IoT is poised to explode with tens of millions of devices expected to come online in the next decade. The cellular industry is innovating quickly, but the ecosystem is fragmented and difficult to navigate. This talk will review the next generation of cellular connectivity and its impact on IoT.

2. THE FUTURE OF CELLULAR IOT

3. LTE TECHNOLOGIES FOR IOT WILL UNLOCK NEW BUSINESS VALUE
NEW VALUE PROPOSITIONS NEW USE CASES
Lower hardware costs
Longer battery life
Greater RF penetration
Distributed sensor
networks (agriculture)
Mobile asset tracking
(bikes, pets, kids)
Emergency water valve
shutoff (basements)

4. OVERVIEW
SITUATION
COMPLICATION
QUESTION
ANSWER
New innovative cellular technologies like LTE for IoT and eSIM are becoming
available and will unlock new product applications and huge amounts of business
value within IoT alone.
The cellular ecosystem is incredibly fragmented, and building vertically integrated
products and customer solutions with a guaranteed 5-10 year lifespan is incredibly
challenging.
How can product creators build solutions that bring the value of these
technological breakthroughs to their customers without exposing themselves to
excessive development risk?
1. Discount the hype. New technologies often carry bold claims supported by unrealistic assumptions
and use cases. Go hands-on with new tech to understand the value it can provide your customers.
2. Leverage future-compatible platforms and ecosystems. Work with proven technology integrators
who can provide a hardware and software-compatible path to future technologies.
3. Don’t wait for the technology of tomorrow. Build your product with technology that works for your
customers today.

5. HELLO! MY NAME IS WILL.
About Me
My name is Will Hart, and I am the General Manager
of Developer Tools at Particle, which means I’m
responsible for our hardware development kits,
open-source firmware stack, IDEs, manufacturing,
and fulfillment. I have a background in mechanical
engineering with experience in electronics
manufacturing, supply chain, and engineering
management.
Email - LinkedIn
About Particle
Particle (https://www.particle.io) is a scalable,
reliable and secure Internet of Things device
platform that enables businesses to quickly and
easily build, connect, and manage their connected
solutions. The company’s solutions are the most
widely-used IoT platform with a developer
community of 100,000 users in more than 170
countries with many in the Fortune 500.
1475 Folsom St, Ste 200, San Francisco, CA 94103
415-316-1024 (office)
GM OF DEVELOPER TOOLS

6. CELLULAR IOT TODAY
A FRAGMENTED ECOSYSTEM
NAVIGATING THE FUTURE
THE FUTURE OF CELLULAR

7. CELLULAR IOT TODAY
A FRAGMENTED ECOSYSTEM
NAVIGATING THE FUTURE
THE FUTURE OF CELLULAR

8. CELLULAR IOT TODAY
2G VS 3G
CELLULAR BANDS
THE CELLULAR “STACK”
NETWORK PROVIDERS

9. THE CELLULAR “STACK” IS DEEP AND COMPLICATED
PLAYER IMPACT ON PRODUCT
CHIPSET Hardware support for 2G, 3G, LTE
MODULE Supported frequencies, price, size
MVNO Carrier support, cost of data
CARRIERS Coverage (not reception)
NETWORK SOFTWARE Network support for for 2G, 3G, LTE
THE INTERNET IoT can exist

10. IN IOT, COST AND COVERAGE DIFFERENTIATE 2G/3G
HW Cost
Power Consumption
(Tx)
Bandwidth* Network Status
2G $8-$12
Short bursts of power
(2A peaks)
14.4 kbps
Many operators plan
to sunset between
2017 and 2020
3G $15-$20
Continuous power draw
(~700mA)
3.1 Mpbs
(215x more)
No announced
sunset timelines
• Cellular chipsets provide support at the HW level
• Carriers provide support at the infrastructure level
* for most IoT applications,
both are plenty

11. YOUR HW AND NETWORK MUST SUPPORT THE SAME FREQUENCIES
AT&T 850/1900 MHZ
VODAPHONE 900/2100 MHZ
CHINA
MOBILE 900/1800 MHZ
AIRTEL 900/2100 MHZ
T-MOBILE 1900/2100 MHZ
REGIONAL SKUS
GLOBAL SKU
SARA-U260 850/1900 MHZ
SARA-U270 900/1800/2100 MHZ
SARA-U201
850/900/1800/
1900/2100 MHZ
HARDWARE SUPPORT CARRIER SUPPORT

12. ROAMING AGREEMENTS (2G/3G)
CARRIERS LEVERAGE ROAMING AGREEMENTS TO PROVIDE WORLDWIDE COVERAGE
YOU
CARRIER
T-MOBILE BIRTHI TELSTRA CHINA MOBILE
ROAMING AGREEMENTS
AT&T
100+ MORE
COUNTRIES
DIRECT CARRIER AGREEMENT

13. CELLULAR IOT TODAY
A FRAGMENTED ECOSYSTEM
NAVIGATING THE FUTURE
THE FUTURE OF CELLULAR

14. LTE
(WHICH APPARENTLY STANDS FOR “LONG TERM EVOLUTION”)

15. LTE OFFERS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED COVERAGE
COVERAGE (T-Mobile)
LTE COVERAGE 2G COVERAGE

16. LTE CAN ENSURE LONG TERM (5-10 YR) NETWORK SUPPORT
LONG TERM SUPPORT
2G SUNSET 3G SUNSET
AT&T
VERIZON
T-MOBILE
complete
SPRINT
2020 or later unknown
unknown
2021 or later
in progress 2021 or sooner
unknown

17. LTE M1 AND NB1 TARGET LOW BANDWIDTH IOT APPLICATIONS
LTE CAT 6
LTE CAT 4
LTE CAT 1
LTE CAT M1
LTE CAT NB1
COST
POWER
CONSUMPTION
TARGET
APPLICATIONS
VERY HIGH
BANDWIDTH
SMARTPHONES
POINT OF SALE
SENSORS AND
ACTUATORS
LOW POWER
SENSORS
BANDWIDTH
300 MBPS
150 MBPS
10 MBPS
375 KBPS
27 KBPS
LTE FOR IOT

18. LTE M1 AND NB1 WILL BOTH BRING VALUE TO IOT
Cost Bandwidth Mobility Power Latency Use Case
LTE M1 $8 - $15 100kbps
Supports cellular
handoff between
towers
Higher Tx
current,
—————
Short sleep
penalty
10 to 15ms
Low bandwidth
devices in frequent
communication
LTE NB1
(NB-IoT)
$6 - $12 10kbps
Does not support
cellular handoff
between towers*
Lower Tx
current,
—————
Long sleep
penalty (30s)
1.4 to 10s
Stationary sensors
transmitting several
times per day

19. ESIM
(WHICH STANDS FOR “EMBEDDED SIM”)

20. ESIM ENABLES LOW-FRICTION PROVISIONING ONTO CELLULAR NETWORKS
NANO SIM (4FF) ESIM (MFF2)
ESIM PROFILE
DISCOVERY SERVER

21. ESIM WILL SIMPLY LIFE FOR MANUFACTURERS
IoT-enabled product manufacturers would have the ability to
build devices with “blank” SIMs that could be activated in the
destination country. This functionality would make for easy
equipment connectivity and allow manufacturers to offer new
products in new market segments.
“
” “E-SIM FOR CONSUMERS”
MCKINSEY AND COMPANY

22. ESIM WILL ENABLE NEW CONSUMER BUSINESS MODELS
By adopting e-SIM technology, mobile network operators…would
also have the ability to provide convergent offers with multiple
devices (for instance, the smart car and smart watch) under a
single contract with the consumer more conveniently than they
would using physical SIM cards.
“
” “E-SIM FOR CONSUMERS”
MCKINSEY AND COMPANY

23. CELLULAR IOT TODAY
A FRAGMENTED ECOSYSTEM
NAVIGATING THE FUTURE
THE FUTURE OF CELLULAR

24. LTE COMPLICATIONS (41 BANDS)

25. LTE COMPLICATIONS

26. CARRIER ADOPTION - M1 VS NB1
M1 ADOPTION NB1 ADOPTION
USA
CANADA CHINA
EUROPE
AUSTRALIA
TELSTRA (M1) AND OPTUS (NB1)
MEXICO SOUTHEAST ASIA
M1 requires software update to
existing cellular towers
NB1 requires software update
and new radio hardware

27. ROAMING AGREEMENTS (2G/3G)
ROAMING AGREEMENTS WILL BREAK DOWN WITH LTE FOR IOT
YOU
CARRIER
T-MOBILE BIRTHI TELSTRA CHINA MOBILE
ROAMING AGREEMENTS
AT&T
100+ MORE
COUNTRIES
DIRECT CARRIER AGREEMENT

28. ROAMING AGREEMENTS (2G/3G)
ROAMING AGREEMENTS WILL BREAK DOWN WITH LTE FOR IOT
YOU
CARRIER
T-MOBILE BIRTHI TELSTRA CHINA MOBILE
ROAMING AGREEMENTS
AT&T
100+ MORE
COUNTRIES
DIRECT CARRIER AGREEMENT
T-MOBILEAT&T BIRTHI TELSTRA

29. ROAMING AGREEMENTS WILL BREAK DOWN WITH LTE FOR IOT
CARRIEREach relationship might take 6-12 months to
negotiate and will be governed under separate
contracts with separate pricing, data volumes, device
minimums, and terms of service.

30. ESIM SUPPORT AND TIMELINE WILL VARY BY CARRIER
The ease of use and ease of operator switching has the potential
to weaken the network operator’s position in the mobile value
chain, as customers may demand more freedom from contractual
lock-ins, as well as more dynamic contractual propositions.
“
”
“E-SIM FOR CONSUMERS”
MCKINSEY AND COMPANY

31. CELLULAR IOT TODAY
A FRAGMENTED ECOSYSTEM
NAVIGATING THE FUTURE
THE FUTURE OF CELLULAR

32. HOW CAN PRODUCT CREATORS BUILD SOLUTIONS THAT
BRING THE VALUE OF THESE TECHNOLOGICAL
BREAKTHROUGHS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS WITHOUT
EXPOSING THEMSELVES TO EXCESSIVE DEVELOPMENT RISK?

33. 1. DISCOUNT THE HYPE

34. 1. DISCOUNT THE HYPE
IDEAL ENVIRONMENT REAL LIFE USE CASE
10-15 years battery life 12-18 months battery life
vs
1 message per 24 hours 5-10 readings per hour
10,000 mAh Li-metal battery
+
+
2,000mAh Li-Po battery
5% in 24h then 1-2% per month2% annual discharge rate
+
+

35. 2. LEVERAGE FUTURE COMPATIBLE PLATFORMS AND ECOSYSTEMS
HARDWARE TIPS
MODULES WITH 2G/3G
FALLBACK
INTEGRATED M1/NB1
HARDWARE
FOOTPRINT AND PIN
COMPATIBLE ROADMAPS
“The MDM9206 modem is designed to
support LTE category M1 (eMTC),
upgradeable to dual category M1/NB-1
mode with an anticipated upcoming
software update. “

36. 2. LEVERAGE FUTURE COMPATIBLE PLATFORMS AND ECOSYSTEMS
LEVERAGE ESIM TO ENABLE
FUTURE CARRIER MOBILITY
ESIM (MFF2)
LEVERAGE INTEGRATED
HARDWARE + DATA PLATFORMS
CARRIER TIPS

37. BROAD LTE ADOPTION
3. DON’T WAIT FOR THE TECHNOLOGY OF TOMORROW
Start building with technology that solves your customers’ problems today
2017 2018 2019
2G
3G
LTE
2G SUNSET
(GRADUAL)
2G LEGACY
CONTINUE MANUFACTURING
2G SOLUTION TO REMAIN
COST COMPETITIVE IN
SELECT MARKETS
3G REMOTE MARKETS
ESTABLISH PRODUCT
ADOPTION IN SECONDARY
MARKETS WHERE IOT IS
POORLY ESTABLISHED
LTE WITH FALLBACK
LTE DEPLOYMENTS IN EARLY-
ADOPTER MARKETS WITH 3G
FALLBACK AS COVERAGE
IMPROVES
LTE GLOBAL SKU
ONCE LTE COVERS ALL
PRIMARY MARKETS, COST-
REDUCE WITH SINGLE LTE
GLOBAL SKU

38. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PARTICLE’S
APPROACH TO CELLULAR, VISIT
PARTICLE.IO

39. THE FUTURE OF CELLULAR IOT