Chapter 6 - Internet of Things (NB-IoT and Massive MTC)

It is expected that internet of things (IoT) will deal with the major activities in the connected living environment as well as the industrial processes. All these aspects are going to be real in the frameworks of the fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks. 5G-based narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) networks have the capability to serve various innovative IoT applications at a great extent. NB-IoT is third generation partnership project (3GPP) standardized low power wide area (LPWA) technology which is designed for IoT devices requiring long battery life, low cost, worldwide coverage, and high system capacity. To improve the performance, 3GPP has agreed that the NB-IoT will continue evolving as part of the 5G specifications. NB-IoT along with 5G will work in several connected living applications. This combination will also be very useful in the industrial environments which need high data rates and low latency. All these features will be supported by 5G in the future. Similarly, applications with low data rates in the IoT world will be supported by NB-IoT. So 5G and NB-IoT are going to be a popular combination for several new applications.

This chapter illustrates that there are many challenging problems in the modern society such as environment pollution, radiation pollution, high demand, and low supply of energy. Such issues need modern solutions to tackle them. In this context, green internet of things (IoT) solutions have come up with flying colors. As there is a constant need of the energy by the interconnected IoT devices to perceive, fetch, and transmit the real-time information, the energy demands remain high. Green IoT is an emerging concept to meet this problem by framing the energy-efficient policies so as to provide a simpler yet better solution to enhance the quality of the current practices. In this chapter, different practical aspects of green IoT and narrowband IoT (NBIoT) deployment have been presented. NBIoT narrowband signals are used in low data rates are transmitted and have a widerange of reception because narrow filters cancel out unwanted wideband noise. NBIoT has several advantages over LTE-M due to lower device cost, longer battery life and extended coverage. Finally, some future research directions have been addressed.

This chapter covers the evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) from different aspects. It focuses on 3GPP cellular IoT evolution for connectivity, that is, narrowband IoT (NB‐IoT). The chapter summarizes the IoT evolution from an end‐to‐end perspective, including the IoT platform, IoT protocols, connectivity, and the sensors layer. The IoT platform should support open standard protocols to communicate with different sensors, devices, and gateways from different vendors. The proposed IoT platform will support existing technologies including 2G/3G/LTE/Wi‐Fi/PLC/ Fixed and low‐power, wide‐area (LPWA) networks such as long‐range (LoRaWAN) and Sigfox as well as 3GPP standardized technologies such as LTE‐Machine‐Type Communications (MTC) and 3GPP NB‐IoT. The chapter shows link budgets for NB‐IoT with different subcarrier spacing. One machine‐to‐machine (M2M) is a global partnership developing standards for M2M communications, enabling large‐scale implementation of the IoT. The chapter addresses a high‐level architecture reference model, network elements, and reference point for cellular IoT (CIoT).

The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm has already progressed from an emerging technology to an incredibly fast-growing field. Defined as one of the three key services in 5th Generation (5G), massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC) are intended to enable the wide-spread adoption of IoT services across the globe. Satellite-based Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) are crucial in providing connectivity with global coverage including rural and offshore areas, which are fundamental for supporting important use cases in future networks. A rapidly growing market for IoT devices with mMTC applications using NarrowBand-IoT (NB-IoT) will represent a large share of user equipment (UE) in such areas. While standardization efforts for NTN are underway for forthcoming 3GPP releases, they focus on transparent payload architectures where the satellite platform is necessarily connected to a ground station gateway to be able to provide satellite access services to IoT devices, thus requiring complex ground segment infrastructure in low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation deployments to achieve global coverage. In contrast, satellite network deployments targeting the delivery of delay-tolerant IoT applications using NB-IoT, which are a major mMTC use case, can benefit from architectures based on the use of regenerative payloads in the satellite and support for Store and Forward (S&F) operation where satellite access can remain operational even at times when the satellite is not connected to a ground station. In particular, such an approach would allow for extending satellite service coverage in areas where satellites cannot be connected to ground stations (e.g. maritime or very remote areas with lack of ground-stations infrastructures), improving ground segment affordability by enabling operation with fewer ground-stations and allowing more robust operation of the satellite under intermittent feeder link operation. In this paper, we provide a high-level design of an extended 3GPP architecture featuring store and forward mechanisms for IoT NTN delay-tolerant applications that address the previous challenges, as well as a laboratory validation of said architecture for a specific use case.

Abstract. The increased deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized global connectivity through applications such as smart cities, smart industries, healthcare systems, and industrial automation. However, resource-constrained IoT devices face severe security challenges, particularly in device authentication. Traditional authentication mechanisms based on symmetric and asymmetric cryptography introduce excessive communication and computation overhead, making them unsuitable for constrained IoT environments. In this paper, we propose a secure and lightweight device authentication mechanism based on digital certificates from a global stochastic perspective. The proposed framework considers the dynamic and uncertain behavior of IoT networks while ensuring secure identification and communication. The protocol employs asymmetric cryptography, hash functions, nonces, and timestamps to prevent impersonation, replay, and device capture attacks. The security properties of the proposed protocol are formally verified using the AVISPA tool under the Dolev-Yao attacker model. Performance evaluation demonstrates low communication, storage, and computational overhead, making the proposed mechanism suitable for Industrial IoT, smart cities, defense systems, and other mission-critical IoT applications.

Deploying Internet of Things (IoT) on a large scale necessitates widespread network infrastructures supporting Machine Type Communication. Integrating IoT into cellular networks like LTE, known as Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT), can fulfill this infrastructure need. Standard 3GPP Release 13 introduces NB-IoT's Repetition features, expanding radio transmission coverage while maintaining LTE performance. Focusing on uplink data traffic, this study examines NB-IoT's repetition mechanism, grid resource distribution, and NPUSCH performance through simulations. Results show that at SNR greater than -5 dB, maximum repetitions of 128 yield the highest BLER, while minimum repetitions of 2 result in the lowest. Quadrupling repetitions increases SNR by 5 dB, emphasizing repetition's role in error mitigation and uplink reliability, especially in challenging SNR conditions. For optimal throughput in SNR above -5 dB, maximum repetitions of 128 for NPUSCH format 1 are recommended. These findings underscore the importance of repetition in enhancing Narrowband IoT performance, offering insights for system optimization, where increasing the number of repetitions generally leads to higher SNR gain. The attained BLER and throughput values from Narrowband IoT simulations highlight the robustness of data transmission across varying channel conditions, affirming NB-IoT applicability to a wide range of IoT applications.

The rise of 5G networks represents a significant leap in technology, marked by increased bandwidth, better service quality, reduced latency, and enhanced support for numerous connected devices compared to their predecessor, 4G. This advancement is crucial for fostering the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, particularly in industrial sectors, where it enables the operation of intelligent Cyber-Physical Manufacturing Systems (CPMS). These systems leverage augmented intelligence, advanced manufacturing capabilities, real-time monitoring, and collaborative functions, collectively known as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Growing smart industries, driven by IIoT, produce vast amounts of data and require high-bandwidth, low-latency connections, which are shortcomings in earlier generations like 3G and 4G. To address these needs, the latest iteration, 5G, is designed to accommodate features essential for CPMS-enabled IIoT applications. In line with this shift, the proposed architectural framework utilizes 5G functionalities to enhance industry-specific smart services, including Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC), Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), and Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT). This paper presents an innovative architectural plan tailored for the forthcoming fifth-generation-enabled Industrial Internet of Things, meeting the evolving requirements of smart manufacturing technology in the industrial sector.

The arrival of internet of things (IoT) is a new revolution in the information and communication technologies. It added several new dimensions to the new and existing platforms of ICTs. It has improved the quality of our modern living by several new and smart technologies and their value-added applications. Applying the new emerging technologies in emergency medical services could offer better services to human lives during the emergency conditions. This chapter provides an overview of utilizing the IoT in the field of emergency medicine. IoT has tremendous potential to transform how the healthcare providers interact with patients. In order to achieve this, the healthcare sectors need widespread adoption and implementation of IoT. Healthcare sector is huge when compared with other IoT-enabled sectors. Therefore, the widespread deployment of IoT needs an effective version of IoT which is economical and does not pose any risk to the patients. Both these criteria can be met by the lighter and simpler version of IoT known as narrowband IoT (NBIoT). It is suitable due to its low power wide area (LPWA) coverage capabilities. In this chapter, the authors review the network architectures, applications, and trends of NBIoT in the modern healthcare. They further discuss how different wearable devices with coordinated smart sensors can improve emergency monitoring of patients for improved services in out-hospital and in-hospital scenarios. Finally, they give an account of advantages and disadvantages NBIoT in the emergency medical applications.

Terrestrial Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems cannot provide worldwide coverage as effectively as satellite systems. Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) is currently one of the major terrestrial IoT technology. This article provides an evaluation of the NB-IoT physical layer performance in the context of two satellite scenarios: Geostationary (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO). GEO scenarios suffer from large distances between transmitter and receiver, while LEO systems exhibit very large levels of Doppler. New algorithms are proposed to reliably adapt NB-IoT in these contexts and performance in terms of maximum throughput is evaluated and compared. Finally, NB-IoT main limitations in satellite communication links are identified.

Internet of things (IoT) is a way of connecting everything around us together, which would be widely applied in the 5G era. Narrow band IoT (NB-IoT) is one of the solutions introduced from 3rd Generation Partner Project (3GPP) Release-13 to fulfill this concept. Massive-connection and narrow band operation are two key features of NB-IoT. With current NB-IoT design, certain resources within narrow band are dedicated for transmitting paging information of massive connections. This leads to overload of the dedicated resources, and consequently increased padding bits and low resource efficiency. Moreover, UE power consumption would also rise due to the extra effort to decode larger packets. To solve above problems, a new resource allocation method is proposed, which includes a new definition of paging resource set and corresponding resource selection method. Link level simulation is conducted to show the benefit of our proposals. It is observed that approximately power consumption could be saved by 80% and the resource efficiency could be improved by 30.5% by utilizing our proposed methods.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a new paradigm that gives rise to Low Power Wide Are Networks (LP-WAN). Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a particular network arquitecture built on the legacy of LTE that is most suitable for IoT applications. In this paper, we present our work towards the implementation of a protocol simulator for NB-IoT communications. A summary of the NB-IoT physical layer is presented, deepening on the description of the uplink channel and ending with a description of the uplink scheduling process. As an application of our toolbox, we present NB-IoT uplink block error rate (BLER) curves traced via link layer simulations and derive the optimal link adaptation for an Additive White Gaussian Noise () channel.

The Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) for low-power, wide-coverage, and low-cost requirements solves the problem of massive Internet of Things device connectivity. NB-IoT supports device connection with large data throughput and long standby time. It is unmatched by traditional cellular data network technology and Bluetooth technology. By combining the NB-IoT positioning with the Lagrangian multiplier improved constrained least squares localization algorithm and the GSM mobile terminal delay estimation algorithm in NLOS environment, a feasible indoor three-dimensional positioning method is proposed. In addition, it reduces the influence of environmental factors on positioning and improves the accuracy of indoor three-dimensional positioning.

Internet of Things is coming to critical missions such as battlefield, border patrol, search and rescue, critical structure monitoring and surveillance, etc. Internet of Things (IoT) in Critical Missions or Internet of Mission-Critical Things (IoMCT) is propelled by the convergence of sensing, communication, computing, and control. To support IoMCT, the mission-critical networks will need to be flexible and interactive, and still work despite limited bandwidth, intermittent connectivity and with a large number of devices on the network. The focus of IoMCT is to improve surveillance utilizing a network, not fusion of disparate sensor products. Such adaptation, management, and re-organization of information sources, devices, and networks must be accomplished almost entirely autonomously, in order to avoid imposing additional burdens on the humans, and without much reliance on support and maintenance services.

This review paper explores the pivotal role of telecommunications in enabling Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and applications, providing a comprehensive overview of the current landscape and future prospects. The primary objective is to synthesize existing research and industry insights to highlight how advancements in telecommunications infrastructure and technology have catalyzed the adoption and expansion of IoT. The review systematically examines the evolution of telecommunications technologies, including 4G, 5G, and emerging network protocols such as Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and Long-Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M). It assesses how these technologies enhance IoT connectivity by providing the necessary bandwidth, low latency, and reliability for real-time data exchange and device interoperability. Key findings from the literature reveal that the deployment of 5G networks has been a game-changer for IoT, offering unprecedented speeds and connectivity capabilities that support a wide range of applications in smart cities, healthcare, agriculture, and industrial automation. Additionally, the paper discusses the role of telecommunications in addressing challenges related to security, scalability, and energy efficiency in IoT deployments. The review concludes that telecommunications are integral to the growth and sustainability of IoT ecosystems. As telecommunications technology continues to advance, its ability to support increasingly complex and ubiquitous IoT applications will drive innovation and enhance efficiency across various sectors. The paper emphasizes the necessity for ongoing investment in telecommunications infrastructure and research to fully exploit the transformative potential of IoT connectivity and applications.

Internet of things (IoT) has become a pervasive technology with ubiquitous presence in the modern digital ecosystem. Several types of IoT are available in the recent years based on their features and applications. Narrowband IoT (NBIoT) is one of the 3GPP standardized solutions for massive machine type communications (mMTC). It is designed for the large scale mMTC to provide coverage over a large area. Therefore, NBIoT is one of the most attractive low power wide area (LPWA) technologies. It is preferred for the large scale deployments in the large projects such as smart farming, healthcare, smart cities and smart grids. However, it is also suitable for low power domestic applications such as smart home and pets’ tracking. The LPWA features of NBIoT make it the primary choice for several emerging applications such as healthcare, agriculture, utility management, tracking of objects, smart city monitoring, retail management, smart grid monitoring, and industry applications. In this article we provide the principles and applications of NBIoT for the large scale deployments.