Low-power wide-area networking (LPWAN) is an IoT communications technology that enables small data transfers over long distances with minimal power consumption. To do this, it leverages the natural qualities of low-frequency radio communications, which require low power to be produced, travel over extended distances, and propagate through obstructions such as buildings and other terrestrial obstacles. Because the data transfers supported by LPWAN are small, it is limited to applications such as sensors and trackers, rather than enabling applications such as video streaming or connected automobiles.
LPWAN providers offer network-as-a-service IoT connectivity solutions, managing the network stack on the customer’s behalf and providing widespread geographical coverage. As long as the provider has coverage within the required areas, a customer deploying an IoT solution would only need to purchase suitable connected devices and onboard them onto the provider’s network. The LPWAN provider will supply customers with a portal that reports on the data collected by the sensors as well as the option to forward the sensor data to the customer’s applications or cloud environments.
LPWANs can operate in either the licensed or unlicensed spectrum. To communicate in the licensed frequencies, network providers need to have purchased the right from the relevant telecommunications regulator, which is typically expensive and poses a high entry barrier, so is almost exclusively available to large mobile network operators (MNOs).
For this report, we are looking at LPWAN providers in the unlicensed spectrum, who operate in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) frequency bands that can be used by anybody without the need to purchase spectrum licenses.
LPWAN connectivity is suitable for applications with the following requirements:
- Long-range (5-10 km / 3-6 miles) wireless connectivity from device to gateway
- Low-power consumption, device battery life lasting up to ten years
- Terrain and building penetration to circumvent line-of-sight issues
- Low operational costs (device management or connection subscription cost)
- Small data transfers of up to ~20kbps
- Device location tracking
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