The 3GPP Release 14 specification enhances the NB-IoT protocol and introduces a new device category, NB2. Here is a complete NB1 vs. NB2 comparison table and a brief overview of the new NB-IoT protocol features in R14.
What are LTE CAT NB1 and NB2?
LTE Cat NB1 refers to IoT devices based on the NB-IoT protocol standardized in the 3GPP Release 13 specification. It is a wireless cellular low-power wide-area connectivity protocol for IoT massive machine-type communications.
LTE Cat NB2 refers to devices which are based on the enhanced NB-IoT protocol as standardized in the 3GPP Release 14.
NB1 vs. NB2 comparison table
Here is a comprehensive comparison table to see the differences between the NB-IoT 3GPP R13 and R14 specifications, and NB1 vs. NB2 devices.
| Features | LTE Cat NB1 | LTE Cat NB2 |
|---|---|---|
| Channel Bandwidth | 180 KHz | 180 KHz |
| Transmission Duplexity | Half | Half |
| Max downlink TBS | 680 bits | 2536 bits |
| Max downlink data rate | ~26 kbps | ~80/127 kbps (1HARQ/2HARQ) |
| Max uplink TBS | 1000 bits | 2536 bits |
| Max uplink data rate | ~62 kbps | ~105/159 kbps (1HARQ/2HARQ) |
| Qty HARQ Processes | 1 | 1 or 2 |
| Number of Antennae | 1 | 1 |
| Latency range | <10 sec | TBD |
| Data limit | Not defined | Not defined |
| Size of payload in a data packet | Not defined | Not defined |
| Duty cycle | Not defined | Not defined |
| Data Encryption | EPS-AKA | EPS-AKA |
| Device Authentication | SIM | SIM |
| Voice communication support | No | No |
| Positioning | Cell ID | OTDOA, E-CID |
| Standardization organization | 3GPP Release 13 | 3GPP Release-14 |
| UE bandwidth | 200 kHz | 200 kHz |
| Maximum Transmission power | 20, 23 dBm | 14, 20, 23 dBm |
Main enhancements in LTE CAT NB2
Here is a short introduction on how the 3GPP R14 specification enhances the NB-IoT protocol for NB2:
- NB2 positioning
- The 3GPP Release 14 introduces OTDOA and E-CID positioning methods into NB2 for higher location accuracy.
- Multicast in NB2
- The NB2 devices contain Multicast transmission mode, which the NB1 device does not have.
- Enhanced NB2 mobility
- NB2 devices provide better mobility – Reconnection is now supported also in the device connected mode, as opposed to idle mode only in NB1.
- LTE CAT NB2 peak data rates
- The NB-IoT 3GPP Release 14 specification introduces higher data rates – NB2 devices can maximum data speeds of ~127 kbps uplink and ~159 kbps uplink.
- NB-IOT multi-carrier operation
- NB2 supports a multi-carrier mode with up to 15 non-anchor carriers, which can support up to 1,000,000 connected NB-IoT devices per square kilometer.
- NB2 frequency bands
- Five new FDD frequency bands are introduced for NB-IoT: 11, 21, 25, 31, and 70.
- New NB2 device power class
- 3GPP R14 enhances NB2 devices with a new 14 dBm power class to allow the use of smaller batteries and small form factors.
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