Cat. is UE-Category. According to the definition of 3GPP, UE-Category is divided into 10 levels from 1 to 10.
Cat.1-5 is defined by R8, Cat.6-8 is defined by R10, and Cat.9-10 is defined by R11.
UE-Category mainly defines the uplink and downlink rates that UE terminal equipment can support.
What is LTE Cat.1?
LTE Cat.1 (full name is LTEUE-Category 1), where UE refers to user equipment, which is a classification of wireless performance of user terminal equipment under the LTE network. Cat.1 is to serve the Internet of Things and realize low power consumption and low-cost LTE connection, which is of great significance to the development of the Internet of Things.
LTE Cat 1, sometimes also refers as 4G Cat 1, is specifically designed for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) IoT applications. The technology was originally introduced in 3GPP Release 8 in 2009 and has become standardized LTE IoT communication technology since then. It supports a maximum downlink speed of 10 Mbit/s and an uplink speed of 5Mbit/s and is believed the ideal solution for scenarios that are not dependent on high-speed data transmission but still require the reliability of the 4G network. It can provide excellent network performance, great reliability, safe coverage and ideal cost performance.
LTE Cat.1 vs LTE Cat.NB-1
Under the requirements of IoT applications, 3GPP Release 13 defines the Cat M1 and CatNB-1 (NB-IoT) standards to meet the needs of the medium-rate and low-rate IoT markets respectively. The technical advantages of NB-IoT can fully meet the needs of static low-rate scenarios. But on the other hand, the speed and reliability of LTE Cat M is not as good as expected in addressing the IoT needs of wearable devices, surveillance cameras, and logistics tracking devices, leaving a technical gap in the field of medium-rate IoT connectivity.
However, LTE Cat.1 supports 10 Mbit/s downlink and 5Mbit/s uplink speeds, which achieves higher data rates that LTE Cat M and NB-IoT technologies can never achieve. This has pushed many IoT companies to gradually use LTE Cat 1 technology that is already available.
Recently, Feasycom launched the LTE Cat.1 wireless module FSC-CL4010, it can be widely used in: smart wear, POS, portable printer, OBD, car diagnostic instrument, car positioning, sharing equipment, intelligent intercom system and so on.
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