LTE Category 1
What is LTE Category 1 (Cat.1/Cat-1)?
LTE Cat-1 is one of the IoT specified categories, between the high speed LTE categories that are most commonly seen in smartphones and the low speed LTE categories developed specifically for Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine‑to‑Machine (M2M) applications.
In comparison to high speed 4G LTE categories, such as Cat 4 and greater, LTE Cat 1 provides:
* Low power consumption with extended idle and sleep modes
* Less complexity, resulting in a lower cost structure
In comparison to IoT‑specific technologies, such as Cat M1 and NB1, LTE Cat 1 supports:
* Voice over LTE (VoLTE) in current implementations
* Data streaming
* Low latency applications
LTE Cat-1 highlights features:
* Total Bandwidth Required: 20MHz
* Download Peak Rate: 10Mbps
* Upload Peak Rate: 5Mbps
* Power demand: low
* Duplex mode: Full Duplex
* Complexity: Moderate (simpler than Cat.3 and Cat.4)
* Cost: 2/3 of Cat.3
* Transmit Power Class: 23 dBm
Specifically designed for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and industrial IoT applications, LTE Cat.1 provides a maximum of 10 Mbit/s downlink speed and 5Mbit/s uplink compared to LTE's peak downlink speed of 300 Mbps. This makes it ideal for solutions not dependent on speed that still require the longevity and reliability of 4G in the decades ahead.
LTE Cat.1 is the only fully-available cellular IoT option at the moment and represents an early push towards connecting IoT devices using existing LTE networks. While the performance is inferior to 3G networks, it’s an excellent option for IoT applications that require a browser interface or voice. The major attraction is that it’s already standardized, and more importantly, it’s simple to transition into the Cat-1 network. Experts predict that as 3G technology sunsets, Cat-1 networks will take its place.
LTE Cat-1 Applications:
Based on the technical features, LTE Cat.1 is ideal for monitoring medium bandwidth use cases, such as electricity meters and smart meter gateways. It can provide also sufficient data speeds for many video surveillance use cases. LTE Cat 1 provides cellular in‑vehicle handover, which means connections aren't lost in a moving vehicle. Many LTE Cat 1 implementations are multi‑mode and provide 2G or 3G fallback in areas where LTE networks may not be available. So LTE Cat-1 modules could be widely applied in digital signage ATMs, kiosks, video surveillance, vehicle telemetric, cellular gateways etc..
LTE Cat.1 Modules(Cellular Datacards):
Many vendors worldwide had presented their LTE Cat.1 Module for the IoT applications, the vendor including Sierra Wireless, Huawei, Quectel, Telit, SIMCOM, MeiG, ZTE etc..Below you can see the available LTE Cat.1 cellular data cards from these vendors.
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Fibocom L816-AM LTE Cat1 Module
* LTE CAT1 Module
* 10Mbps DL/5Mbps UL (LTE Cat1)
* Support 4G LTE FDD: Band 2,4,12
* Target market: North America
Learn More$139.00 -
U-blox LARA-R202 LTE Cat1 Wireless Cellular IoT Module
* Category: LTE Cat1
* Target area: North America
* Voice support via VoLTE
* Easy migration between u-blox 2G, 3G and 4G modules
* Small, compact LARA LGA form factor for easy manufacturing
Learn More -
u-blox TOBY-R202 LTE Cat1 Wireless Cellular Module
* Category: LTE Cat1
* Target market: North America/USA
* LTE DL 10Mbps, UL 5Mbps
* Small TOBY LGA form factor for easy manufacturing
* Easy migration between u-blox 2G, 3G, and 4G modules
Learn More$159.00 -
u-blox TOBY-R200 LTE Cat1 Wireless Cellular Module
* Category: LTE Cat1
* Target market: North America
* Operator: AT&T, T-Mobile
* Small TOBY LGA form factor for easy manufacturing
* Easy migration between u-blox 2G, 3G, and 4G modules
* Separate power supply extends battery life
Learn More -
U-blox TOBY-L201 LTE Cat4 LGA Cellular Module
* LTE Cat4 Wireless Module
* LTE/HSPA+ module for Americas
* 3GPP release baseline: 9
* LTE Cat4 DL 150Mbps, UL 50Mbps
* MIMO: 2x2
Learn More -
Gemalto Cinterion ELS31 LTE Cat.1 IoT Wireless Embedded Module
* LTE Cat.1 Embedded Module
* LTE (FDD) 3GPP Rel. 9+
* Two variant models: Cinterion ELS31-V and ELS31-J
* DL/UL max: 10.3Mbps / 5.2 Mbps
* Control via AT commands(Hayes, 3GPP TS 27.007 and 27.005)
Learn More -
Gemalto Cinterion ELS61T 4G LTE Cat1 Terminal
* Region: EMEA, APAC, NORAM
* 4G LTE Cat 1
* EDGE/GPRS Class 12
* FOTA, configurable and free of charge
* Flexible mounting concept
Learn More -
Gemalto Cinterion PLS62-W LTE Cat.1 LGA Module
* 12 Band LTE Cat.1 Module
* JAVA Embedded
* RLS Monitoring(Jamming Detection)
* Multi Design Capability(LGA)
* Incremental FOTA
Learn More -
Fibocom L816-GL LTE Cat1 Module
* Fibocom LTE Cat1 Module
* Form factor: 115 pin LGA
* Support 4G LTE FDD Band: B1/B2/B3(B9)/B4/B5(B19)/B8/B12/B20
* Target Market: Japan
Learn More -
U-blox LARA-R203 LTE Cat1 Wireless Cellular IoT Module
* Category: LTE Cat1
* Target area: North America(AT&T)
* Voice support via VoLTE
* Easy migration between u-blox 2G, 3G and 4G modules
* Small, compact LARA LGA form factor for easy manufacturing
Learn More -
LongSung A9500C LTE Cat1 Only Cellular Module
* Support FOTA, OpenCPU and IPV4/V6
* Support Release 9 Category 1
* LTE DL 10Mbps, UL 5Mbps
* LCC Package and low power consumption
Learn More -
LongSung U9507E-C1 LTE Cat1 Module
* Low Power consumption
* Small Size with LCC package
* Support Release 9 Category 4
* LTE DL 10Mbps, UL 5Mbps
* Support GLONASS and GPS
* Support LTE-FDD Band 1/3/5/7/8/20/28
Learn More -
SIMCOM SIM7500JC LTE Cat1 Module
* Form factor: LGA Package
* LTE-FDD B1/B18/B19/B26
* Control Via AT Commands
* LTE DL 10Mbps, UL 5Mbps
Learn More -
SIMCOM SIM7600E Mini PCIe LTE Cat1 Module
* Package: Mini PCIe
* LTE DL 10Mbps/UL 5Mbps
* Target market: EMEA/Korea/Thailand
* Support 4G LTE B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B38/B40/B41
Learn More -
SIMCOM SIM7600SA Mini PCIe LTE Cat1 Module
* Package: Mini PCIe
* LTE DL 10Mbps/UL 5Mbps
* Target market: EMEA/Korea/Thailand
* Support 4G LTE B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B28/B40
Learn More -
SIMCOM SIM7600A Mini PCIe LTE Cat1 Module
* Package: Mini PCIe
* LTE DL 10Mbps/UL 5Mbps
* Target market: North America
* Support 4G LTE FDD Band B2/B4/B12
Learn More -
SIMCOM SIM7600SA LTE Cat1 Module
* Package: LCC
* LTE DL 10Mbps/UL 5Mbps
* Target market: Australia/New Zealand/South America
* Support 4G LTE B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B28/B40
Learn More -
SIMCOM SIM7600A LTE Cat1 Module
* Package: LCC
* LTE DL 10Mbps/UL 5Mbps
* Target market: North America
* Support 4G LTE FDD Band B2/B4/B12
Learn More -
U-blox LARA-R204 LTE Cat1 Wireless Cellular IoT Module
* Category: LTE Cat1
* Target area: North America(Verizon)
* Voice support via VoLTE
* Easy migration between u-blox 2G, 3G and 4G modules
* Small, compact LARA LGA form factor for easy manufacturing
Learn More -
U-blox LARA-R211 LTE Cat1 Wireless Cellular IoT Module
* Category: LTE Cat1
* Target area: Europe
* Voice support via VoLTE
* Easy migration between u-blox 2G, 3G and 4G modules
* Small, compact LARA LGA form factor for easy manufacturing
Learn More