There are a number of cellular technologies used in low powered use cases. The most commonly used are narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and LTE-M but in recent years, Cat1-bis has also been mentioned in this conversation despite it not being a LPWAN-technology (low-power wide area network), with features such as eDRX (extended Discontinuous Reception) and PSM (Power Saving Mode). All these technologies make use of a single antenna, reducing costs as well as size of units.

Which technology that will suit your deployment best is based on a number of factors including:

• Where will you deploy your fleet? Are LPWAN technologies like NB-IoT and LTE-M available?
• What battery life is needed to make the application viable?
• Will the device move, use voice-services or need firmware updates?
• What will be the total cost of ownership for various options?

Comparison of IoT Connectivity Technologies

Feature	NB-IoT NB1	NB-IoT NB2	LTE Cat-M1	LTE Cat-1 bis
Downlink data rate	Up to 26 kbit/s	Up to 127 kbit/s	Up to 1 Mbit/s	Up to 10 Mbit/s
Uplink data rate	Up to 62 kbit/s	Up to 159 kbit/s	Up to 1 Mbit/s	Up to 5 Mbit/s
Latency (typical)	~1,500–10,000ms	~1,000–5,000ms	~50–150ms	~30–100ms
Mobility	Stationary	Limited	Full mobility	Full mobility
Voice	Not supported	Not supported	Supported	Supported
Video	Not supported	Not supported	Very limited	Supported
FOTA	Technically supported but limited by data rate	Technically supported but limited by data rate	Yes	Yes
eDRX (extended Discontinuous Reception)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Limited, rarely supported
PSM (Power Saving Mode)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Limited, rarely supported
Power consumption (typical)	PSM: ~3–10 µA Transmit peak current: ~200–250 mA	PSM: ~3–10 µA Transmit peak current: ~250–300 m	PSM: ~5–15 µA Transmit peak current: ~300–400 mA	Idle: ~10–30 mA Transmit peak current: ~500–700 mA
Battery life	Up to 10 years dependent on usage	Up to 10 years dependent on usage	Up to 10 years dependent on usage	Months to few years
Typical use cases	Static sensors, meters	Static sensors, meters (more data)	Trackers, alarms, wearables	Gateways, POS, routers

Many modules support both the use of NB-IoT and LTE-M. NB-IoT only modules often have the lowest costs. But the most common is to use modules that make use of both technologies. These are normally slightly more expensive. For LTE Cat1-bis modules usually come with a higher price tag.

However, hardware is usually not the main cost driver for these kinds of deployments. And connectivity is usually not the cost driver for low date use cases, where data costs often is only a few percent of total costs. Rather it is operational costs, including for example battery swaps or troubleshooting that drives the cost of the deployment, usually around 60-70% of the total cost. Having a stable and secure setup with access to your devices from a distance, while minimizing the need for costly battery swaps are keys to making these kinds of deployments viable.

Having a connectivity partner with an extensive roaming network for both NB-IoT and LTE-M facilitates the deployment and enables the use of these energy saving technologies. Tele2 IoT has large and growing number of NB-IoT and LTE-M networks available for our partners enabling them to scale their LPWAN deployments on multiple continents. See the full Tele2 IoT coverage map.

Not sure which solution fits your use case? Connect with an IoT expert to learn how we can support your deployment!