What ACP Advanced Circuit Pursuit does

ACP Advanced Circuit Pursuit AG is a Swiss fabless semiconductor company specializing in RF CMOS transceivers and systems-on-chip (SoCs) for cellular communications. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Zollikon, Switzerland, the company designs integrated circuits spanning 2G GSM/GPRS through 5G NR, with particular depth in cellular IoT (NB-IoT, LTE-M, EC-GSM-IoT) and 4G LTE-Advanced Pro. Its product portfolio includes the IRIS series (IRIS304, IRIS404, IRIS412, IRIS423, IRIS424), legacy 3G transceivers (ACP201, ACP205), the MtCervin MtCe501 dual-mode IoT SoC, and a 5G enhanced mobile broadband (EMB) transceiver line. ACP pioneered SAW-less RF transceiver architecture that eliminates inter-stage SAW filters, reducing both BOM cost and PCB footprint, and integrates receiver, transmitter, and analog baseband onto a single CMOS die.

The company operates a B2B hardware-sales revenue model, selling chips directly to cellular module and device OEMs under a consultative, contact-based sales motion with no public pricing. Customer segments span cellular IoT device manufacturers (smart meters, asset trackers, industrial sensors, wearables), 5G mobile broadband equipment makers, 4G LTE-Advanced Pro device manufacturers, and legacy 3G device makers, particularly for the Chinese market. Marketing is conducted through the company's website (newacp.ch) and direct inquiry, with no distributors or resellers publicly disclosed.

ACP operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sequans Communications (NYSE:SQNS), a NYSE-listed cellular IoT semiconductor company. The acquisition integrated ACP's RF transceiver IP with Sequans' modem and protocol stack capabilities, positioning the combined entity to offer complete cellular IoT and 5G NR chip solutions spanning LTE-M, NB-IoT, Cat 1bis, and 5G RedCap/eRedCap platforms. The company employs 11-50 people and operates across EMEA and Asian markets.

Name

ACP Advanced Circuit Pursuit

Legal name

ACP Advanced Circuit Pursuit AG

Website

https://newacp.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACP Advanced Circuit Pursuit AG is a Swiss fabless semiconductor company designing RF CMOS transceivers and cellular IoT SoCs spanning 2G to 5G NR, now operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sequans Communications (NYSE:SQNS) serving cellular module and device OEMs globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

RF Semiconductor Components

NAICS

Communications Equipment Manufacturing (3342), Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (334220)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus (3661)

akta.pro primary industry

RF Transceivers & RFIC SoCs (Cellular/Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth) (HDAHAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

RF, Microwave & Wireless ICs (HDAHAAAF), Advanced SoCs & Application Processors (HDAHAAAB), Mobile Chipsets & Modems (Smartphone SoCs, Baseband) (CRACALAC)

Keywords

• RF CMOS transceivers
• Cellular IoT SoCs
• NB-IoT semiconductors
• 5G RF transceivers
• LTE-Advanced Pro chips

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. RF Transceiver and SoC Hardware Sales: ACP Advanced Circuit Pursuit AG generates revenue primarily through the sale of proprietary RF transceivers and systems-on-chip (SoCs) to cellular communications equipment manufacturers. The company offers products across multiple cellular generations including 5G, 4G LTE-Advanced Pro, 3G HSPA, and cellular IoT (NB-IoT, LTE-M). As a semiconductor IP and chip company, revenue is derived from unit-based sales of integrated circuits to OEM customers who incorporate ACP's chips into their devices and modules.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

ACP Advanced Circuit Pursuit AG designs, develops, and sells proprietary RF CMOS transceivers and cellular IoT system-on-chip (SoC) integrated circuits for the cellular communications industry. Its product portfolio spans 3G HSPA, 4G LTE-Advanced Pro, 5G NR, and cellular IoT (NB-IoT, LTE-M, EC-GSM-IoT) standards, with a focus on SAW-less architectures, high integration, and ultra-low-power consumption for OEMs building IoT devices, smartphones, mobile routers, and automotive C-V2X equipment.

Product overview

ACP Advanced Circuit Pursuit AG is a semiconductor company specializing in integrated circuits for cellular communications. The company is now a subsidiary of Sequans Communications (NYSE:SQNS) and offers a comprehensive portfolio of RF transceivers and systems-on-chip (SoCs). The product portfolio spans from legacy 3G to 5G, including: the MtCervin series of cellular IoT SoCs (MtCe501 dual-mode NB-IoT/GPRS SoC), cellular IoT transceivers (IRIS404), 3G HSPA transceivers (ACP201, ACP205, IRIS304), 4G LTE transceivers (IRIS412/423/424 supporting categories 4-12), and 5G enhanced mobile broadband transceivers. These products are designed for IoT applications, mobile broadband, and cellular infrastructure, featuring low-power consumption, small form factors, and support for multiple cellular standards and frequency bands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IRIS404 IoT RF Transceiver Cost-efficient and energy-conscious digital-interface RF transceiver for LTE MTC (machine-type communications), eMTC, and NB-IoT (narrow-band IoT), housed in a 6x6 mm BGA package. Supports LTE Rel-13 category 1bis, M1, and NB1/2, as well as low-cost WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, and GSM/EC-GSM-IoT platforms. Designed for OEMs building cellular IoT devices such as smart meters, asset trackers, industrial sensors, and wearables.
• MtCe501 Dual-Mode IoT SoC (MtCervin Series) Highly integrated dual-mode IoT system-on-chip supporting NB-IoT and GPRS/EC-GSM-IoT. Features 3GPP Rel-13 NB1 in all NB-IoT bands, quad-band GPRS up to class 12 and EC-GSM-IoT, A-GPS and Rel-14 OTDOA positioning, quad-core RISC-based processor, complete IoT protocol stacks including MQTT, CoAP, and LwM2M, JavaScript app support, AT command modem access, QSPI/UART/I2C/PWM/PDM/GPIO interfaces, and integrated power management, RTC, DCXO, and ADC. Designed for OEMs building battery-powered cellular IoT devices requiring multi-year battery life.
• ACP201 Multi-Band WCDMA RF CMOS Transceiver Multi-band WCDMA RF CMOS transceiver, the first in the industry to dispose of inter-stage SAW filters, enabling an unprecedented low PCB footprint. Designed for OEMs of 3G mobile devices and modules.
• ACP205 TD-SCDMA RF CMOS Transceiver TD-SCDMA RF CMOS transceiver that integrated receiver, transmitter, and analog baseband circuits in a single chip, transforming the Chinese 3G market in 2009. Designed for OEMs building TD-SCDMA mobile devices and modules for the Chinese market.
• IRIS304 Dual-Mode GGE/TD-HSPA RF Transceiver Dual-mode GSM/GPRS/EDGE and TD-SCDMA/HSPA RF transceiver in a 5x5 mm BGA package. First in the industry to require neither receive nor transmit SAW filters in TD-SCDMA mode, delivering a two-fold PCB footprint premium in modules and phones. Designed for OEMs of compact, cost-optimized dual-mode 2G/3G mobile devices.
• IRIS412 LTE Category 4 RF Transceiver Single-chip multi-mode 2G, WCDMA/HSPA, TD-SCDMA/HSPA, and LTE Category 4 RF transceiver. Enables a unique SAW-less configuration on many RF inputs and outputs to remove both the cost and loss of SAW filters. Exchanges digital I/Q samples and control messages with the BBIC via a DigRF v4 serial interface. Designed for OEMs building LTE Category 4 smartphones, mobile routers, and connected devices.
• IRIS423 LTE-Advanced Pro Category 10 RF Transceiver Single-chip carrier aggregation RF transceiver for LTE-Advanced Pro Category 10. Supports DC-HSPA and 5-mode 4G/3G/2G applications. RF inputs are common to primary and secondary receiver for small-footprint RF sub-system. Supports arbitrary inter-band and intra-band carrier aggregation. Designed for OEMs building LTE-Advanced Pro smartphones, mobile routers, and connected devices.
• IRIS424 LTE-Advanced Pro Category 12 RF Transceiver Single-chip carrier aggregation and MIMO RF transceiver for LTE-Advanced Pro Category 12. Supports all LTE frequency bands defined by 3GPP in the 0.45-6 GHz range, including 3.4-3.8 GHz bands and unlicensed bands at 5-6 GHz. Supports carrier aggregation and MIMO in both downlink and uplink. Designed for OEMs of gigabit-class LTE-Advanced Pro devices, C-V2X, and 5-mode applications.
• 5G Enhanced Mobile Broadband (EMB) RF Transceivers RF transceivers for 5G enhanced mobile broadband (EMB) delivering multi-Gbps fiber-like throughput. Supports 5G NR standardized in 3GPP Rel-15 and later, deployed at millimeter-wave frequencies (24-30 GHz) or sub-6 GHz range (n79 band: 3.3-4.2 GHz). With 200 MHz RF bandwidth, 4x4 MIMO spatial diversity, and 256-QAM modulation, enables approximately 4.6 Gbps data rate. Designed for OEMs building 5G smartphones, mobile hotspots, tablets, and fixed wireless access devices.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 10 years of battery life enabled by sub-3 µA deep sleep current consumption in IoT SoCs
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sequans CommunicationscoreOthersACP Advanced Circuit Pursuit AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sequans Communications (NYSE:SQNS), a leading semiconductor company specializing in wireless cellular technology for the Internet of Things (IoT). Sequans designs and develops innovative technologies powering the next generation of connected devices with LTE-M/NB-IoT, 4G LTE Cat 1bis, and 5G NR RedCap/eRedCap platforms. The acquisition of ACP by Sequans integrated ACP's RF transceiver expertise with Sequans' modem and protocol stack capabilities, creating a comprehensive cellular IoT chip solution. Sequans is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sequans Communications: ACP's parent company (NYSE:SQNS), Sequans designs LTE-M/NB-IoT/5G RedCap cellular chipsets. Sequans is directly comparable as the integrated platform into which ACP's RF transceiver IP is incorporated, and as a fellow cellular-IoT fabless chip vendor.
• Nordic Semiconductor: Fabless Nordic designs low-power cellular IoT SoCs (NB-IoT/LTE-M) with integrated transceivers, directly competing with ACP's MtCervin series for cellular IoT module sockets and design wins.
• Sony Semiconductor Israel (Altair): Cellular IoT chipset vendor (acquired from Altair Semiconductor) supplying NB-IoT/Cat-M integrated SoCs to module makers; competes with ACP's cellular IoT transceiver and SoC offerings in the same design-win pool.
• u-blox: Swiss-headquartered fabless supplier of cellular modules and chipsets for IoT, automotive, and industrial applications. Overlaps with ACP in NB-IoT/LTE-M module reference designs and is a comparable European cellular IoT semiconductor peer.

Broad incumbents

• Qualcomm: Dominant supplier of integrated cellular modem-to-transceiver platforms for smartphones, mobile broadband, and increasingly IoT. Qualcomm competes with ACP at the high end (5G EMB) and through its 4G/5G IoT chipsets at the low end.
• MediaTek: Broad incumbent in mobile chipsets and cellular modems, with growing presence in NB-IoT and 4G IoT platforms. Competes with ACP across smartphone, mobile broadband, and emerging IoT sockets.
• Skyworks Solutions: Major RF semiconductor supplier of power amplifiers, front-end modules, and transceivers for smartphones, IoT, and wireless infrastructure. Competes with ACP in cellular RF front-end content for high-volume mobile and IoT devices.
• Qorvo: Broad incumbent in RF components and integrated modules for mobile, infrastructure, and IoT. Competes with ACP across RF transceiver content for smartphones, IoT, and emerging 5G designs.
• Murata Electronics: Module giant incorporating cellular transceivers from multiple silicon sources into integrated IoT modules. Competes with ACP downstream via Murata's own module designs and competes for transceiver socket share within the module market.

Emerging players

• Sierra Wireless (Semtech): Sierra Wireless' cellular IoT module business was acquired by Semtech; the combined entity supplies LoRa plus cellular IoT modules, overlapping with ACP's cellular IoT customer base as both compete for OEM module selection.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acp-advanced-circuit-pursuit-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ACP Advanced Circuit Pursuit