Coverage enhancement (LTE-M and NB-IoT)
Updated
Coverage enhancement is a set of 3GPP techniques, mainly the repetition of transmissions, that let LTE-M and NB-IoT devices connect where the signal is too weak for standard LTE. For NB-IoT, 3GPP targeted a maximum coupling loss of 164 dB, about 20 dB better than GPRS.
In practice
Deep coverage costs time and energy: a meter in a basement that needs many repetitions sends each message more slowly and drains its battery faster than the same meter above ground.
Reference
Related terms
- NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT)
- LTE-M (LTE Cat-M1)
- RSRP, RSRQ and SINR (LTE signal quality)
- PSM (Power Saving Mode)