LoRaWAN vs NB-IoT: are They Really Competitors?

The LPWAN wireless communication technologies are here to stay. They are undoubtedly part of the solution that will enable – and is enabling – the deployment of large IoT initiatives.

Its use makes it economically and technologically viable to install dozens, hundreds, or thousands of devices powered by batteries to sense or control any type of environment, from small installations without power outlets to large cities or natural territories. Both LoRaWAN and NB-IoT offer a solution for similar needs: transmitting a low volume of data while consuming very little energy, with potentially large distances between the device and the receiving antenna.

Evidently, both have their technical differences that make them more appropriate than the other depending on the scenario, but in this article we want to highlight a functional characteristic that emphasizes why LoRaWAN and NB-IoT are more complementary technologies than competitors at the Spanish level.

NB-IoT is an operator technology, that is, there are telecommunications companies that will offer coverage to which any device can adhere by paying a fee. In other words, in the same way as people with their telephones, Telecoms offer a network for the ‘Things’ of the IoT. As NB-IoT is a technology that comes from the hand of 5G, there are already partial deployments for closed projects, although it has not been done massively or with access to the general public.

LoRaWAN can also be offered by an operator. In fact, operator LoRaWAN has been deployed and operating throughout Europe for years, but for one reason or another in Spain it has never been fully deployed as such. Currently there are initiatives and networks deployed by specific territories, but there are no large companies that offer national coverage, as Orange or Vodafone can do in France, to give an example.

If an operator coverage is desired, NB-IoT and LoRaWAN are indeed competitors and, depending on the architecture, orography, number of devices per antenna, volume of data to be communicated, etc., one or another technology will be more appropriate. However, LoRaWAN, unlike NB-IoT, when using the 868 MHz free band, allows deploying private networks of its own, that is, without the need for an operator.

Currently, LoRaWAN is the only major proven technology that allows deploying self-managed LPWAN networks. This has opened the doors to large initiatives for sensing and controlling any type of installation, whether industrial or infrastructure.

In other words, as there are no large operator deployments of LoRaWAN networks in Spain, both technologies are more complementary than competitive, while NB-IoT seems to be taking over a large part of the projects where it is decided to outsource the network to an operator, LoRaWAN will be used (and is used) in all those projects where it is desired to have a network where the same user wants to maintain control of it.

Are you interested in how to set up your own LoRaWAN network and how to integrate it into your control system? Do not hesitate to ask us and start deploying your IoT initiatives.