O2 was the first Network Operator in the UK to announce the introduction of LTE-M, and now with additional investment we will be rolling out NB-IoT. Both are Low Power Wide Area Networks but cater to different business needs – our rollout across the UK will be complete by the end of 2024.

Businesses will be able to capture new sources of data that improve decision making, cost control and help businesses perform more efficiently.

The new LTE-M & NB-IoT technologies will power businesses to deploy devices at scale across the UK.

Enabling businesses to support millions of connected devices, which can share small amounts of data between assets at a low power consumption, with lower throughput of data, the devices battery life can be extended up to 10 years; allowing longer connectivity out in the field.

The technology enables higher throughput, low latency and wide coverage for urban and rural areas. All these benefits will bring down IoT device and maintenance costs for business customers connecting to the network.

NB-IoT and LTE-M are the leading LPWA technologies. NB-IoT is focused on very low data rates, ideal for simple static sensor application. LTE-M has the highest bandwidth and lowest latency of any LPWA technology, making it ideal for static and mobile applications. 

Both LTE-M and NB-IoT operate in a licensed spectrum providing assured quality of service with minimal risk of interference.  It’s also more secure than non-licenced technologies by offering sim-based security features requiring device authentication to connect to the network. Meeting the same global security standards as LTE.