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Ask HN: Using consumer cellphones for an IoT network?

2 points by smattiso ↗ HN
I have been looking into LoRaWAN for a low cost waterproof asset tracker I am looking at building. AFAIK, the primary benefits of LoraWAN over say LTE-M or cellular are: no connectivity costs and potentially lower power consumption.

What I'm wondering is: why can't we use our own cellphones as the "base station" that the IOT device talks with? We can do this with bluetooth and WiFi, why not cell? Is it the LTE protocol that prevents it? Physics? What am I missing?

1 comment

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WaitWaitWha
You can have your (very) low power LTE base station. Bandwidths ie radio spectrum frequency allocations, including LTE are licensed/managed by respective governments. Carriers pay these governing entities for use of the bandwidth for a period of time. Carriers once secure the licenses, deploy technology (towers, earth stations, satellites, etc.) for the use of purchased bandwidth. They hope they will recoup those costs and profit through selling the use of the equipment and bandwidth use to you.

Put it in a different way, you do not have the LTE infrastructure & licensing, therefore you must rely on a cellphone carrier to provide you the towers and such.