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The Internet of Things (IoT) is set to unlock a trillion-dollar market, with technologies like LoRa and NB-IoT leading the way. Both are considered mainstream in the IoT space, offering long-range communication, low power consumption, and wide coverage. However, when it comes to security risks in large-scale network deployments, which one truly stands out?
The IoT has become a hot topic, with major companies racing to enter this promising market. But in December 2017, the "Technical Requirements for Micropower Short-range Radio Transmission Equipment (Draft for Comment)" was released, specifying the frequency bands for IoT use. It designated the 470-510MHz band as a civilian radio meter, but only for single frequency points—no networking allowed. This move came as a shock to many in the industry.
The Draft for Comment has sparked significant controversy, especially for LoRa, which has been heavily impacted. A stone can cause ripples, and the current deployment of low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs) on unlicensed spectrum is largely centered around the 470-510MHz band, with LoRa being the most representative. As a result, the release of the opinion draft faced strong opposition from the LoRa industry.
LoRa technology, developed by Semtech in 2013, is an ultra-long-range, low-power wireless data transmission solution based on spread spectrum technology. With a range exceeding 15km, ultra-low power consumption, and no need for a license, it's ideal for applications such as smart metering, intelligent parking, vehicle tracking, and smart cities.
The most controversial issue in the Draft for Comment is the conflict between LoRa and NB-IoT. In China, these two are among the most popular technologies in the low-power WAN space. NB-IoT uses licensed frequency bands, typically at 800MHz and 900MHz, and offers three deployment modes: standalone, guard band, and in-band. On the other hand, LoRa operates on the unlicensed ISM band, with China’s LoRa Application Alliance using the 470-518MHz band.
In fact, due to the lack of a dedicated ISM IoT band in China, devices based on unlicensed spectrum are concentrated in the 470-510MHz range. Initially, the Radio Authority adopted a more lenient policy for this band, allowing LoRa to flourish rapidly. Many IoT applications, such as meter reading and monitoring, have been widely deployed using this frequency, often through integrated gateway access networks.
Despite this, some IoT companies have expanded their usage of the 470-510MHz band, raising concerns about potential security issues. However, the current approach of applying a one-size-fits-all regulation to exclude LoRa entirely could lead to NB-IoT monopolizing the IoT landscape, which many in the industry find hard to accept.
NB-IoT, in contrast, appears more refined. As a narrowband cellular communication LPWAN technology proposed by 3GPP, it is built on existing cellular networks and consumes only about 180kHz. It can be deployed directly on GSM, UMTS, and LTE networks, making it ideal for low-power IoT devices in smart homes, cities, and industrial settings.
Since its launch, NB-IoT has attracted widespread attention and support from both policy and funding. In the first quarter of 2017, the "National New Generation Information Technology Industry Plan" included the NB-IoT network as a key project under the "13th Five-Year Plan."
For example, China Telecom invested over 300 million yuan in IoT in 2017, with 200 million allocated for terminal modules and 100 million for IoT projects. Similarly, China Mobile announced a 2 billion yuan IoT special fund, with 1 billion reserved specifically for NB-IoT, offering up to an 80% subsidy rate.