M2M communications in cellular network deployments using LTE

With the widespread deployment of LTE 4G systems and large number of connected devices due to the Internet of Things, M2M services using LTE is under consideration by many cellular operators. In LTE Rel-12, low cost M2M devices with material cost comparable to EGPRS devices are being introduced. In addition, coverage enhancement techniques, which would be required to support M2M, will be standardized in Rel-13. In this paper, we will present an overview of M2M communication using LTE. We will cover the basics of LTE and show that LTE can be used to efficiently serve human and machine traffic. In addition, capacity results for some representative M2M services will be provided and their impact on human traffic will be discussed. Finally, M2M analysis using a real-world deployment scenario will be presented.