Compare Cellular Bearer Services for IoT
| Technology | LoRa | NB-IoT (LTE Cat-NB1/2) | LTE-M (LTE Cat-M) | 4G (LTE Cat-1 BIS) | 4G (LTE Cat-1) | High Performance 4G (LTE Cat-4/6) | 5G (LTE Cat-16) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Global Standards | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | Major MNO Support | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | Typical Connection Speed (Up/Down) | Up to 0.05 Mbps | 0.07Mbps/0.03 Mbps | Up to 1 Mbps | 10Mbps/5Mbps | 10Mbps/5Mbps | 100Mbps/50Mbps | Up to 1Gbps/120Mbps |
 | Number of Antennas | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
 | Deployment Scenarios | Stationary (good for indoor and underground) | Stationary (good for indoor and underground) | Stationary (good for indoor and underground) | Mobile/Stationary | Mobile/Stationary | Mobile/Stationary | Mobile/Stationary |
 | International Availability & Roaming | n/a | Limited | Limited | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | Data transfer frequency | Intermittent | Intermittent | Frequent | Frequent | Frequent | Always On | Always On |
 | Response Time (Latency) | Medium | Slow ~1 sec | Medium ~100ms | Fast 40ms | Fast 40ms | Fast 40ms | Ultra Fast ~1ms |
 | Mobility | ✗ | Handover between cells not supported | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | Total Cost of Ownership | Deployment Specific (might have to deploy and manage gateways) | Deployment Specific (low for local, medium for international) | Deployment Specific (low for local, medium for international) | Low | Low-Medium | Medium | Medium |
 | Power Source | Battery, Solar | Battery, Solar | Battery, Solar | Battery, Rechargeable Battery or Mains | Battery, Rechargeable Battery or Mains | Mains | Mains |
 | Battery Life | 5-10 years battery life | 5-10 years battery life | 5-10 years battery life | up to 5 years | up to 3 years | 1 year | <1 year |
 | Power Saving Mode (PSM) | ✓ | ✓ although not always available when roaming | ✓ although not always available when roaming | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
 | Extended Sleep Cycle (eDRX) | ✗ | ✓ although not always available when roaming | ✓ although not always available when roaming | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
 | SMS | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | Two-way Voice | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | eSIM(eUICC) Compatible | n/a | ✓although not in sleep mode | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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