NB-IoT Tutorial: Features, Spectrum, and Applications

This tutorial covers the basics of NB-IoT (NarrowBand Internet of Things), including its key features, frequency spectrum options, and various applications. We will also compare NB-IoT with earlier LTE versions like Cat-1, Cat-0, and Cat-M.

What is NB-IoT?

• NB-IoT stands for Narrowband-IoT.
• It is specified in LTE Release 13, succeeding LTE Cat-M (Release 12).
• NB-IoT is designed to meet the demands of LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) networks.
• It offers better geographical coverage than LTE-M while using lower data rates.
• This allows for extended battery life, potentially up to 10 years.
• NB-IoT devices use a narrow frequency spectrum with a bandwidth of 180 KHz to 200 KHz.

Features of NB-IoT

The following table summarizes the key features of NB-IoT (LTE Cat-NB):

NB-IoT Frequency Spectrum

Figure 1: NB-IoT Frequency Spectrum

Figure 1 illustrates the different frequency spectrum options supported by NB-IoT: Standalone, In-Band, and Guard Band.

• Standalone: This deployment type utilizes new, dedicated bandwidth.
• Guard Band: This uses bandwidth reserved in the guard band of an existing LTE network.
• In-Band: This uses the same RBs (resource blocks) within an existing LTE carrier.

NB-IoT Applications | NB-IoT Use Cases

Here are some typical use cases and applications for NB-IoT:

• Personal Use: Wearables, smart bicycles, tracking of children and the elderly.
• Public Use: Smart metering, alarms and event detectors, smart garbage bins.
• IoT Appliances: Refrigerators, temperature sensing smart devices.
• Industrial Use: Logistics tracking, asset tracking, smart agriculture.

Difference between NB-IoT (LTE Cat-NB), LTE Cat-1, LTE Cat-0, LTE Cat-M

The following table highlights the differences between NB-IoT and earlier LTE versions: