The LTE-M standard is now also available in the Vodafone mobile network. Until now, the technology for communication between machines and people was only used in Germany by the Telekom offered.
"LTE-M is the next building block in our network to enable people, machines and sensors to communicate with each other anywhere, anytime."
Gerhard Mack, Head of Technology at Vodafone
According to Vodafone, more than 90 percent of Germany will be covered by the launch. According to Vodafone, more than 18,000 mobile network locations were converted for this purpose.
LTE-M for industry and private individuals
LTE-M is one of four components of the Vodafone network. The mobile communications standard was primarily designed for industrial purposes, such as the communication of machines and sensors with people. According to Vodafone, factory workers can control a machine by voice command, for example.
However, the telecommunications company also sees potential applications for LTE-M in the private sector, for example in smartwatches, fitness trackers and smart home devices. A fitness wristband with LTE-M could, for example, automatically call for help in the event of an accident.
The final building block in the Vodafone network, in addition to LTE and 5G, standards that mobile devices and smartphones use, is the Narrowband IoT machine network, which allows machines to exchange information with other machines.
Narrowband IoT and LTE-M comparable
Both LTE-M and Narrowband IoT use the low 800 megahertz frequencies with high range. This means that even well-screened and remote areas such as underground garages and factory floors can be reached.
In contrast to narrowband IoT, LTE-M is not bound to a fixed standard thanks to the so-called hand-over. If a device connected via LTE-M is moved, similar to a smartphone the Data from mobile station to mobile station. The technology can therefore be used, for example, to track packages, which is not possible via narrowband IoT.
Bandwidth of 2 MBit per second
The Bandwidth in the LTE-M network at Vodafone is a maximum of 2 MBit per second. According to the company, this is sufficient for the usual data volumes from sensors and machines. However, Vodafone would like to supply other application areas that require high data rates via the 5G network with speeds of up to 1 GBit per second.
