LTE Cat M1 (also called LTE-M) is a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) technology developed specifically for IoT and M2M (machine-to-machine) communication. You could think of it as LTE preconfigured for machines, which it is. It’s a cellular protocol, part of the LTE family, but streamlined for IoT’s needs: long battery life, deep signal penetration (think basements, meters, elevators), and lower cost, by using eDRX/PSM.
Use LTE Cat M1 when you have long-term deployments (5–10+ years) in hard-to-reach places. Your devices transmit small data packets periodically (like temperature or GPS) and power saving is one of the things that matter in your configuration. It also supports voice over LTE (VoLTE). It functions well for specific uses cases that require that functionality.
Like a lot of tools within the IoT sphere, LTE Cat M1 is great for some applications and inappropriate for others. It is not the right tool for high bandwidth use cases like video or large file uploads, so consistent data streaming is not its forte. In use cases that have a lot of unit mobility (EG. in car internet), it suffers, due, to power saving coming at the expense of higher latency (transmission speed)… which eats power. It is not the correct choice for edge computing or complex local processing, as it is optimised for long term reliability, penetration and network coverage (NB-IoT or Cat 1 bis are better options there).
Comparison: LTE Cat M1 vs Regular LTE
| Feature | LTE Cat M1 (LTE-M) | Regular LTE (Cat 1, Cat 4, etc.) |
|---|---|---|
| Target Use | IoT devices | Smartphones, tablets, broadband modems |
| Data Rate (DL/UL) | ~300-400 kbps | Cat 1: ~10 Mbps / Cat 4: ~150 Mbps |
| Power Efficiency | High (uses PSM/eDRX) | Lower (designed for full-power devices) |
| Mobility Support | Yes (supports handover) | Yes |
| Latency | Low (10–15 ms typical) | Very Low (1–10 ms) |
| Voice Support (VoLTE) | Yes | Yes |
| Module Cost | Low (~$4–6 per module) | Higher (~$10–$30+ per module) |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 years (IoT-optimized) | Lower (higher energy consumption) |
| Signal Penetration | Strong (optimized for coverage) | Standard |
| Network Compatibility | LTE networks (requires config) | LTE networks (standard) |
| Typical Applications | Smart meters, trackers, wearables, remote sensors | Streaming, VoIP, mobile internet |
