Compare Cellular Bearer Services for IoT
| Technology | LoRa | NB-IoT (LTE Cat-M2) | LTE-M (LTE Cat-M1) | 4G (LTE-Cat 1-6) | 5G (LTE-Cat16) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Global Standards | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | Major MNO Support | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | Typical Connection Speed (Download / Upload) | Up to 0.05 Mbps | 0.07 Mbps/0.03 Mbps | Up to 1 Mbps | 10-100Mbps/5-50Mbps | 600 Mbps/120 Mbps |
 | Coverage (Decibel (dB) gain GSM) | +5dB GSM (Good for high density use) | +20dB GSM (Wide area & strong subterranean penetration) | +11dB GSM (Wide area & good subterranean penetration) | -4dB GSM | -28dB GSM |
 | Connection Frequency | Sometimes connected | Sometimes connected | Frequently Connected | Always Connected | Always Connected |
 | Mobility | Seamless connectivity within managed network | Handover between cells not supported | Seamless connectivity between cells | Seamless connectivity between cells | Seamless connectivity between cells |
 | Response Time | Medium | Slow ~1 sec | Medium ~100ms | Fast ~40ms | Immediate ~1ms |
 | Total Cost of Ownership | Deployment Specific | Low (low module costs and long device lifecycle) | Low (low module costs and long device lifecycle) | Med/High | High |
 | Power Efficiency | Very High (up to 10 year battery life) | Very High (up to 10 year battery life) | High (up to 7 year battery life) | Typically mains powered (Up to 1 year battery life) | Typically mains powered (Up to 1 year battery life) |
 | Power Saving Mode (PSM) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
 | Extended Sleep Cycle (eDRX) | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
 | International Roaming | n/a | ✓ May be restricted by some networks | ✓ May be restricted by some networks | ✓ May be restricted by some networks | ✓ May be restricted by some networks |
 | SMS | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | Two-way Voice | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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