TS-UNB Builds More Cost-Effective IoT Networks; Here’s How
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Want to limit costs on massive IoT connectivity? The unlicensed radio spectrum is for you. Unfortunately, it’s not just for you. More than 15 billion IoT devices clogged the airwaves in 2024. That number will probably double by 2030.
Many of these devices will compete for the same unlicensed bandwidth.
When multiple devices try to use the same bandwidth, you end up with interference—and interference can erase the savings of unlicensed spectra.
There are many communication protocols for your license-free LPWAN: LoRaWAN, Sigfox, NB-IoT-Unlicensed, etc. But only one is built specifically to cut through the interference.
It’s called TS-UNB, and it might be the key to realizing powerful cost savings across the lifespan of your massive IoT network. Here’s a quick guide to the potential costs of operating a massive IoT deployment on unlicensed spectra—and how TS-UNB protocols can protect you from these expenses.
Mobile network operators (MNOs) own their segments of the licensed spectrum, and they charge you for access. That’s why they’ll always have higher ongoing costs than a network that runs on the unlicensed spectrum.
For the connectivity fees you pay your MNO, however, you get at least one strong benefit: Operators control the flow of traffic, so you can be reasonably certain data packets will travel safely to their destinations.
That’s not the case for the unlicensed spectrum. As the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ATIF) says:
“The ‘price’ of free access to unlicensed spectrum is that users sacrifice guaranteed protection from interference.”
Bandwidth congestion can increase IoT network costs in lots of ways. For example:
The TS-UNB protocol was designed to prevent these outcomes, even in huge IoT deployments—hundreds of thousands of devices or more—that operate on the unlicensed spectrum.
As ATIF reports:
“Getting reliable access to unlicensed spectrum essentially means taking advantage of licensed spectrum’s benefits with none of the costs.”
The TS-UNB protocol gets you as close to this ideal as possible. But how?
Let’s start by unpacking our term: TS-UNB stands for Telegram Splitting Ultra-Narrow Band.
An Ultra-Narrow Band (UNB) radio communications system restricts its communications channel to a very small slice of bandwidth. That allows it to sidestep noise while delivering and receiving relatively weak signals successfully.
The real magic of TS-UNB, however, lies in its telegram splitting technology. Specifically, TS-UNB uses a telecommunications technique called Telegram Splitting Multiple Access (TSMA). Here’s how it works:
This approach guards against interference. It also uses less energy than full packet delivery, because the radio bursts are much quicker. Ultimately, the TSMA method combined with UNB selectivity provides robust communication and better channel access at the massive IoT scale.
Additionally, TS-UNB runs on a single chip. It allows for low-cost devices with long battery lives. You don’t need lots of gateways everywhere. So infrastructure costs come down considerably compared to other unlicensed LPWAN technologies.
All these benefits create a particularly cost-effective LPWAN for municipal, commercial, and industrial IoT.
The TS-UNB protocol is ideal for massive IoT deployments that operate across wide geographic areas and need capacity to continue scaling up.
For example, a network that uses TS-UNB can save costs for IoT systems like:
These examples are far from comprehensive. As we’ve illustrated, TS-UNB can save costs on any massive IoT deployment—especially those that tend to continue growing in scale. By guarding against congestion in the unlicensed spectrum, TS-UNB prepares your IoT system for a future with even more network traffic.
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