Trackers (assets, pets, people)
Small batteries, cross-border movement and positioning: LTE-M balances power saving with mobility; crossing borders means checking roaming rules first.
55countries with LTE-M
65countries with NB-IoT
222G/3G switch-offs planned in the next 36 months
What matters
- LTE-M hands over on the move, which suits moving devices better than NB-IoT
- Before crossing borders, check permanent-roaming limits and IMEI registration
- Where 2G/3G are switched off, older devices that fall back to them go silent
Recommended technology
LTE-M (Cat-M1) first, with NB-IoT or Cat 1 bis
Recommended modules
| Model | Category | Countries good on every network |
|---|---|---|
| Nordic nRF9160 | LTE-M / NB-IoT | 30 |
| Quectel BG77 | LTE-M / NB-IoT | 30 |
| Teltonika FMC130-MCIB0 | Vehicle tracker · Cat 1 | 157 |
| Teltonika FMC130-ME3 | Vehicle tracker · Cat 1 | 143 |
| Quectel EG912U-GL | Cat 1 bis | 171 |
| Quectel EC200U-EU | Cat 1 bis | 151 |
Before launch
Other use cases
Meters (water, gas, electricity)POS payment terminalsIn-vehicle (telematics, fleets)Telemedicine (monitoring, consultations)Industrial robots (AGVs, cobots)Inkjet coders (connected production lines)Live video (backpacks, gimbals, body cameras)