How To Navigate Emerging LTE Technologies For IoT

As cellular carriers today cater to consumer demand for high- speed LTE connectivity, they are faced with the challenge of finding a network solution that will continue to support the growth of IoT as spectrum re-farming forces the shutdown of legacy 2G and 3G networks. The result: new low-power LTE technologies – Category NB1 (NB-IoT) and Category M1 (Cat-M1 or LTE-M) – that have been specifically designed and deployed for IoT.

NB-IoT vs. Cat-M1

Both NB-IoT and Cat-M1 leverage existing cellular networks, meaning devices on these technologies can easily be installed to current networks by leveraging existing cellular infrastructure. Cat-M1 is a lower power and lower bandwidth variant of LTE and still supports voice communications and full mobility. NB-IoT is the lowest power and lowest bandwidth variant, but does not support voice communication and has a slow cell tower handoff. This means that NB-IoT is not typically a suitable option for mobile applications that may require full mobility support with quick handoffs between cell towers. Common benefits of solutions deployed on LPWA LTE networks include...