LTE Cat 1 bis white paper
Why LTE Cat 1 and Cat 1 bis continue to drive cellular IoT connection growth
Read white paper
Cat 1 and Cat 1 bis together support more IoT use cases than 5G
LTE Cat 1 is now well-established as a cellular technology for IoT – and Cat 1 bis, a single antenna variant, provides compelling efficiency and cost benefits which make it the natural choice for a wide range of applications. LTE Cat 1 is attractive for use cases that benefit from its blend of ubiquitous coverage and solid performance – but Cat 1 bis will account for an increasing share of the growth seen in IoT connections in the second half of this decade.
For latency-sensitive applications, Cat 1 offers latency of 50-100 milliseconds, placing it above Cat M and NB-IoT, but beneath higher LTE categories. Cat 1 is also sufficient to support popular IoT activities such as firmware upgrade over-the-air (FOTA) with better capability than LTE-M. Power saving techniques such as power saving mode (PSM) and extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) are also supported. LTE Cat 1’s strengths and ubiquity mean it will still account for around 10% of cellular IoT modules in 2028 – but Cat 1 bis is forecast to replace nearly 70% of the LTE Cat 1 market by 2029.
Cat 1 bis sits in a cellular sweet spot, offering more than adequate performance for video applications, yet at attractive cost and with the assurance that LTE networks will be in operation until at least the end of this decade. Popular use cases include industrial routers, home security and automation, smart electricity meters, fleet management and point of sale (POS) devices.
Originally part of GSMA Release 13 in 2016, Cat 1 bis didn’t gain much attention until 2023 when a growing number of IoT solution designers started to recognize that the technology offers a significant upgrade to standard Cat 1, with its long lifespan and appealing cost base. Operating in all LTE frequencies, Cat 1 bis also has a clear advantage in power consumption over Cat M and NB-IoT because Cat 1 bis transmits more data with less power, as it enables a shorter time in transmit mode.
Relevant products
LTE Cat 1 bis EG915Q series
LTE Cat 1 bis EG800Q series
LTE Cat 1 bis EG916Q-GL
LTE Cat 1 bis has experienced the steepest climb in year-on-year module shipments, resulting in 14% revenue growth in 2024, and market forecasts are for a continued upward trend. Quectel believes that Cat 1 bis will remain a popular cellular connectivity option for at least the next ten years and emphasizes that mobile operators are not yet even thinking of deactivating their LTE networks. Read our new white paper to better understand the advantages of Cat 1 bis, market forecasts for this and adjacent IoT technologies, and how we can help you make the most of the opportunities at hand.