What is LTE Category M1?

LTE Category M1 (LTE Cat M1) is an LTE user equipment (UE) category that defines the performance and specifications – such as data rate, power consumption, type of modulation, bandwidth, etc. – of Cat M1 UE. It supports 1 Mbps data rates for both uplink and downlink with a UE bandwidth of 1.4 MHz and requires only one receiver antenna. LTE Cat M1 has a latency from 10 to 15 ms, supports half or full duplex operation, and power-saving features such as PSM & eDRX. LTE Cat M1 UEs are devices that use NB-IoT cellular technology to access the network and internet and are suitable for machine-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. It is also called LTE-M (Long-Term Evolution for machines) wireless communication technology.

Key Specifications of LTE Cat M1 UEs

Understanding LTE Cat M1 Technology

LTE Cat M1 or LTE-M is a type of low-power wide area network (LPWAN) wireless technology designed for M2M and IoT applications. It utilizes existing LTE cellular infrastructure and licensed spectrum to connect the IoT devices to the internet. This technology uses power-saving features such as power-saving mode (PSM), discontinuous reception (DRX), and extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) that significantly extend the battery life of the IoT devices. IoT devices that use LTE-M typically have a battery life of 5-10 years. 

When compared to NB-IoT technology, LTE-M features more bandwidth (typically 1.4 MHz), higher data rate (typically 1 Mbps), and support voice-over-internet. However, the LTE-M technology/devices are costlier and consume more power than the NB-IoT technology/devices.

View all LTE User Equipment Categories.