As IoT steps foot in the world of technology, we have observed that it is proving to be quite a revolutionary phase. Traditional telecommunication providers are also witnessing small startups skyrocketing to new heights because of adapting to these new technologies and driving automation and digitalization to unprecedented levels. These monumental changes are being made to numerous industries by IoT, and established powerhouses are taking notice. Choosing the right technology for your needs remains critical as companies respond to this revolution with new and innovative IoT applications. According to reports, the number of cellular IoT connections will rapidly expand from 1 billion to 4.1 billion in 2024
NB-IoT vs LTE-M
• To be specific, NB-IoT & LTE-M are the most common technologies used today. NB-IoT is deployed in both 2G & 3G networks & LTE-M can specifically for 4G. Both have proven valuable and reliable in real-world IoT situations, which has led many telecommunication companies worldwide to install at least one of these technologies or plan to shortly. Research shows that 47 LTE-M and 98 NB-IoT networks are active worldwide as of November 2020. [2]
• For a more detailed understanding let’s dig deeper,
Let’s M IoTabouttalkNB-vsLTE-
What is NB- IoT? • As the name suggests, Narrowband IoT uses a single narrowing of radio frequencies to help lower power consumption at the cost of available bandwidth. According to the LTE standard, it has a maximum bandwidth of 200kHz. • The following are some NB-IoT applications, • Smart Cities • Smart Buildings • Smart Farming • Waste management • Manufacturing automation
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applications, • Asset Tracking • Wearables • E-health solution • Low-density sensors
• The following are some
What is LTE-M? LTE-M specifically refers to LTE CAT-M1, suitable for the IoT. It’s a low-power wide-area technology that supports IoT through lower device complexity. The device connects directly to a 4G network without a gateway and uses only batteries. Note that the term LTEM refers to only the addition of LTE to 4G technology, not that every 4G device supports LTE-M automatically. LTE-M
Comparison Between Both Technologies
Conclusion
• For example, smart city applications, and waste management, where sensors report how full a city dumpster is. No one’s some wizard, so it’s impossible to predict which LPWAN technology will work out the best. But looking at current statistics, both LTE-M and NB-IoT can have clear uses in certain situations.
• IoT offers you a variety of possibilities, technologies, and solutions, so if you’re still unsure which option best suits your application. Whether you go with an LTE-M or NB-IoT solution doesn’t matter until it’s up to your IoT needs. There might be situations where you might end up needing both technologies.