LTE-M or LTE-MTC ("

Long-Term Evolution In telecommunications, long-term evolution (LTE) is a standard for wireless broadband communication for cellular mobile devices and data terminals. It is considered to be a "transitional" 4G technology, and is therefore also referred to as 3 ...

Machine Type Communication") is a type of low-power wide-area network

radio communication Radio is the technology of telecommunication, communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transm ...

technology standard developed by

3GPP The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is an umbrella term for a number of standards organizations which develop protocols for mobile telecommunications. Its best known work is the development and maintenance of: * GSM and related 2G and ...

for machine-to-machine and

Internet of Things Internet of things (IoT) describes devices with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communication networks. The IoT encompasse ...

(IoT) applications. LTE-M includes eMTC ("enhanced Machine Type Communication"), also known as LTE Cat-M1, whose specification was frozen in June 2016 as part of 3GPP Release 13 ( LTE Advanced Pro), as well as LTE Cat-M2. Competing 3GPP IoT technologies include NB-IoT and EC-GSM-IoT. The advantage of LTE-M over NB-IoT is its comparatively higher data rate, mobility, and voice over the network, but it requires more bandwidth, is more costly, and cannot be put into

guard band In telecommunications, a guard band is a narrow, intentionally unused frequency band that is placed between adjacent frequency bands to minimize interference between them. It is used in frequency-division multiplexing. Guard bands exist in both ...

portion of the

frequency band Spectral bands are regions of a given spectrum, having a specific range of wavelengths or frequencies. Most often, it refers to electromagnetic bands, regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. More generally, spectral bands may also be means in ...

for now. Compared to LTE Release 12 Cat-0 modem, an LTE-M model is claimed to be 80% less expensive (in terms of the bill of materials), support up to 18 dB better coverage, and a battery lifetime that can last up to several years. In March 2019, the Global Mobile Suppliers Association reported that over 100 operators had deployed/launched either NB-IoT or LTE-M networks.

3GPP Narrowband Cellular Standards

Deployments

As of March 2019 the Global Mobile Suppliers Association had identified: * 60 operators in 35 countries investing in LTE-M networks * 34 of those operators in 24 countries had deployed/launched their networks As of February 2022,

GSMA The GSM Association (GSMA) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit trade association that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide. More than 750 mobile operators are full GSMA members and a further 400 companies in the bro ...

had listed LTE-M as being launched on 60 commercial networks.

References

External links

Standards for the IoT
{{network-stub Internet of things LTE (telecommunication) Mobile technology

3GPP Narrowband Cellular Standards

Deployments

See also

References

External links