Introduction

Cat. 1 bis is one of the LTE communication standards established in 2016 by 3GPP Rel. 13.

It is currently attracting attention from various perspectives, including as a successor to 3G and reducing BOM (Bill Of Materials) costs.

In this article, we will introduce an overview of Cat. 1 bis, its benefits, and the differences between it and Cat. 1 and Cat. M.

Cat. 1 bis: Comparison with Cat. 1/M

Cat. 1 bis is a revision of the LTE standard Cat. 1, with bis coming from the Latin for "second."

Previously, Cat. 1 required two antennas, a main and a diversity antenna, to stabilize communications.

Cat. 1 bis achieves the equivalent of several Mbps of Cat. 1 with just one antenna.

[Benefits of choosing Cat. 1 bis]　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

・Compared to Cat. 1, the number of parts around the antenna can be reduced

-Cat. 1 equivalent coverage (wider coverage than Cat. M)

・RF circuits from 3G models can be used

- Supports low power consumption functions (PSM, eDRX)

Firstly, it requires one less antenna compared to the existing Cat. 1, which is expected to reduce costs by reducing the number of parts.

Furthermore, when upgrading to an LTE model due to the shutdown of 3G and to improve performance, the number of antennas increases from Cat. 1 onwards, so it was necessary to review the RF peripheral circuitry.

With Cat. 1 bis, it is possible to reuse 3G RF peripheral circuits, which is expected to reduce design man-hours.

In addition, Cat. 1 bis is a strong option for those who feel that Cat. M does not provide enough data traffic or coverage.

Simple comparison table (Cat. 1 bis/Cat. 1/Cat. M)

Introduction of Cat. 1 bis evaluation environment

As an evaluation environment for Cat. 1 bis, Quectel has released the EG915Q-GL/EG916Q-JP products based on Qualcomm chipsets.

For detailed product information, please see the URL below.

→ Quectel LTE-Cat. 1 bis communication module | EG916Q-GL/EG915Q-JP

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