There are many options for wireless Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity today – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, 4G, NB-IoT, CAT-M1, LoRa and Sigfox. Each possibility comes with its own pros and cons. Choosing the right one can mean higher productivity and profitability. Using the wrong one can mean cost inefficiency, or in the worst-case scenario, a technical nightmare, if incompatibility and transmission issues occur.
Cellular IoT is strengthening ever-present connectivity at a rapid pace. According to a study1 by Ericsson, the number of cellular-connected IoT devices is expected to grow to 1.8 billion by 2023. And this growth is primarily fuelled by the rise of new connectivity technologies.
With this rise also comes numerous choices for software, hardware and connectivity options. But decisions on what to use for IoT are complicated by fragmentation and incompatibility when it comes to technology adoption, and many businesses are struggling to choose the most suitable options for their business model.
At the heart of IoT is connectivity, without which, there can be no IoT. According to McKinsey2, connectivity expenditures for IoT is expected to rise by about 15% annually through to 2022 as IoT usage expands.
Picking the right IoT platform
While most IoT platforms are built with the same aim, they can vary a lot in terms of what they offer. That’s why it’s vital for businesses to consider carefully their immediate and long-term needs to select the right connectivity. Factors to consider include:
· Bandwidth – the amount of data that can be transmitted and collected from IoT devices
· Scalability – the ability of the platform to handle increased data loads as your business grows
· Range – the distance over which data can be transmitted
· Coverage – the area over which the network can cover reliably, especially for mobile transmitters
· Interoperability – the ability of the platform to seamlessly integrate with various technologies and devices
· Cost – the price of transmitting data
· Security – the protection and encryption of sensitive data
Here’s an example of some of the connectivity options Singtel offers and the sort of IoT systems they are best suited for.
TFPC is a developer managed by a group of private medical specialists, hospitality specialists and a few foreign investors. We have just built an integrated medical hub called Connexion, a complex that comprises three major entities – Farrer Park Medical Centre, Farrer Park Hospital and Farrer Hotel and Spa.
Our medical centre, hospital and hotel have been in operation for about a year. Being a new entrant to the medical tourism sector, we have to create awareness for the medical and hotel services that we provide.
TFPC is a developer managed by a group of private medical specialists, hospitality specialists and a few foreign investors. We have just built an integrated medical hub called Connexion, a complex that comprises three major entities – Farrer Park Medical Centre, Farrer Park Hospital and Farrer Hotel and Spa.
Our medical centre, hospital and hotel have been in operation for about a year. Being a new entrant to the medical tourism sector, we have to create awareness for the medical and hotel services that we provide.
Singtel | Suitable for | Network Standards | Max Throughput |
---|---|---|---|
3G | High data transmission at low cost |
UMTS, HSPA (HSPDA), HSPA+ |
DL: 42Mbps UL: 8Mbps |
4G | Video streaming |
LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, WiMAX (IEEE 802.16m) |
DL: 300Mbps |
CAT-M1 |
Mobile applications with higher service requirements |
Rel-13 |
DL: 1Mbps/375Kbps UL: 1Mbps/300Kbps |
NB-IoT |
Idle devices and ultra low-end applications e.g. sensors, meters, smoke alarms |
Rel-13 |
DL: ~20Kbps |
Reducing costs with lower power wide area networks (LPWAN)
Today, many businesses rely on cellular 3G/4G connectivity. That’s because these networks offer near ubiquitous cover, high bandwidth and the option for mobility/roaming.
That said, 4G and LTE networks consume a lot of power, may have gaps in coverage and don’t fit well with applications where only a small amount of data is transmitted infrequently. And that’s where LPWAN networks come in.
Designed to support IoT solutions that need low power consumption, extended battery life and good penetration in the most challenging radio frequency (RF) environments, LPWAN is an excellent choice for connecting devices that require basement coverage. Given its advantages, LPWAN might very well be the most cost-effective and efficient long-range, wide-area IoT technology to hit the market.
According to a survey3 by ScienceDirect, LPWAN can offer battery lives of 10 years or more. In addition, the wide area coverage means businesses can use LPWAN for massive deployments of multiple devices for increased productivity. These characteristics of LPWAN, coupled with cheaper hardware and a lower cost of service, makes it cheaper to implement.
That said, businesses should not view LPWAN as a low-cost alternative to high-bandwidth network technologies like 3G/4G. As LPWAN have low bandwidths, using them for high-rate transmissions like video streaming or real-time sensor updates might result in delayed transmissions or, worse, loss of data.
Here’s how four common LPWAN options compare. Singtel offers the CAT-M1 and NB-IoT LPWAN. These 3GPP-driven networks have lower risk of interference and prevent vendor lock-in (interoperability) compared to Sigfox and LoRa.
TFPC is a developer managed by a group of private medical specialists, hospitality specialists and a few foreign investors. We have just built an integrated medical hub called Connexion, a complex that comprises three major entities – Farrer Park Medical Centre, Farrer Park Hospital and Farrer Hotel and Spa.
Our medical centre, hospital and hotel have been in operation for about a year. Being a new entrant to the medical tourism sector, we have to create awareness for the medical and hotel services that we provide.
TFPC is a developer managed by a group of private medical specialists, hospitality specialists and a few foreign investors. We have just built an integrated medical hub called Connexion, a complex that comprises three major entities – Farrer Park Medical Centre, Farrer Park Hospital and Farrer Hotel and Spa.
Our medical centre, hospital and hotel have been in operation for about a year. Being a new entrant to the medical tourism sector, we have to create awareness for the medical and hotel services that we provide.
Technology | Sigfox | LoRa | NB-IoT | CAT-M1 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Solution Provider | Private Operators | Private Operators | Telcos | Telcos |
Description | Ultra-low Data Network focusing on uplink | Low Data Network | Low Power Cell-based Network | Low Power Cell-based Network |
Standards | Proprietary Network | LoraWAN | Global 3GPP R13 & above standard | Global 3GPP R13 & above standard |
Business Model | Message count based | Subscription based on network QoS categories |
Data Subscription based |
Data Subscription based |
Coverage | Outdoor |
Outdoor | Basement 3 | Basement 1 |
Device Density | Medium | Low | Very High (10000s/cell) | Very High (1000s/cell) |
Peak Throughput |
100bps |
50kbps |
60kbps |
375kbps |
Mobility | Not Supported | Not Supported | Not Supported | Supported |
Duty Cycle | Limited by Regulation | Limited by Regulation | Constant | Constant |
Frequencies | Sub Ghz | Sub Ghz | Sub Ghz | Ghz |
Voice | Not Supported | Not Supported | Not Supported | Supported |
Module Costs | Very Low | Low | Low | Medium |
Management Platform | Proprietary | Open | 3GPP Based | 3GPP Based |
Flexibility in data cost
Data subscription is both a variable and recurring cost. Data plans need to be flexible and scalable so that businesses can be cost efficient yet scale conveniently. To meet the needs of different business users, Singtel offers both fixed and flexible data pooling.
Fixed Data Pooling allows all SIMs within an account to share one data limit starting from 1MB. For example, a Service Account buys a data plan of 1MB and uses 10 SIMs. The data will be used up once the total data consumed by all 10 SIMs add up to 1MB. If the account adds another five more SIMs without increasing the data pooling size, then the data will still be exhausted once all 15 SIMs have consumed a total of 1MB.
Flexible Data Pooling assigns a data limit to each active SIM that the same service account purchases. This quota can be added to the total data consumed by all active SIMs owned by the account. For example, if a Service Account has 10 active SIMs each with a data cap of 1MB, then the account can consume a total of 10MB shared by all the SIMs. If the account adds another five more SIMs, the total data cap will grow to 15MB.
This way, businesses can choose the most cost-efficient plan based on their IoT connectivity needs.
TFPC is a developer managed by a group of private medical specialists, hospitality specialists and a few foreign investors. We have just built an integrated medical hub called Connexion, a complex that comprises three major entities – Farrer Park Medical Centre, Farrer Park Hospital and Farrer Hotel and Spa.
Our medical centre, hospital and hotel have been in operation for about a year. Being a new entrant to the medical tourism sector, we have to create awareness for the medical and hotel services that we provide.
TFPC is a developer managed by a group of private medical specialists, hospitality specialists and a few foreign investors. We have just built an integrated medical hub called Connexion, a complex that comprises three major entities – Farrer Park Medical Centre, Farrer Park Hospital and Farrer Hotel and Spa.
Our medical centre, hospital and hotel have been in operation for about a year. Being a new entrant to the medical tourism sector, we have to create awareness for the medical and hotel services that we provide.