Cellular LPWA networks like LTE-M and NB-IoT provide significant improvements over previous cellular technologies in three key areas: consumption, coverage, and cost. Consumption is reduced 100x through power saving modes, extended discontinuous reception, and radio signaling optimizations. Coverage is increased 5-10x using techniques like repetitions with hybrid automatic repeat request and frequency hopping. Cost is reduced 50% through a 75% reduction in complexity, tighter integration, and economies of scale. These networks are available now globally through modules and devices from Sierra Wireless.

1. Cellular LPWA and
Nicolas Damour
Director, Technology Partnership Development
IoT Academy Meetup, September 27th 2018, Rotterdam - ndamour@sierrawireless.com

2. 2
Sierra Wireless – Comprehensive Global IoT Offering
IoT Devices IoT PlatformIoT Connectivity

3. 3
Mobile IoT – Cellular LPWA is available NOW
Consumption Coverage Cost
Global Durable Trusted
2016: HL77xx First LTE-M modules worldwide
2017: WP77xx LTE-M+NB-IoT (+2G) smart modules
2018: HL78xx 2nd gen. LTE-M/NB-IoT/2G modules
2018: LX60 Integrated LTE-M/NB-IoT routers
All available now
$
375/300 kbps
Low latency - Mobile
60/20 kbps
Med latency - Stationary

4. 4
Global
Service
PLUS all the benefits of cellularCellular LPWA – Mobile IoT
Trusted
Ecosystem
Durable
Investment
The 3 C’s of Cellular LPWA - Mobile IoT
C
CONSUMPTION
100x lower power than 4G LTE
10+ years battery life
C
COVERAGE
5-10x greater than 4G LTE
164dB of Link Budget
C
COST
50% reduction from 4G LTE
Think 2G or Bluetooth, plus lower TCO
$

5. How to achieve the three C‘s
C
CONSUMPTION
100x lower power than 4G LTE
10+ years battery life
C
COVERAGE
5-10x greater than 4G LTE
164dB of Link Budget
Repetitions with HARQ
Frequency Hopping
Improved algorithms
C
COST
50% reduction from 4G LTE
Think 2G or Bluetooth, plus lower TCO
$
How?The 3 C's of LPWA
Power Saving Mode
Extended Discontinuous
Reception
Radio Signaling Optimizations
75% Complexity Reduction
Tighter Integration
Economies of Scale

6. Coverage Enhancement
C
CONSUMPTION
100x lower power than 4G LTE
10+ years battery life
C
COVERAGE
5-10x greater than 4G LTE
164dB of Link Budget
Repetitions with HARQ
Frequency Hopping
Improved algorithms
C
COST
50% reduction from 4G LTE
Think 2G or Bluetooth, plus lower TCO
$
How?The 3 C's of LPWA
Power Saving Mode
Extended Discontinuous
Reception
Radio Signaling Optimizations
75% Complexity Reduction
Tighter Integration
Economies of Scale
See also https://www.sierrawireless.com/resources/white-paper/coverage-analysis-lte-m-cat-m1/

7. Coverage Enhancement Techniques
1. Repetition w/HARQ (hybrid automatic repeat request)
2. Frequency Hopping (LTE-M only)
3. Frequency Selective Scheduling (LTE-M only)
4. Downlink Power Spectral Density (PSD) Boosting
5. Improve time/frequency/channel estimation
– Redundancy version cycling
– Improved scrambling methods
Narrow band or Sub-PRB (used by NB-IOT and LTE-M in Rel15)
is NOT a coverage technique
it mainly increases UL spectral efficiency

8. Target Maximum Coupling Loss – or Link Budget
LoRa Link Budget: 157dB
Targets for LTE-M and NB-IOT (based on different hypothesis):
• NB-IOT target for MCL was 164dB based on:
– Realistic NF (noise figure) of 3dB
– Device PA (power amplifier) of 23dB
• LTE-M target for MCL was 155.7dB based on:
– Conservative NF of 5dB
– Device PA of 20dBm
• LTE-M target for MCL was 160.7dB
– based on NB-IOT implementation assumptions
KEY TAKEAWAY
1. Targets were exceeded
2. LTE-M and NB-IOT
both provide 164dB MCL:
+20dB gain compared to 4G
See also https://www.sierrawireless.com/resources/white-paper/coverage-analysis-lte-m-cat-m1/

9. 9
Coverage Mode A/B (for LTE-M)
*Coverage Mode B: Firmware upgrade to devices and
software upgrade to network
LTE-M
Channel
Mode A
Repeats
Mode B
Repeats
PSS/SSS 1 1
PBCH 1 4
MPDCCH 16 256
PDSCH 32 2048
PUSCH 32 2048
PUCCH 8 32
PRACH 32 128
Mode A Mode B*
Repeats** Limited
Maximum repeats
supported
Mobility Full Limited (no voice)
Coverage
Improvement
+ 10-12dB + 20dB
Device Support Mandatory Optional
Availability 2017 End of 2019
**Number of repeats available
depends on the channel

10. MCL and Range study from Telstra, Ericsson
• This study is showing what is possible in an extreme rural setting
– Mountain top
– Line of sight
– Range 160km
• In a city, expect:
– In-building loss +10-30 dB
– Range of 10-15km
* Source: R1-166599 Telstra, Ericsson
164dB targetCoverage today
Theoretical
Free SpaceActual measurement
data from Telstra study

11. 11
LTE-M Simulation on Coverage Enhancement
KEY TAKEAWAY
• Similar performance
for NB-IOT
• Repeats reduce the
data rate
• Repeats reduce
spectral efficiency
(Sub-PRB can help)10
100
1000
10000
100000
142 146 150 154 158 162 166 170
DataRate(bps)
MCL (dB)
Downlink Data
Uplink Data
Normal
Coverage Extended Coverage Region
~Out of Coverage
Region

12. Power Efficient Operation
C
CONSUMPTION
100x lower power than 4G LTE
10+ years battery life
C
COVERAGE
5-10x greater than 4G LTE
164dB of Link Budget
Repetitions with HARQ
Frequency Hopping
Improved algorithms
C
COST
50% reduction from 4G LTE
Think 2G or Bluetooth, plus lower TCO
$
How?The 3 C's of LPWA
Power Saving Mode
Extended Discontinuous
Reception
Radio Signaling Optimizations
75% Complexity Reduction
Tighter Integration
Economies of Scale

13. 13
Power Saving Methods for LTE-M/NB-IOT/EC-GSM
power consumption is reduced in devices via the use of methods:3
Flexible Sleep
(eDRX)
PSM
(Power Saving Mode)
Radio Signalling Opt.
(not available for EC-GSM)
Reduces all core
networking layer
signaling overhead
what does it do?
technology used
PSM – Power Save Mode
CA – Q2’17
Reduces 50-75% of Radio
Resource signaling
overhead
what does it do?
technology used
Control Plane Optimization
CA Q2’17
User Plane Optimization
CA H1’18
Application controlled
Sleep between
Paging Opportunity
what does it do?
technology used
I-eDRX/C-eDRX
Q4’17
OFFLINE SCENARIO
ONLINE SCENARIO

14. 14
Offline Scenario
illustration shown for HL78CAT-M1
system acquisition
PowerConsumption
boot
networksignalling
registration
0 seconds5 10 15 20 25
C-DRX (2mA)
the application
data being sent
de-registration
Modem Off
Leakage
Current
~1μA
RRC connect Offline Scenario
Infrequent e.g. > 1 Hr
device originated traffic
- Best power consumption
- Cannot receive data most
of the time, except only
during C-DRX Period
Modem Off
radioresourcesignalling

15. 15
Power Saving Mode - Offline Scenario
illustration shown for HL78CAT-M1
system acquisition
PowerConsumption
RRC connect
0 seconds5 10 15 20 25
the application
data being sent
1 PSM (up to 413 days)
2 Radio Signalling Opt.
Power Saving Techniques:
4 Faster Boot
3 Flexible Sleep C-eDRX
(up to 10 sec)
PSM
C-eDRX (0.5mA)
Leakage
Current
~1μA
Modem Off
boot
PSM

16. 16
Offline Performance
Legacy Arch New Arch
Boot
SystemAcquisition
Registration
ApplicationData
C-DRX
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28
Time (sec)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
Current(mA)
C-eDRX
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Time (sec)
0
20
40
Current
(mA)
• >35X reduction in power
• Lower PA power and lower Idle mode current
• New Arch coming in WP78 and HL78

17. 17
PSM Details
• T3412 is Extended Value – PSM Mode
• T3324 is Idle mode time
• Needed for MT data e.g. SMS
• Initially requested via Attach Request
• Accepted times are returned in Attach Accept
• Updates in TAU Request/Accept
• Modem must transmit at least a TUA every PSM cycle
• Practical minimum PSM Cycle is ~ 30min
• Maximum PSM Cycle (413 days)
• AT+CPSMS=[<mode>[,<Requested_Periodic-
TAU>[,<Requested_Active-Time>]

18. 18
Offline Performance
Legacy Arch New Arch
Boot
SystemAcquisition
Registration
ApplicationData
C-DRX
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28
Time (sec)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
Current(mA)
C-eDRX
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Time (sec)
0
20
40
Current
(mA)
• >35X reduction in power
• Lower PA power and lower Idle mode current
• New Arch coming in WP78 and HL78
• all three power saving techniques are used but
PSM is the most important
• 87% of signalling overhead has been removed
• implementation matters!! especially boot time!
• 35X reduction in power

19. 19
Device wakes up every 2.5 seconds
Online Scenario
illustration shown for HL78CAT-M1
power
I-DRX
power
C-DRX (2mA)I-DRX
RRC connect
the application
data being
received Sleep
Current
~1mA
Page received
Online Scenario
Device remains “online”
allowing both device
originated (transmit) and/or
terminated (receive) traffic

20. 20
Device wakes up every 5sec to 44min/175min
longer sleep times
let me get into
a deeper sleep state
(1mA to 10µA)
I want to sleep for 1
minute instead of
2.5 seconds
OK!
Extended DRX - Online Scenario
illustration shown for HL78CAT-M1
1
Flexible Sleep
I-eDRX (up to 44/175min)
2
Radio Signalling
Opt. (75% Reduction)
Power Saving Techniques:
3
Flexible Sleep
C-eDRX (up to 10 sec)
powerpower
I-eDRX
I-eDRX
RRC connect
the application
data being
received
C-eDRX (0.5mA)
Page received
Sleep
Current
~10μA

21. 21
eDRX Details
• TeDRX requested by device but network can override it set by network
• TeDRX maximum Was 2.56 sec now – 44 min LTE-M and 175min NB-IOT
• TDRX requested by UE/Application 320ms to 10sec
• TPTW – paging transmission window – selected by network for reliability
• C-eCRX works similar to I-eDRX – but no TPTW and max TDRX is 10 sec
• UE requests parameters during attach procedure and TAU procedure – same as PSM
• UE Reachability Event in SCEF can be used by cloud applications
• At+CEDRXS==[<mode>,[,<AcT-type>[,<Requested_eDRX_value>]]]
TeDRX
TPTW
TDRX TDRX
TeDRX
TPTW
TeDRX
TPTW
TDRX TDRX TDRX TDRX
Idle mode Extended Discontinuous Reception (I-eDRX)

22. 22
I-DRX
Online Scenario Comparison
Legacy
powerpower
C-DRX (2mA)I-DRX
New
power
C-eDRX (0.5 mA)
I-eDRX
power
I-eDRX

23. 23
I-DRX
Online Scenario Comparison
Legacy
powerpower
C-DRX (2mA)I-DRX
New
power
C-eDRX (0.5 mA)
I-eDRX
power
I-eDRX
• the flexible sleep mechanism is the most important
• 100X idle mode current reduction with 80s I-eDRX

24. 24
Online
Use Case Power Comparison
Sending messages of 1000bits using a battery of 2.5AH with typical coverage of 0 dBm TX power
Legacy
(Cat-1)
New Arch
(LTE-M/NB-IOT)
Offline
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
BatteryLife/years
Messages per Day
0
5
10
15
20
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
BatteryLife/years
Messages per Day
HL76xx (Cat-1) obscured by WP77xx
81sec I-eDRX

25. Power consumption benchmark
Item HL7800
Q Based
module
S Based
module
NBIoT Only
module
Notes
PSM floor current <3µA 9µA 3µA Best low floor consumption available on the market
E-DRX floor current
<80µA
<30µA (*)
0.750mA
0.120mA
Best low floor consumption available on the market
I-DRX (2.56s)
1.5mA
<0.70mA (*)
2mA 4mA
E-DRX (20.48s)
<0.175mA
<0.056mA (*)
0.750mA
E-DRX (81.92s)
<0.080mA
<0.040mA (*)
0.750mA 0.120mA
PSM Cycle Energy with Data <200mA*sec
<90mA*sec (*)
<600mA*sec
Peak Active Current from 3.7V 450mA 500mA
C-DRX, I-DRX, E-IDRX average current values are given at “Good” coverage condition close to MCL143dB condition
(*) Will be achieved with maintenance release after first commercial availability
HL7800 is by far better than all others solution available on the market in terms of current consumption.
Thanks to booting time enhancement ( <1s compare to competition at 10s) and hibernation technology used to have ULTRA low floor consumption
using embedded memory retention. HL7800 allow to work more than 10 years with single battery.

26. 26
HL7800 Battery Life time benchmark
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Module level figures, Li-On 300mAh, eDRX @81.92sec, no data, good network conditions
Power Save Mode with periodic traffic (PSM)
Always on standby (eDRX)
Module level figures, CR123A, 50bytes UL every two hours, good network conditions
HL7800
Chipset 2
Chipset 1
HL7800
Chipset 2
Chipset 1
months
years

27. Cost reduction factors
C
CONSUMPTION
100x lower power than 4G LTE
10+ years battery life
C
COVERAGE
5-10x greater than 4G LTE
164dB of Link Budget
Repetitions with HARQ
Frequency Hopping
Improved algorithms
C
COST
50% reduction from 4G LTE
Think 2G or Bluetooth, plus lower TCO
$
How?The 3 C's of LPWA
Power Saving Mode
Extended Discontinuous
Reception
Radio Signaling Optimizations
75% Complexity Reduction
Tighter Integration
Economies of Scale

28. 28
LTE-M / NB-IOT Cost Reduction
Legacy
Cellular
RAM
Power Management
XTAL
Baseband
Radio
PAFlash
Flash
BB/RF
XTAL
LTE-M
NB-IOT
Integration
Reduce Complexity:
• Half Duplex
• Single receiver
• Lower Memory
• Lower bandwidth
• Simpler processing
• Lower PA
4,30
0,25 0,21
CAT-3 CAT-M1 CAT-NB1
RAM
20
1,08 0,18
CAT-3 CAT-M1 CAT-NB1
RF…

29. 29
Global Service
Global Coverage
675+ Networks
140+ Countries
Trusted Ecosystem
Healthy competition
Flexibility
Built-in Security
Durable Investment
Scalability
Long-term availability
5G-Ready
Beyond the 3 C’s – focus on some business aspects

30. Global Service
Global Coverage
675+ Networks
140+ Countries

31. 31
4G LTE-M (Cat-M1)
4G NB-IOT (Cat-NB1)
4G LTE-M + NB-IOT
(Cat-M1 + NB1)
Mobile IoT Commercial Deployments – June 2018

32. 32
4G LTE-M (Cat-M1)
4G NB-IOT (Cat-NB1)
4G LTE-M + NB-IOT
(Cat-M1 + NB1)
Mobile IoT Commercial Deployments – End of 2018

33. 33
M1 /NB1 roaming
M1 is a direct evolution of LTE
This leads to easier roaming based on current roaming models;
Roaming works well on LTE-M technically (business question).
NB1 is more dedicated and often involves new network elements as well as new
business models
Roaming contexts currently being defined within the GSM Association

34. Trusted Ecosystem
Healthy competition
Flexibility
Built-in Security

35. 35
Built-in Security
Security is about…
Integrity
• Tighter integration
• Mutual authentication
Security is about…
Confidentiality
• End-to-end over the air encryption
• SIM card as a Secure Element
Security is about…
Availability
• Licensed Spectrum & Cell structure
• Network service otpimization

36. 36 Proprietary and Confidential
Start with Ready-to-Connect eUICC, then evolve later
• Moving environment: more fragmented as ever
• Start with Ready-to-Connect eUICC for pre-integrated solutions
• The tech & biz environment will continue to evolve
• Choose upgradable modules and upgradable connectivity

37. Durable Investment
Scalability
Long-term availability
5G-Ready

38. 38
Cellular network structure
Managed, licensed spectrum
Network Service Optimization
Proven Scalability

39. 39
3GPP Release 14
LTE-M
• Cat-M1 Speed Increase (DL 590kbps, UL 1.1Mbps)
• VoLTE enhancements
• Enhanced Positioning (OTDOA))
• Multi-cast
• Introduction of Cat-M2 (~ 5MHz) (CAT-M2) – new HW
NB-IOT
• New Cat-NB2 with speed increase (65/145 kbps)
• Positioning (OTDOA)
• Multi-cast (similar as in LTE-M)
• Enhanced multi-carrier support
• Improve Mobility (but no handoff support)
• New UE power class at 14dBm
LTE-M Speed overview
Downlink
(kbps)
Uplink
(kbps)
Full Duplex
CAT-M1
Rel 13 800 1000
Rel 14 1000 3000
Half Duplex
CAT-M1
Rel 13 300 375
Rel 14 590 1100
Full Duplex
CAT-M2
Rel 14 4000 7000
Half Duplex
CAT-M2
Rel 14 2350 2625
NB-IoT Speed Overview
Downlink
(kbps)
Uplink
(kbps)
CAT-NB1
Rel 13 23 58
Rel 14 23 58
CAT-NB2
1 HARQ
Rel 14 43 106
CAT-NB2
2 HARQs
Rel 14 65 145

40. 40
3GPP Release 15
• UL spectral efficiency (sub-PRB) – capacity, cost, battery, coverage
• Early data transmission (UL in Msg3) – capacity, latency, battery
• Paging channel (quick paging) – battery life
• Reduce system acquisition time
• Relaxed monitoring for cell reselection
• Congestion/overload control (e.g. CE Level Based ACB) – capacity
• DL spectral efficiency (64 QAM) - capacity
• Improved support for pilot muting – improves NR compatibility
• Lower UE power class 14 dBm – device cost
• Higher UE velocity – expanded use case

41. 41
And what about...

42. 42
Enhanced Mobile
Broadband (eMBB)
• Immersive video
• Augmented reality
• 3D video
What is 5G exactly?

43. 43
Enhanced Mobile
Broadband (eMBB)
• Immersive video
• Augmented reality
• 3D video
Critical IoT
(URLLC)
• Autonomous vehicles
• Smart grid
• Factory automation
What is 5G exactly?

44. 44
Enhanced Mobile
Broadband (eMBB)
• Immersive video
• Augmented reality
• 3D video
Massive IoT
(mMTC)
• Smart cities
• Smart logistics
• Smart metering
Definitions
mMTC massive Machine Type
communications
URLLC Ultra reliable low latency
communications
Critical IoT
(URLLC)
• Autonomous vehicles
• Smart grid
• Factory automation
What is 5G exactly?

45. 45
Enhanced Mobile
Broadband (eMBB)
• high peak speed
• high average speed
• spectral efficiency
• high capacity
Massive IoT
(mMTC)
• high density
• low cost
• low power
• high coverage
Definitions
mMTC massive Machine Type
communications
URLLC Ultra reliable low latency
communications
Critical IoT
(URLLC)
• low latency
• high reliability
• 0ms hand-offs
• high mobility
What is 5G exactly?

46. 46
Today Future
Source: GSM Association
Massive IoT - LPWA (NBIoT & LTE-M)
Enhanced Mobile Broadband
Critical IoT
Introduction of 5G pillars over time

47. 47
Today’s LPWA is on the path t 4C’s of LPWA
make it a new
category for
cellular
COST: More than 50% reduction compared to
broadband LTE. Think 2G or Bluetooth.
CONSUMPTION: More than 75x lower power
than broadband LTE. 10+ years battery life.
COVERAGE: 5-10x greater compared to
broadband LTE.
CAPACITY: Supports over 1 million connected
devices per square kilometer.
Paper: https://www.sierrawireless.com/resources/white-paper/evaluation-of-lte-m/
ready
From 3 C’s to 4 C’s in the 5G World

48. 48
COST
< 50% of broadband LTE
CONSUMPTION
75x lower than broadband LTE, 10+ yrs batt.
COVERAGE
5-10x greater than broadband LTE
CAPACITY
> 1 million connected devices per km²
Today’s Mobile IoT is the Massive IoT of 5G
Massive IoT
(mMTC)
Enhanced
Mobile
BroadBand
Critical IoT
(URLLC)
Technical White Paper showing how Mobile IoT complies to 5G:
https://www.sierrawireless.com/resources/white-paper/evaluation-of-lte-m/

49. Thank you
Nicolas Damour, ndamour@sierrawireless.com