Traditional IoT services are carried on 2G or 3G networks. This deployment mode no longer meets operators' requirements for IoT development. 2G and 3G networks are not designed specially for IoT. Video, data, and IoT services are mixed across the spectrum, resulting in a low spectral efficiency. Moreover, the IoT services cannot be singled out, so refined management and business model mining are impossible. Operators only sell connections when IoT services are deployed on 2G or 3G networks. The ARPU is low, as the annual connection fee is only about US$1. Operators cannot explore value beyond connections. GSM, UMTS, and LTE networks are operated at the same time, causing a high OPEX. Network simplification is a key step of network reconstruction.
The CIoT industry is mature and CIoT performance is continuously improving. CIoT will incorporate 2G and 3G IoT applications.
The CIoT industry ecosystem is open. Huawei HiSilicon offers two commercialized NB-IoT chips, Boudica120 and Boudica150. There are in total 14 chip vendors worldwide that can offer commercialized CIoT chips, including Qualcomm, Samsung, and ARM. Some chips support NB-IoT/eMTC or NB-IoT/GSM dual-mode. There are more than 110 types of CIoT modules.
Huawei offers mature NB-IoT/eMTC hardware and software to deliver high-quality wireless network connections.
The current network version is developed based on 3GPP R14. It offers optimized features such as TBS extension, dual HARQ, multi-carrier transmission, and VoLTE over eMTC. These technologies outperform those used in 2G and 3G IoT.
The CIoT industry is mature. Huawei has been fostering industry applications through the Global Ecosystem Project. There are currently more than 1000 industry customers providing devices in more than 40 fields, such as smart home, smart water, smart gas, smart parking, and smart fire extinguishing.
NB-IoT devices such as smart locks, smart home appliances, and smart meters enable users to obtain the real-time status of their home. They also enable real-time data monitoring and remote control to facilitate people's daily lives.
Smart collars can monitor livestock movement and other behaviors, and smart anemometers and smart soil sensors can monitor and report on environmental information of ranches. This reduces the labor costs required by traditional agriculture and improves production quality.
Smart anklets can monitor the health and movements of wild animals. In addition, smart smoke detectors and smart environmental monitoring instruments can sense factors such as ambient temperature and humidity. When a forest fire occurs, they can immediately trigger fire alarms to protect forest resources and ensure ecological safety.
Smart street lamps allow for on-demand brightness adjustment; smart parking enables users to check for available parking spots in real time; bicycle sharing facilitates commuting; and smart trash cans and smart post boxes monitor their level of fill and send collection notifications. A myriad of urban IoT applications enable smart and convenient living
