Abstract
Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a type of low-power wide-area (LPWA) technology standardized by the 3 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">rd</sup> -Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and based on long-term evolution (LTE) functionalities. NB-IoT has attracted significant interest from the research community due to its support for massive machine-type communication (mMTC) and various IoT use cases that have stringent specifications in terms of connectivity, energy efficiency, reachability, reliability, and latency. However, as the capacity requirements for different IoT use cases continue to grow, the various functionalities of the LTE evolved packet core (EPC) system may become overladen and inevitably suboptimal. Several research efforts are ongoing to meet these challenges; consequently, we present an overview of these efforts, mainly focusing on the Open System Interconnection (OSI) layer of the NB-IoT framework. We present an optimized architecture of the LTE EPC functionalities, as well as further discussion about the 3GPP NB-IoT standardization and its releases. Furthermore, the possible 5G architectural design for NB-IoT integration, the enabling technologies required for 5G NB-IoT, the 5G NR coexistence with NB-IoT, and the potential architectural deployment schemes of NB-IoT with cellular networks are introduced. In this article, a description of cloud-assisted relay with backscatter communication, a comprehensive review of the technical performance properties and channel communication characteristics from the perspective of the physical (PHY) and medium-access control (MAC) layer of NB-IoT, with a focus on 5G, are presented. The different limitations associated with simulating these systems are also discussed. The enabling market for NB-IoT, the benefits for a few use cases, and possible critical challenges related to their deployment are also included. Finally, present challenges and open research directions on the PHY and MAC properties, as well as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of NB-IoT, are presented to foster the prospective research activities.
Highlights
The Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a release 13 3rd-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technology built on the platform of long-term evolution (LTE) functionalities
This review provides detailed guidelines for integrating NB-IoT into 5G networks. This is the first study of the challenges and operation of NB-IoT technology for 5G new radio (5G NR) coexistence
An analytical investigation of the NB-IoT environment for a 5G-IoT class of connectivity, cloud-assisted relay with ambient backscatter communication, as well as the limitation of the inseparable control and user planes of LTE evolved packet core (EPC) posing a challenge to the performance and acceptability of LTE NB-IoT, were presented to enhance the understanding of NB-IoT performance and problems
Summary
The Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a release 13 3GPP technology built on the platform of long-term evolution (LTE) functionalities. Considering the differences between this survey and other articles that have emerged to examine NB-IoT connectivity and limitations, this is the first survey paper detailing practical features of NB-IoT coexistence with 5G new radio (5G NR), and open research challenges that may hinder the conduct of NB-IoT carriers within the NR network. A comprehensive flowchart of the 5G-IoT class of connectivity is presented and a definite difference between the NB-IoT protocol stack and the OSI reference model concerning optimized LTE NB-IoT architecture is discussed, as well as the popular features of the 3GPP releases from 13 to 17.
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