Federal IoT Network on LTE-450 to Launch in 2026

The launch of an LTE network for the Internet of Things (IoT), designed for data transmission from smart meters and sensors, is scheduled for 2026, according to Vedomosti. The Ministry of Digital Development plans to repurpose the 450 MHz frequency band specifically for this purpose. Previously, this frequency was intended for creating wireless communications for government officials and law enforcement. The LTE network for socially significant facilities and special users in this band was supposed to launch in 2024, but the project was never implemented.

In the upcoming national project “Data Economy,” which is set to replace the “Digital Economy” initiative, the LTE-450 network will be used for operating smart meters and sensors based on Rostelecom’s infrastructure. This information was presented by Minister Shadaev during a strategy session in the government on November 21, 2023.

The launch of a unified network for special users on the 450 MHz frequencies may not have happened due to unresolved funding issues, suggests independent analyst and author of the Telegram channel abloud62, Alexey Boyko.

Experts believe the commercial potential of the LTE-450 network in the context of IoT is minimal. According to a source close to one of the operators, Rostelecom needs the network mainly to secure government funding, and it is unlikely that many will actually use it.

“All attempts to build standalone IoT networks (primarily using LoRaWAN and SigFox standards) with national coverage have failed. The future lies either with mobile operators offering IoT services using the NB-IoT standard, which is integrated into LTE and 5G, or with large corporations deploying private LTE networks (which also include NB-IoT technology),” noted Leonid Konik, CEO of ComNews Group.