develop a System-on-a-Chip compliant with the IEEE 802.11ah standard, also known as Wi-Fi HaLow. This technology operates in the sub-1 GHz spectrum, allowing for greater range (over 1 kilometer) and better penetration through obstacles compared to traditional Wi-Fi. It is designed to connect a high density of devices, with a single access point supporting over 8,000 clients, while incorporating advanced power-saving modes to extend the battery life of IoT devices.

Newratek's product portfolio includes several Wi-Fi HaLow SoCs, such as the NRC7292 and the more advanced NRC7394. These chips integrate a digital baseband modem, RF transceiver, and an ARM Cortex processor, and can be used in various modes of operation. The company also provides evaluation kits (EVKs) to facilitate software development and testing for their clients. Their business model is that of a fabless semiconductor firm, focusing on the design and engineering of their chips while outsourcing manufacturing. They partner with other semiconductor companies, device manufacturers, and IoT solution providers to integrate their Wi-Fi HaLow technology into various business systems.

The technology serves a wide array of applications across multiple industries, including industrial automation and sensing, smart homes and buildings, logistics, healthcare, agriculture, and smart grid applications. Dr. Sok Kyu Lee, who has an extensive background in electrical engineering and holds nearly 600 patents related to WLAN research from his time at ETRI, serves as the CEO. The COO, Mr. Kee Bae Cho, brings over 30 years of experience in the semiconductor business, having held positions at companies like Synopsys and Daewoo Semiconductor.

Keywords: Wi-Fi HaLow, IEEE 802.11ah, System-on-Chip, SoC, fabless semiconductor, IoT connectivity, long-range Wi-Fi, low-power wireless, wireless communications equipment, M2M communication, industrial automation, smart grid, asset tracking, smart building, electronic shelf labels, sensor networks, NRC7292, NRC7394, sub-1 GHz, wireless network, IoT devices, embedded systems, RF transceiver, baseband modem