Back to All
OnQ Blog

My smartphone loves LTE, but what about my smart meter?

4G LTE is extremely successful and has become one of the fastest growing wireless technologies ever, providing us rich mobile broadband experiences with reliable, high-speed Internet access on our mobile devices. I recently saw a demonstration of Cat 6, 300 Mbps, 4G LTE Advanced with 3x carrier aggregation (CA) at the Qualcomm Connectivity Workshop in New York City—simply amazing!

But the way in which we humans communicate and access the Internet on our smartphones, is often extremely different than the way machines, like a smart meter for example, communicate. And more and more machines are indeed communicating. The Internet of Everything (IoE) is rapidly growing, providing billions (yes, that’s billions with “b”) of machines the ability to connect and communicate with a network or other devices; changing the way we live, work, and play. These machine-to-machine (M2M) services are transforming a wide range of industries from Energy to Automotive to Health Care and beyond.

At Qualcomm, we deliver an unmatched portfolio of wireless technologies to support the wide range of performance, cost, and energy requirements for connecting the Internet of Everything. Many M2M applications and services demand the same ubiquitous coverage, high reliability, and robust security that we have come to expect on our 4G LTE smartphones, providing value-added services to remote machines virtually anywhere.

But as we already said, there is one problem; machines often communicate very differently than us. The communication needs of remotely gathering small amounts of data periodically from machines, such as smart meters, security alarms, and health tracking devices, are different than delivering high-speed Internet access to your mobile device. Introducing LTE MTC, a new technology that is part of the upcoming Release 13 of the 3GPP standard. LTE MTC will optimize LTE Advanced for machine-type communications and play a key role in connecting the Internet of Everything of tomorrow.

As the video explains, LTE Advanced is shaping up to be a pervasive technology that not only evolves 4G LTE for faster and better mobile broadband, but also expands into new frontiers, exemplified by new technologies such as LTE MTC. LTE MTC delivers battery life, coverage, and cost optimizations for M2M applications and services that demand the ubiquitous coverage, high reliability, and robust security of 4G LTE connectivity, without the high data rate requirements of mobile broadband. And best of all, LTE MTC co-exists seamlessly with today’s mobile broadband services, enabling mobile operators to efficiently integrate LTE MTC services with today’s existing LTE Advanced spectrum and networks.

If you want to learn more about these optimizations, as well as innovative solutions that the 4G LTE ecosystem is delivering to simplify the development, deployment, and management of M2M devices and services, checkout our recent webinar with FierceWireless. You can get further information at our LTE MTC website.

Opinions expressed in the content posted here are the personal opinions of the original authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of Qualcomm Incorporated or its subsidiaries ("Qualcomm"). The content is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to be an endorsement or representation by Qualcomm or any other party. This site may also provide links or references to non-Qualcomm sites and resources. Qualcomm makes no representations, warranties, or other commitments whatsoever about any non-Qualcomm sites or third-party resources that may be referenced, accessible from, or linked to this site.

About the Author
Matt Branda
Matt BrandaDirector, Technical Marketing
Qualcomm relentlessly innovates to deliver intelligent computing everywhere, helping the world tackle some of its most important challenges. Our leading-edge AI, high performance, low-power computing, and unrivaled connectivity deliver proven solutions that transform major industries. At Qualcomm, we are engineering human progress.

Stay connected

Get the latest Qualcomm and industry information delivered to your inbox.

Subscribe
Manage your subscription

© Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its affiliated companies.

Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

Note: Certain services and materials may require you to accept additional terms and conditions before accessing or using those items.

References to "Qualcomm" may mean Qualcomm Incorporated, or subsidiaries or business units within the Qualcomm corporate structure, as applicable.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.

Materials that are as of a specific date, including but not limited to press releases, presentations, blog posts and webcasts, may have been superseded by subsequent events or disclosures.

Nothing in these materials is an offer to sell or license any of the services or materials referenced herein.