LoRa and LoRaWAN

LPWAN also include technologies that are proprietary and not sponsored by 3GPP. It can be argued that some IEEE802.11 protocols should also be classified in LPWAN, but the next two sections will highlight LoRa and Sigfox. LoRa is a physical layer for a long-range and low-power IoT protocol while LoRaWAN represents the MAC layer. 

Note

These proprietary LPWAN technologies and carriers have the advantage of using the unlicensed spectrum and that, simply, is data plan cost. Typically, technologies like Sigfox and LoRaWAN will be 5x to 10x lower in their data rates compared to traditional 3G or LTE connections for large volume deployments (>100,000 units). That may change with more competition from Cat-M1, Cat-NB, and Cat-5 but it is too early to tell.

The architecture was originally developed by Cycleo in France but then acquired by the Semtech Corporation (a French mixed-signal electronics manufacturer) in 2012 for $5 million in cash. The LoRa Alliance was formed in March...