AT&T announced that it plans to pilot Cat-M1 Narrowband Internet-of-Things(IoT) connectivity later this year with the aim of helping businesses cut costs and boost device performance for Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. The Operator plans to pilot a Cat-M1 network in the San Francisco market starting in November.
Cat-M1 is part of Narrowband cellular IoT technologies such as MTC, Cat-0, Cat-1, LTE-M, NB-IoT and EC-GSM which can operate on the existing network footprint. Cat-M1 can flexibly co-exist with mobile broadband services in the same spectrum with enhanced LTE coverage for underground and in-building areas that challenge existing coverage.
Image Credit: Ericsson
Cat-M1 design that boasts access to low-cost module technology and works with extended battery life of 10 years for enabled IoT devices, supports next-generation devices such as wearables and utility meters. Several key enterprise customers will take part in the pilot at the AT&T Labs in San Ramon, California. They represent a broad range of IoT uses – from alarm monitoring, smart meters, vending inventory and propane tank monitoring.
Chris Penrose, senior vice president, AT&T Internet of Things Solutions
Cat-M1 is an advantage for the millions of IoT devices and services coming on the market. We expect this pilot will prove that. This next-generation technology will help businesses gather near real-time information on assets around the world. It will bring a connected world closer to reality.
