Are there any license free LoRa frequency bands in India?
We have been getting this question from many clients over the past couple of months and we thought we will make it clear as to where we stand on the matter at this time. A little back ground first because most people (even many IoT experts) are just discovering LoRa.
LoRa can work with many frequency bands in the ISM band of frequencies, but the popular bands are
- 868 MHz – EU (ITU Region 1)
- 915 MHz – Americas (ITU Region 2)
This is because the only known semiconductor product capable of completing a LoRaWAN, the Semtech SX1301 supports only these bands. This might remain so for some time to come because of Semtech keeping things tight with the supply of SX1301 and even documentation about the SX1301.
Now the confusion arises in India because the 865 MHz to 867 MHz license free band in India ends at 867 MHz, as per the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology directions as mentioned here. Bit of a conundrum because in the ITU Region 1 (Mostly Europe) 863-870 MHz is license free (How I wish the British had decided our frequency bands before leaving).
However, there is a silver lining with the 868 MHz LoRa band. As with all frequency bands there are 8 channels in the 868 MHz LoRa band. These eight channels are spread over frequencies starting at 865.20 MHz and ending at 868 MHz. So in reality a major portion of the 868 MHz LoRa frequency channels are in the license free 865 MHz – 867 MHz band in India. Seven out of the eight channels are in the license free band in India.
So as things stand right now we are good to go with LoRa in India.
Update (01-01-2017)
On a related note we came across this example implementation on LoRaWAN Frequencies that are within the legal bounds for licence free implementation in India. This implementation is from loriot.io, one of few free network servers for implementing test/trail LoRaWAN deployments. More details on the same in a separate post in a future.
| Channel | Frequency | Modulation / BW |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 865.400 MHz | MultiSF 125 kHz |
| 1 | 865.600 MHz | MultiSF 125 kHz |
| 2 | 865.800 MHz | MultiSF 125 kHz |
| 3 | 866.000 MHz | MultiSF 125 kHz |
| 4 | 866.200 MHz | MultiSF 125 kHz |
| 5 | 866.400 MHz | MultiSF 125 kHz |
| 6 | 866.600 MHz | MultiSF 125 kHz |
| 7 | 866.800 MHz | MultiSF 125 kHz |
| LoRa | 865.700 MHz | SF7 250 kHz |
| FSK | 865.700 MHz | FSK 250 kHz, 64 kbps |
| RX2 channel (downlink) | ||
| RX2 | 865.200 MHz | SF12 125 kHz |
Trademark Disclaimer: LoRa and LoRaWAN are Trademarks of Semtech Corporation
Please can you suggest where to buy lora for arduino and raspberry pi. Please attach link if possible.
Thanks
A quick search for LoRa Shield for Arduino throws up plenty of options. We couldn’t find any in India though.
i bought rn2483 chip from abroad.. i kept radio set freq 867000000, pwr 14 , bit rate = 64 bps for both chips one for tx and another for rx (peer to peer)..
idea is to send message from tx to rx, but iam getting 700 meters only..will u help how to get more distance
but rn2483 claims that more than 15 km in suburban, but iam hardly getting 1.2 km
help me how to get distance?
Ramesh
The range you get out of any LoRa modules and configurations depends on many factors, including the location and the antenna. If you are using small antennas (3-5dBi) 700 meters is not a bad practical range for peer to peer communications. LoRaWAN can however give you much better ranges.
For testing and certification purpose, are there any regulatory requirements (like FCC in US) in India.
Hi Deepak,
This is really good article and clears most of our confusion. I have got iC880A LoRa concentrator and it says 868MHz, can you help me understand if I can configure this gateway to operate in the indian frequency band.
Yes, that is possible. Your network server component will enable you to do that.
To make iC880A concentrator work in india, do we need to just configure or it requires hardware change?
Please help to understand this part.
If possible through configuration, can you please send the configuration or let me know how to configure this concentrator.
Hi Team,
its a good blog on LoRaWAN. As you mentioned that its GSM/service provider dependent, so do we have to take services from any service provider or we can individually install LoRaWan BTS for our sensors
Have checked that Tata Communication has tied up with Semtech for LoraWan BTS, but dont know the status of its commercial usage availability? Any info on this
There are primarily two types for deployments :
Private deployments within limited area where LoRaWAN Gateways(BTS) can be installed and maintained by individuals / private parties.
Public deployments where the application requires a city wide / multi city connectivity, in which case public service providers like TCL make better sense.
One confusion still persists in my mind whether sx1301 supports indian frequency on lora?
Yes, iC880A module supports Indian ISM frequency band 865-67MHz
Hi,
Are these frequency channels given by LoRa Alliance?
Has anyone worked on IMST im880b module, or the library given by IMST for LoRa?
we can configure the LORA chipset to work in Indian frequency band of 865 to 867 with channels configured
Yes that is possible. Depending on the chipset / module you are using the procedure will vary.
This approach of using lower frequencies and not using 868 MHz will not work. As per the LoRa specifications (section 7.1.2), every LoRa device working in 868 MHz spectrum must support 3 default channels and that cannot be changed. The channel frequencies are 868.10 MHz, 868.30 MHz,868.50 MHz. Any module, that adheres to EU 868 standard will emit radiations in that band, and thus, is in-usable in India.
Even the 433 MHz band, that looks promising cannot be used. The reason is, that the minimum LoRa bandwidth is 125KHz, whereas, as per the current “India Frequency Allocation Plan 2011”, in the 433 MHz spectrum, the maximum bandwidth allowed is 10 KHz.
Basic story, as per my understanding is, that India is not ready for LoRa as yet, until the regulations are updated. Let me know if my understanding is incorrect.
Vishnu
The Indian band has certain limitations compared to the EU band. However to say that LoRa in India is not possible / viable is factually incorrect. Also latest LoRaWAN specifications have included India specific frequency plan.
Hello Every one , I just want to start with LoRa system . After reading this blog i come to know that there is a frequency (865-867MHz) in which we can use unlicensed frequency . But can any one tell mi which modules has facility to adjust frequency . And are they available in india
Rishikesh
All modules that are designed for the 868Mhz band can be used with these frequencies. The frequency selection / configuration happens in your node firmware, the procedure for this varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Thanks for Helping . One more confusion is about gateways . Is there any gateway available in pune for LoRaWAN
Are there any dBm related regulations for the above frequencies in India ? For instance, I came across ETSI (Europe) regulations that restricts maximum allowed power to be transmitted in 868 MHz band to 14DbM. Do we have any such restrictions in India ?
The maximum transmitted power limitation in India is 1W.