As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to revolutionize the way we connect and interact with our devices, there are a number of network options on which to build smart solutions. The leading low power wide area networks (LPWANs) are LoRaWAN® and narrow band IoT (NB-IoT).

Estimates suggest that only 10% of the world’s surface has terrestrial connectivity. To establish a truly connected planet with ubiquitous coverage for massive Internet of Things (IoT) deployments, we need to complement terrestrial networks with satellite connectivity, expanding coverage for demanding verticals. The LoRa Alliance® recently upgraded its guidelines to include Long Range Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (LR-FHSS) data rates for the LoRaWAN® standard. The LR-FHSS features significantly increase network capacity and reduce interference, facilitating new deployment opportunities across the globe.

As the hype around 5G technology continues to grow, the possibility of faster, more streamlined connectivity is driving conversations globally. But while 5G adoption has started, it continues to roll out slowly. To date, some have experienced the benefits 5G technology can bring, but most are patiently awaiting its arrival – and that’s assuming the technology fits the needs of their use case. 5G technology shows a breadth of new possibilities, however since it’s not a one size fits all technology, connectivity solutions from a variety of sources are still necessary.

As the Internet of Things (IoT) is embraced across industry verticals with a growing number of connected devices, the connectivity technology landscape remains complex and fragmented. There is no single IoT network that has ubiquitous coverage and is capable of addressing all vertical IoT use cases.

This is the fourth blog in an ongoing series about the LoRaWAN^® protocol, and its capabilities to transform next-generation networking applications built on 5G. This blog series follows Semtech’s “5G Fact vs. Fiction, and How LoRaWAN Plays a Role” webinar, featuring Charter Communications, MultiTech and Orange, and moderated by Beecham Research. It will address some of the pressing topics offered by the audience during the webinar’s Q&A. Read the introduction to the new series in part one, explore large scale LoRaWAN networks in part two – featuring MultiTech, and insights from Orange in part three. 

This is the third blog in an ongoing series about LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN® protocol, and its capabilities to transform next-generation networking applications built on 5G. This blog series follows Semtech’s “5G Fact vs. Fiction, and How LoRaWAN Plays a Role” webinar, featuring Charter Communications, MultiTech and Orange, and moderated by Beecham Research, and addresses some of the pressing topics offered by the audience during the webinar’s Q&A. Read the introduction to the new series in part one, and explore large scale LoRaWAN networks in part two, featuring MultiTech.

In part three below, Ronan Le Bras, Head of Technology Strategy at Orange, and Rémi Lorrain, Director of LoRaWAN Networks for Semtech, discuss Cellular devices, network management, regional deployment differences, and roaming/satellite communication.

This is the second blog in an ongoing series about LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN® protocol, and its capabilities to transform next-generation networking applications built on 5G. This blog series follows Semtech’s “5G Fact vs. Fiction, and How LoRaWAN Plays a Role” webinar, featuring Orange, Charter Communications and MultiTech, moderated by Beecham Research, and addresses some of the pressing topics offered by the audience during the webinar’s Q&A. Read the introduction to the new series in part one.

We’re well into 2020, and the promise of 5G networking is continuing to lead conversations across the wireless industry. However, as 5G deployments increase, we also see a rise in alternative low power technologies to offer flexible, cost effective power and low bandwidth options for these so-called massive Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. In particular, market demand for solutions based on Semtech’s LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN® protocol is continuing to increase, including those helping to combat the global COVID-19 outbreak. It has become clear that as 4G and 5G will target low latency and high throughput applications in the near future, LoRa and LoRaWAN-based applications will make up a larger portion of the massive IoT space, led by mobile operators, unlicensed spectrum operators and enterprises across private rollouts. The market is heading toward a Multi-Radio Access Network (Multi-RAN) strategy leveraging complementary standards, including 4G, 5G, LoRaWAN, and others such as Wi-Fi 6. 

Wireless counter readout in the smart utility and housing industries is one of the most promising applications of all processes involving counter reading, data evaluation and billing, and offers high optimization potential. A new white paper produced in collaboration with Minol-ZENNER Group explores how the deployment of Semtech’s LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN® protocol for smart homes, multi-dwelling units, buildings, and smart utilities must comply with current German laws and regulatory statuses.

Semtech’s LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN® protocol offer several advantages for the Internet of Things (IoT) that have enabled it to lead in a competitive marketplace. Perhaps the most important of these advantages is LoRa devices’ unique capacity for long-range data communication. A single LoRa-based gateway provides deep indoor connectivity in underground or city environments, and connectivity to LoRa-enabled end nodes from up to 30 miles away in rural environments. This is especially important in parts of the world where Cellular connectivity is scarce or nonexistent. In places such as these, LoRaWAN-based networking and LoRa-enabled end nodes provide the quickest to deploy and most cost-efficient option for IoT connectivity, enabling smarter solutions that could not otherwise exist.