Telecom network major Ericsson and chipset giant Qualcomm Technologies have conducted device testing of data communications on Cat M1 with the MDM9206 modem to support LTE Cat-M1 for Internet of Things (IoT) applications and services.
Ericsson conducted interoperability testing of Qualcomm Technologies’ MDM9206 modem at the Ericsson headquarters in Sweden in the presence of executives from Australian telecom operator Telstra – on 700 MHz band.
Key features of Cat-M1 LTE
# Extended coverage with better link budget (up to 15 dB, compared to Cat-1) allowing LTE signals to penetrate through more walls and floors to reach devices deployed indoors or in remote locations
# Up to 10 years of battery life for typical delay-tolerant, low-throughput applications utilizing Power Save Mode and Extended DRX
# Lower complexity and cost due to single antenna and half duplex operation, up to 375 kbps
Global telecom industry is considering Cat-M1 as a significant step forward, towards delivering cellular-based IoT capabilities.
Cat-M1 will deliver both longer battery life and extended depth of coverage benefits that will be further complemented with the expected arrival of Narrowband IoT (Cat-NB1) devices later next year, along with a progression toward the reduced module costs.
“Telstra expects its enterprise customers will greatly benefit from the productivity benefits Cat-M1, and later Cat-NB1, will support and looks forward to connecting a huge range of new and innovative IoT-enabled devices on the Telstra network,” said Mike Wright, group managing director Networks, Telstra.
Ericsson Networks Software 17A harnesses a combination of software features to deliver extended coverage, lower device cost relative to Mobile Broadband devices, and overall lower power consumption.
“Cat-M1 will enable operators to drive new opportunities in the fast-emerging IoT market, which Ericsson believes is a key component of the Networked Society,” said Thomas Noren, head of Product Area Network Products, Ericsson.
Qualcomm Technologies MDM9206 modem is designed to support LTE category M1, upgradeable to LTE M1+ NB-1 dual mode with an anticipated upcoming software update. The category M1 and NB-1 LTE modes designed in the MDM9206 modem bring many enhancements and optimizations to LTE that will help reduce IoT device complexity.
Ericsson says it has delivered more than 270 LTE RAN and Evolved Packet Core networks worldwide, of which 200 are live commercially.
