What is Cat?
Cat. is UE-Category. According to the definition of 3GPP, UE-Category is divided into 10 levels from 1 to 10, of which Cat.1-5 is defined by R8, Cat.6-8 is defined by R10, and Cat.9-10 is R11 definition.
As shown in the figure above, UE-Category mainly defines the uplink and downlink rates that the UE terminal can support.
What is Cat.1?
The full name of Cat.1 is LTEUE-Category1, where UE refers to user equipment, which is a classification of the wireless performance of user terminal equipment under the LTE network. The ultimate goal of Cat.1 is to serve the Internet of Things and achieve the purpose of low power consumption and low-cost LTE connections, which is of great significance to the development of the Internet of Things.
What is 4G?
4G refers to the fourth-generation mobile communication technology (abbreviated as "4G"). "4G" includes TD-LTE and FDD-LTE. This is a better improvement of 3G technology. Compared with 3G communication technology, it has greater advantages. It is a perfect combination of WLAN technology and 3G communication technology, which can make image transmission faster. Make the transmitted image quality and image look clearer. The application of 4G communication technology in smart communication devices makes the user's Internet faster, with speeds up to 100Mbps.
The difference between Cat.1 and 4G
Cat.1 belongs to the 4G series and can completely reuse existing 4G resources. Although the 4g module mainly uses Cat.4, the download rate can reach 150m, but most IoT scenarios do not have such a high rate requirement. With the development of the mature 4G industry chain, Cat.1, as a low-end version of 4G, only needs to make a few changes to the existing 4G products, and it can be quickly introduced to the market and reduce costs, reaching the expected range of the industry. Cat.1 is the user terminal level configured as the lowest version of the parameters, allowing the industry to design low-end 4G terminals at low cost.
Of course, the "low version" 4G terminal Cat.1 also plays an important role in the industry. For example, some mobile phone manufacturers consider using Cat.1 chips to release 4G elderly smartphones, because many elderly machines only require basic calls and data. The Cat.1 function supports low-cost VoLTE and low-rate data, providing mobile phone manufacturers with new options. However, the importance of Cat.1 in the field of IoT may be even more important.
Compared with NB-IoT and 2G modules, Cat.1 has advantages in network coverage, speed and latency. Compared with the traditional Cat.4 module, it has the advantages of low cost and low power consumption. At the same time, Cat.1 is suitable for the current home 4G network, which is very suitable for application scenarios that require cost performance, delay, coverage and communication speed.
The development prospects of Cat.1
During the intergenerational migration of cellular IoT connections, the original 2G/3G connection can only be carried out by NB-IoT and 4G. Among them, low frequency, small packet, low mobility, low latency sensitivity, and high cost sensitivity can be carried out through NB-IoT; medium rate, certain requirements for delay and mobility, and support for voice and cost. The tolerance plan can be carried out through Cat.1.
Judging from the current development trend of the cellular Internet of Things, the time has opened for Cat.1 to assume the main role of 4GIoT connectivity.