What is NB-IoT – LPWAN, and why is there a separate network for IoT?

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The full form of NB IoT is the NarrowBand Internet of Things. NB IoT is the technology to extend a device’s battery life and deeper coverage. In IoT, the devices connect over the Internet. To use the Internet, a device uses SIM cards. A mobile phone is also an IoT device.

But the most critical issue is the battery life of the IoT devices. Suppose a company sells car tracking devices with only a few days of battery life. It will be impossible to sell the devices, and no one wants to charge or replace them each month.

To overcome the problem, GSMA standardized new technology called NB-IoT.  NB-IoT uses low-power wide-area network(LPWAN) technology.

What is LPWAN?

The low-power wide-area network(LPWAN) is a new radio type that provides low data transfer speed and wide coverage. Due to its lower speed, it gives a longer battery life. It is estimated that billions of devices will be connected to the NB-IoT within a few years. So LPWAN is a suitable network for IoT devices. The new RAT type provides more extended DRX and Paging Time Window timers than EUTRAN and other RAT Types.