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.
LTE Cat 1bis
Meaning
Radio frequency specification enabling LTE connectivity through a single antenna path. Implementation of lte cat 1bis reduces the complexity of the device front end by eliminating the need for the diversity antenna required by original Category 1 hardware.
Hardware Simplification
Removing the need for a secondary antenna reduces the physical size and the cost of the radio frequency section. Handheld trackers and small wearable devices use lte cat 1bis to save space on the circuit board and simplify the internal mechanical design. This configuration works on existing cellular infrastructure without any modifications to the network base station.
Bandwidth Performance
Maximum download speeds reach 10 megabits per second while upload speeds are limited to 5 megabits per second. Even though it lacks the second antenna, lte cat 1bis provides enough data rate for voice over LTE and real-time asset monitoring. This performance level sits between low-speed narrowband services and high-speed broadband categories.
Market Adoption
Manufacturers choose this category to lower the total bill of materials for mass-market connected products. The reduction in the number of components for lte cat 1bis leads to lower power consumption during the signal reception phase. Engineering teams select these modules when the device enclosure is too small to maintain the physical separation required for a dual-antenna system.