Following the designation by 3GPP of the Upper 700MHz A Block as Band 103, the many utilities holding licenses for this slice of spectrum can now further optimize their investment with the addition of NB-IoT technologies to their traditional usage of this frequency.
Providing a boost to grid visibility via connectivity to a proliferation of modern grid assets, an NB-IoT network can now be added to Band 103 in the Upper 700MHz A Block via Ubiik’s latest release products: the goRAN™ LTE Base Station and the Nimbus 220 NB-IoT Module.
Band 103 Benefits
Paired FDD 1+1 MHz
Long range – up to 25 miles
Ability to run a hybrid network combining 200kHz channels for NB-IoT alongside traditional SCADA or voice traffic
Long battery life for devices
Growing ecosystem including Ubiik’s latest release products
Why choose Ubiik for Band 103?
Increased bandwidth – Our goRAN™ Base Station now supports advanced non-anchor channel optimizations (3GPP Release 14) which maximizes data throughput in this narrow slice of spectrum. Offering nine useable eARFCN channels (in 100kHz steps), this feature differentiates the goRAN™ from typical LTE in terms of maximizing throughput. The significant reduction in signaling overhead and contention from this approach boosts bandwidth, resulting in the ability to support a wider range of utility IoT applications.
Longer battery life – As cell search and acquisition can lead to battery drain, the use of a non-anchor channel spreads the load over three channels instead of one. Scanning across three channels reduces the likelihood of collision which would result in timeouts, retransmissions and therefore would increase power consumption, impacting battery life.
Ultimate resilience via failover to public LTE networks – The Nimbus 220 NB-IoT Module’s automatic detection of network outages and the ability to switch the SIM profile to a public network while in operation ensures uninterrupted connectivity should an outage occur. The module has been engineered to periodically check for availability of the private network and to automatically fall back (from public to private) as soon as the outage has ceased.
Maximize the range of applications supported via hybrid networks – Most utility customers have a range of devices with varying bandwidth and latency demands. Ubiik can offer a hybrid network combining NB-IoT channels alongside existing narrowband SCADA channels to support lower criticality endpoints such as sensors and lighting through to mission-critical applications requiring ultra-low latency such as Teleprotection or voice backhaul.
Expand existing SCADA networks in 700MHz – The ability to add another tier of connectivity to an existing SCADA network allows utility customers to leverage low-cost connectivity to a range of emerging grid devices.
Reach out to our team today to find out more about how Band 103 can bring a new dimension to the future of your utility’s communications.