AT&T plans to use LTE Machine Type Communications (LTE-M) and other 4G tech for many Internet of Things applications
Big Blue plans to deliver its first reduced capacities (RedCap) 5G to IoT devices next year.
LTE-M 4G supports smart label tracking, which is great for use cases where chain of custody and location tracking are important, AT&T says
AT&T plans to use LTE Machine Type Communication (LTE-M), as well as other 4G technologies, for many Internet of Things (IoT) asset tracking tasks, even as it intends to deliver its first reduced capabilities (RedCap) 5G IoT devices in 2025.
The operator has its LTE-M 4G network ready for all kinds of smart label tracking, Cameron Coursey, vice president of connected solutions at AT&T, told Fierce at MWC Las Vegas last week. U.S. ballot boxes will use the technology because it offers chain of custody and location tracking, he said.
Other uses include medical tracking. The technology is useful “any time you have a high-value asset, and you need to track more than just location,” he added. If you need to track chain of custody or monitor for shock or humidity, smart labels are ideal.
AT&T's 4G asset tracking
“The average cost of one of these first generation smart labels is 30 to 40 dollars U.S.,” Coursey said. “But in quantities, you can get lower cost, and we anticipate that will continue to go down.”
AT&T’s smart labels are based around LTE-M technology, which supports reduced costs and is suitable for applications where 5G's 1 MB data speed and low-latency communications are unnecessary. Moreover, 5G IoT is not yet available.
“LTE-M is going to be around for some time,” noted AvidThink principal analyst Roy Chua in an e-mail to Fierce. Major cellular providers "agree that LTE isn't going away soon, and there's going to be a long transition to RedCap.”
AT&T is also planning to use a 4G technology called LTE Cat 1 bis for IoT tasks, Coursey said. “We think it’ll take off as a global standard,” he said.