Following T-Mobile, Verizon says it will go nationwide with NB-IoT in 2018.

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

February 2, 2018

1 Min Read
Verizon Boards the NB-IoT Train

Verizon says it has completed its first NB-IoT data session test and plans to deploy the Internet of Things-focused cellular specification across its LTE network in 2018.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) said Thursday that it used Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) software to test the narrowband cellular tech in 180KHz of spectrum. Unlike consumer LTE, NB-IoT offers an efficient option for hooking up smart sensors and other machine-to-machine applications because it uses very little power for its 200 Kbit/s connections and very little spectrum, which gives devices a battery life that can be measured in years.

T-Mobile was the first carrier to offer commercial NB-IoT services in the US: It launched in Las Vegas in October 2017. (See T-Mobile Rolls Out $6-a-Year NB-IoT Plan.

Like T-Mobile, Verizon likes NB-IoT because it can be deployed in LTE spectrum "guard bands" that sit between LTE channels to prevent interference. Thus the dedicated 180KHz bandwidth for NB-IoT "does not share spectrum resources with commercial smartphone traffic," Verizon noted in a statement.

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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