26.02.2019 by Pamela Buchwald

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Technology, benefits, applications: The Mobile IoT Guide has everything you need to know about NarrowBand IoT and the new wireless standard LTE-M packed into 24 informative pages.

Streetlights that can measure air quality; power meters that send their readings daily into the cloud; shipping boxes with labels that can be reprogrammed remotely: The diverse nature of applications for the Internet of Things requires specially tailored technology. That’s why Deutsche Telekom is promoting the new wireless standard LTE-M for mobile data transmission on its network alongside NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT). The new Mobile IoT Guide 2019 introduces both technologies.

While LTE is great for wireless applications requiring high transmission rates and low latency, NB-IoT has been specially conceived for IoT solutions transmitting small amounts of data. The space between the two technologies is now being filled by LTE-M, a so-called Mobile IoT standard that receives particular attention in the latest Mobile IoT Guide from Deutsche Telekom.

FOCUS ON LTE-M

LTE-M – the M stands for Machine-type communications and covers data transmission between machines, devices and vehicles. The wireless standard fulfills a diverse array of demands: Compared to LTE it provides better reachability inside building and lower energy consumption. At the same time, LTE-M has improved transmission latency and bandwidth capacity over NB-IoT. The wireless modules are as affordable to manufacture as those of NB-IoT devices, but they also provide wireless features like SMS. Accordingly, the three technologies complement each other perfectly to cover the entire IoT application spectrum (see image). 

For example, should a vehilcle need Internet access for multimedia streaming, constant network availability and high bandwidth are called for. LTE is the right choice for data transmission. But if a city wants to network thousands of streetlights with sensors, the wireless modules need to be affordable and energy efficient. NB-IoT is the way to go here. And LTE-M is ideal for transport monitoring across national borders with alarm functionality for vibrations and temperature swings: full mobility and plenty of bandwidth, but also long battery life and affordable hardware.

START-UP PROGRAMS FOR INNOVATIVE IOT SOLUTIONS

Deutsche Telekom has created special development programs for these new Mobile IoT standards. Over the past two years, start-ups and technology firms from across Europe have developed IoT solutions that transmit the data they collect via NB-IoT or LTE-M into the cloud. These use cases make up most of the Mobile IoT Guide. They show the breadth of both technologies, but also the areas of application in diverse sectors such as agriculture, transport, waste management, water supply and road works.

Examples of solutions created in the development program hub:raum include:

• an especially affordable freight tracker
• a GPS sensor that enables the tracking of stolen bicycles
• an early warning system for damage to streets and bridges
• a monitoring module for livestock
• a sensor system for drinking water supplies
• an armband that monitors the vital functions of newborns

TESTING BUILDING PENETRATION

The Mobile IoT Guide also has new test results showing that NB-IoT is the ideal technology for remote reading of intelligent water and power meters: For the first time ever, live testing has confirmed the special ability of an active NarrowBand-IoT network to connect to IoT devices hidden deep inside building basements.

nuSIM – THE INTEGRATED SIM FOR MOBILE IOT

Moreover, the Guide introduces the nuSIM, an improvement on the eSIM (embedded SIM). This integrated SIM chip is soldered directly onto the circuit board of an IoT device as it’s manufactured. Unlike an eSIM, the nuSIM is considerably cheaper and more energy efficient – optimal for Mobile IoT solutions.

The Mobile IoT Guide 2019 from Deutsche Telekom is now available for download: