An efficient, cost effective technology for a wide range of IoT solutions and applications
What is NB-IoT?
Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) is a low power wide area network (LPWAN) technology. NB-IoT has been developed to enable efficient communication, long battery life for mass distributed devices and lower costs for wide geographical footprints or deep within urban infrastructure.
Key Features of NB-IoT Technology
Secured
LTE grade security as standard, keeping your data and network safe
Open Standards
NB-IoT is based on open standards which means it is not vendor or operator dependent
Industry Support
Wide industry support from services provides through to chipset makers
Two-Way
Bi-directional communication
Licensed Spectrum
Operates in a licensed spectrum and provides assured quality of service with minimal risk of interference
64dB Propagation
Deepest and furthest reach of any LPWAN (Lower Power Wide Area Networks)
Why NB-IoT?
NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT) is a specification developed by 3GPP and it was standardised as part of the 3GPP Released 13 in June 2016. NB-IoT is an industrial grade LPWAN solution, running on licensed spectrum which provides guaranteed quality of service and future-proofed capability.
NB-IoT is very flexible and can operate in 2G, 3G and 4G band. It eliminates the need for a gateway, which saves cost in the long run. It is characterised by improved indoor coverage, support of a massive number of low throughput devices, low delay sensitivity, low device power consumption, optimised network architecture, and it is ultra-cost efficient.
How is NB-IoT Compared with LoRa and Sigfox?
LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) is designed to deliver the greatest coverage for the lowest power consumption, and at the lowest cost, while still maintaining sufficient real-world data throughput. We have compared NB-IoT against LoRa and Sigfox in all different areas.
(Fig 1. NB-IoT – from R1-157741, Summary of NB-IoT evaluations results, 3GPP RAN1#83, Nov 2015. Sigfox, and LoRa – from LoRaWAN: a technical overview of LoRa and LoRaWAN, LoRa Alliance, Nov 2015.)
Deeper Coverage in Challenging Deployments
LPWA deployments often involve devices being installed across a large area in less than ideal spots for a strong radio signal. Devices may be installed underground, deep within buildings, or in rural areas far from the nearest mast. NB-IoT offers deeper coverage than alternative LPWA technologies, and compared to conventional GSM/GPRS, a huge 20dB advantage, which equates to a sevenfold increase in coverage.
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