Selecting Cellular Radio Protocols for Cross-Border Asset Trackers
Select LTE Cat-M1 for balanced mobility and power, or Cat 1bis for universal global roaming at the cost of higher battery capacity.
EGPRS
Meaning
Data rate escalation through the use of advanced modulation in existing 2G infrastructure. Connectivity for egprs relies on eight-phase shift keying to transmit three bits per symbol instead of the single bit used in traditional GPRS. This increased capacity allows for basic telemetry and asset tracking in regions where newer networks lack coverage.
Modulation Advance
Digital radio systems achieve higher throughput by modifying how the carrier wave carries digital information. While the basic service offers speeds around 100 kilobits per second, egprs achieves theoretical peaks near 384 kilobits per second under ideal conditions. The transition to this more complex modulation requires the hardware to maintain a high degree of signal linearity during transmission.
Network Architecture
Base station controllers and core network nodes support these data sessions through software updates with minimal changes to the physical infrastructure. Radio modules designed for industrial applications often fall back to egprs when the device moves out of 4G range. This ensures that a persistent connection remains available for low-bandwidth monitoring even in remote areas.
Power Management
Energy consumption during data transmission is higher than standard 2G because of the linearity requirements of the complex modulation. Battery life models for remote sensors must account for the specific duty cycle and power levels used by egprs during a typical reporting interval. The transmitter efficiency drops as the peak-to-average power ratio increases, necessitating larger storage capacitors in the power supply circuit.