With the retirement of 2G and 3G inevitable, the IoT industry is going through a transition period that is seeing it migrate to new forms of network connectivity. A wide and sometimes bewildering range of choices are available but LTE Cat-1, thanks to its performance, cost and ubiquity is set to become a champion, adopted by increasing numbers of organizations to power their IoT deployments. In this article, Delbert Sun, the vice general manager of Quectel Wireless Solutions demystifies why LTE Cat-1 is proving so popular.

为什么LTE answ cat 1有更多ers more of the time for IoT connectivity

物联网行业越来越多的比例正在寻找一种多合一的解决方案，该解决方案提供了出色，可靠和安全的覆盖范围，同时还提供了成本优势，最佳的关税和全球覆盖范围，以使LTE（VOLTE）漫游和声音。LTE类别1（LTE CAT-1或仅CAT-1）汇集了所有这些属性，这使其成为物联网必不可少的连接技术。

IoT is a vast market with very broad use cases and this means there is no superior or prevalent connectivity. Different applications might use different technology for various reasons. 2G is still very attractive in developing countries because of its ubiquity but it is unsuitable in North America because the technology is being retired.

One size doesn’t fit all but many applications have similar requirements and CAT-1 attributes are proving popular. Analyst Firm, Berg Insight, for example, has estimated that 28 million CAT-1 modules were sold in 2018 and has forecast that module shipments in 2020 will exceed 55 million units worldwide. ABI Research forecasts that shipments will continue to grow and will exceed 212 million pieces in 2023.

These positive forecasts are likely to be adjusted because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it’s clear that CAT-1 will play a vital role in connecting devices in upcoming years, especially as uptake is led by fast-growing markets such as China and India.

为什么选择CAT-1
CAT-1支持最大下行链路速率为10Mbps的端子，上行链路速率为5Mbps。CAT-1还可以支持全双工框架分区双工/时间划分双工（FDD/ TDD）模式，以及LTE（VOLTE）的语音。这些属性将其与替代方案区分开来：

CAT-1与NB-iot
移动网络运营商和原始设计制造商已广泛采用窄带iot（NB-iot），因为它提供了改进的室内覆盖范围，支持大量用于物联网的低吞吐量网络，具有高灵敏度，超低设备成本，低功耗，较低的功耗消耗量，以及优化的网络体系结构。

NB-IoT is suitable for smart metering, smoke sensors, and other similar applications, where CAT-1 is viewed as overkill. All these applications are stationary or require basic low-speed mobility. For these reasons, NB-IoT is not generally considered to be a direct competitor of CAT-1.

CAT-1 vs. CAT M1
CAT M1, also known as LTE-Machine-to-Machine, low-cost machine-type communication (MTC) or LTE-enhanced MTC (eMTC) was defined to be a native part of 5G in 3GPP Release 16. CAT M1 aims to meet the needs of IoT devices based on the existing LTE carriers. eMTC supports peak data rates of 1Mbps for uplink and downlink.

There are some differences on VoLTE between CAT-1 and CAT M1. As already stated, CAT-1 can fully support VoLTE at its high bandwidth but, due to the fact that CAT M1 belongs to the narrow bandwidth category, it cannot provide the best user experience.

关键的项目是蜂窝网络准备就绪。CAT-1在LTE中被认为是本地的，而CAT-M1必须由移动网络运营商（MNO）作为附加组件购买。CAT 1不需要基站的软件和硬件升级，因此没有网络覆盖成本。

NextCAT-1 vs. CAT-4

CAT-1 vs. CAT-4
两个网络之间的主要区别在于，CAT-4的重点是高数据速率市场，而CAT-1适合中利率市场。CAT-4的最大下载率为150Mbps，上行链路速率为50 Mbps。但是，3GPP的版本13定义了CAT-1 BIS标准，该标准允许CAT-1设备使用单个天线，与CAT-4相比，这可以节省成本。中国和美国的运营商已经在该领域的CAT-1 BIS网络进行了试验，Quectel计划支持CAT-1 BIS标准。

CAT-1和CAT-4都使用相同的网络，因此移动网络运营商方面没有额外的部署费用。由于LTE已经开发了几年，因此该网络相对成熟。此外，由于规模经济和技术进步在设计和生产低成本CAT-1平台方面的发展和技术进步，将对CAT-1的运输产生重大积极影响。

用例
预计CAT-1将在全球范围内成为最佳的物联网解决方案，因为它已经在智能电网，跟踪，无线付款和便携式电池等用例中证明了自己，仅举几个应用程序区域已经连接了。

In addition, new use cases will appear in the near future, such as cloud-based cameras, push-to-talk over cellular, VoLTE and smart wearables. The blend of coverage, cost, ubiquity and familiarity remains CAT-1’s greatest attraction and is likely to see continued widespread adoption as device numbers grow from millions to billions.

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