Definition and Positioning
LTE Cat.1 (Category 1) is one of the LTE terminal capability levels defined by 3GPP, with a peak downlink rate of 10 Mbps and uplink of 5 Mbps, supporting full-featured LTE including voice (VoLTE), mobility, and cell handover. Compared to NB-IoT and LTE-M, Cat.1 has higher speed and lower latency; compared to higher Cat modules like Cat.4 and above, Cat.1 has lower cost and better power efficiency, making it a typical representative of "medium-speed IoT".
Cat.1 directly reuses the existing 4G LTE network, requiring no new base stations, with complete carrier coverage. Module costs have dropped to be comparable to or even lower than 2G, making it the mainstream alternative for scenarios such as shared bicycles, mobile payments, and vehicle terminals in the background of 2G network shutdown.
Technical Features
Core Features
- Medium speed: Downlink 10 Mbps / uplink 5 Mbps, meeting the needs of video surveillance, QR code payment, OTA upgrades, etc.
- Supports VoLTE: Capable of carrying voice calls, suitable for vehicle, intercom, customer service, and other scenarios.
- Full mobility: Supports high-speed handover, suitable for vehicle and logistics mobile scenarios.
- 4G compatible: Reuses the LTE network, wide coverage, fast deployment
- Moderate cost: Module prices continue to decline, making large-scale application more accessible
Compared with NB-IoT and LTE-M
| Features | Cat.1 | LTE-M | NB-IoT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downlink speed | 10Mbps | ~1Mbps | ~30kbps |
| Uplink speed | 5Mbps | ~1Mbps | ~60kbps |
| Voice | Supports VoLTE | Optional | Not supported |
| Mobility | Fully supported | Supported | Limited |
| Power consumption | Moderate | Low | Extremely Low |
| Typical Scenarios | In-vehicle, POS, Shared | Wearable, Tracking | Meter reading, sensors |
Typical Use Cases
Shared mobility
Shared bicycles/e-bikes positioning, unlocking, status reporting, requiring mobility and medium data rate
Mobile payment
POS terminals, barcode scanners real-time transactions, high requirements for latency and reliability
Vehicle-mounted terminals
T-Box, OBD, driving recorders, supporting voice and video
Video Surveillance
Mobile monitoring, temporary deployment, requiring certain bandwidth and low latency
Cat.1 bis and Evolution
Cat.1 bis is a single-antenna version, further reducing module size and cost, suitable for applications sensitive to volume. With the commercialization of 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability), medium-speed scenarios will gradually migrate to RedCap in the future, but Cat.1 will remain the mainstream choice for the next 2–5 years.
SimtoLink provides customers with IoT SIM cards and connectivity solutions based on Cat.1 in areas such as shared mobility, in-vehicle terminals, and mobile payments. For high-frequency mobile scenarios like shared bicycles and electric scooters, Cat.1's handover capability ensures uninterrupted connectivity while the device is moving; for POS and scan code terminals, medium-speed and low latency ensure transactions are completed in real time. SimtoLink's IoT SIM cards support Cat.1 networks of the three major operators, with dedicated APN and traffic management to meet enterprises' dual needs for stable connectivity and cost control.