LTE is the champion for smartphone service, but in the Internet of Things, it’s just starting to become a challenger.

On Tuesday, Sequans Communications announced what it called the first chip for LTE Category M, a variant of the global mobile standard that is tuned for low-power IoT gear like utility meters, factory sensors and wearables. The chip, called Monarch, will be ready to go into devices when Category M networks go live late this year or in early 2017, the company said.

IoT devices need a different kind of network from what phones and tablets use. No one’s firing up those IoT devices to watch HD video or play games, but no one’s plugging them in for recharging every night, either. They need slower connections that don’t drain the batteries, because they may be out in the field for 10 years.

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