Why choose NB-IoT when there are so many standards?

The need for communication is indispensable in our lives, and the operation of the Internet of Things also requires the use of communication technology. Currently, the most widely used Internet of Things communication standard in China is NB-IoT.

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From virtual to real

To explain NB-IoT, let's first understand the Internet of Things. In the past, we have experienced the rapid development of broadband, such as the original 1M broadband, to the current 100M or even 1G network speed, and the mobile network has come all the way from 2G, 3G, 4G, and is about to usher in the 5G era. The network has increased countless times compared to before, and there will be faster networks for us to use in the future.

So, in addition to fast Internet speed, are there other development directions? The answer is of course yes. Our Internet connects us to the global virtual network, and when these networks spread from the virtual world to the real world, the Internet of Things was born, which affects the real world from the virtual world.

The interconnection of all things is the ultimate goal of the Internet of Things and is also the future scene in many science fiction movies. Just imagine that when all cars are connected to each other, traffic accidents will be greatly reduced, and vehicles can automatically coordinate paths, distances, speeds, and even traffic lights will not be needed, and social efficiency will rise to several levels.

Of course, it is not limited to the Internet of Vehicles. The Internet of Things has a wide range of uses, covering environmental protection, government work, public safety, safe homes, smart fire protection, industrial monitoring, environmental monitoring, street lighting control, landscape lighting control, building lighting control, square lighting control, elderly care, personal health, flower cultivation, water system monitoring, food traceability, enemy reconnaissance and intelligence gathering and many other fields.

According to relevant statistics, the number of connected IoT devices in the world reached 15 billion in 2016, and is expected to reach 30 billion by 2020. In 2015, the global IoT market size was US$890 billion, and the scale of China's IoT industry was US$112.2 billion (about RMB 750 billion). It is expected that the global IoT market size will reach US$1.9 trillion in 2020, and the scale of China's IoT market will reach US$224.5 billion (about RMB 1.5 trillion).

Connectivity Technologies in the Internet of Things

Such a huge market has also attracted many companies to invest generously. As the connection technology of the Internet of Things, it has attracted the attention of many manufacturers. Major manufacturers have launched their own standards, hoping to gain a place in the future Internet of Things market.

The current mainstream IoT connection technology standards include NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things), eMTC (Enhanced Machine-Type Communication), LoRa (Long Range), and Sigfox (named after the French company that invented the standard), and NB-IoT is one of these standards.

The connection requirements of the Internet of Things are different from those of the communication networks we use in our daily lives. As the network continues to develop, our demand for network speed is increasing, and we can smoothly view various videos and pictures on the Internet. At the same time, we also require low power consumption, that is, low power consumption, so that we can meet our Internet needs for a long time.

For the Internet of Things, only two points are needed. Since most IoT devices have relatively simple functions, the network speed can be slow, but the connection must be stable and the use must be long-lasting. Secondly, if IoT devices are to be popularized, the cost must be low and the cost of connection must also be reduced so that most people can enjoy the benefits brought by the Internet of Things.

A network that meets this characteristic is called LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network), and all IoT connection technology standards are within this range.

Why choose NB-IoT

The current IoT technology standard promoted by my country is NB-IoT. Major operators have invested heavily in this standard, especially China Telecom, which has taken the lead in the application of NB-IoT in China. NB-IoT and eMTC are both international standards, while the other two are private standards.

The biggest difference between the two is the spectrum, which is also the most valuable asset of these IoT connection standards. Simply put, owning the spectrum is equivalent to owning a legal parking space, and LoRa and Sigfox are inherently insufficient in this regard.

In recent years, Huawei has been promoting NB-IoT, and together with Qualcomm, Vodafone and other internationally renowned companies, officially proposed the concept of NB-IoT in 2015. In addition to Huawei, many operators also favor NB-IoT.

Since NB-IoT is built by operators, unlike LoRa, which is built independently by enterprises, terminals that want to use NB-IoT must use the operator's NB-IoT network. In this case, operators are of course actively promoting NB-IoT.

More importantly, the government also strongly supports the development of NB-IoT, and the country has launched a number of relevant policies to support NB-IoT. For example, on June 16, 2017, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology officially released the "Notice on Comprehensively Promoting the Construction and Development of Mobile Internet of Things (NB-IoT)", which clearly stated that 14 measures will be taken to comprehensively promote the construction and development of NB-IoT, and by 2020, 1.5 million NB-IoT base stations will be built and more than 600 million NB-IoT connections will be developed.

With government support from above, active deployment by operators in the middle, and Huawei cheering for it from below, it is hard for NB-IoT not to be popular in China.

Advantages of NB-IoT

Currently, the NB-IoT standard has been frozen, and China has already entered the stage of large-scale commercial use. NB-IoT has four main features: wide coverage, low power consumption, large connections, and low cost.

• In terms of power consumption, NB-IoT sacrifices speed in exchange for lower power consumption. It adopts a simplified protocol and a more suitable design, which greatly improves the standby time of the terminal. For some NB terminals, the standby time is said to be up to 10 years.
• In terms of signal coverage, NB-IoT has better coverage capability (20dB gain), and even if the water meter is buried under the manhole cover, it will not affect signal reception and transmission.
• In terms of the number of connections, each cell can support 50,000 terminals. You can imagine what this means, considering that even Hengshui High School, known as the college entrance examination factory, has no more than 20,000 students.
• Cost is a major highlight of NB-IoT. The cost of communication modules is very low, and each module is expected to be less than 5 US dollars or even lower, which is conducive to large-scale purchase and use. According to Moore's Law, it can be concluded that within 40 months, the cost can be reduced to less than 1 US dollar.

However, due to the current maturity of the industry, the influence of NB-IoT has not yet been fully realized. Many IoT products consider how to add NB-IoT after design, while truly revolutionary technologies will take it into consideration from the beginning of product design.

So for now, NB-IoT is still in the dark stage before dawn. Although many people know that this technology has great prospects, it cannot immediately bring huge profits to practitioners in this field. In short, NB-IoT belongs to the technical infrastructure, and it requires enough patience.

summary

For many IoT practitioners, on the one hand, they need to continue to pay attention to NB-IoT, especially when key features appear. On the other hand, there is no need to deify NB-IoT. The IoT serves automation and customization. If corresponding needs arise and the cost is appropriate, it can be used. If it is not appropriate, it is also acceptable to wait.

China's choice of NB-IoT is now a foregone conclusion, and manufacturers in this environment must also see the trend in time. However, the rich application scenarios also mean that a single standard cannot dominate the world, and the future demand for the Internet of Things will develop in a diversified direction. In short, the future Internet of Things must have multiple technical standards coexisting, and there will be no monopoly by any one company.