National Institute of Telecommunications

LoRa is a radio modulation technique that enables the transmission of small data packets over very long distances — up to several kilometers — with minimal energy consumption. This allows a sensor to operate on a single battery for many years. LoRa networks are most commonly used for reading parameters from sensors such as water meters, parking sensors, weather stations, soil moisture monitors, or fill-level sensors in tanks, containers, and waste bins.

Based on LoRa, the LoRaWAN (LoRa Wide Area Network) protocol was developed. It defines the network structure (end devices, gateways, network server), communication rules, and encryption mechanisms. In practice, this means that LoRaWAN provides a ready-to-use platform for building smart city systems, industrial networks, or environmental monitoring solutions.

The radio spectrum is a limited resource. Although the 863–870 MHz band used by LoRa in Europe is license-free, excessive use could lead to interference and degraded transmission quality.
For this reason, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in documents such as ITU-R SM.1880-1, emphasizes the importance of regular spectrum occupancy studies. These measurements help assess whether available channels are being used efficiently and what the prospects for further development are.

The 863–870 MHz band in Europe is allocated for short-range devices and used by various technologies, including LoRaWAN and RFID. According to Commission Decision (EU) 2017/1483, the 865–868 MHz range is used by RFID systems operating in 200 kHz-wide channels with power up to 2 W e.r.p. These transmissions are responsible for the strong peaks observed in our measurements around 865.9 MHz and 866.3 MHz. LoRaWAN, on the other hand, operates mainly in the 868.0–868.6 MHz range, where power is limited (25 mW e.r.p.) and transmission duty cycle restrictions apply (e.g., 1%). These regulations allow multiple systems to coexist within the same band without the need for individual radio licenses, enabling LoRa networks to develop alongside other technologies.

At the Wrocław branch of the National Institute of Telecommunications, nearly 100 sensors and devices using LoRa technology are currently in operation.
The deployed system uses eight channels: 867.1, 867.3, 867.5, 867.7, 867.9, 868.1, 868.3, and 868.5 MHz — with the highest load observed on the last three frequencies.

Measurements clearly show that LoRa devices occupy the spectrum only for fractions of a percent of the time — approximately 0.1% (3.6 seconds per hour). The only exception is 868.3 MHz, where occupancy reached 1.46%. However, this is not due to LoRa activity itself, but rather to overlapping transmissions from other systems operating in the same band — for instance, around 868.235 MHz and 868.34 MHz, where occupancy exceeds 2% (72 seconds per hour). This difference demonstrates LoRa’s exceptional efficiency in spectrum usage.

The Netherlands was one of the first countries to implement LoRa within a smart city framework. In 2015, the operator KPN launched a pilot LoRa network in Rotterdam and The Hague.
By mid-2016, the network had achieved nationwide coverage, making the Netherlands the first country in the world with such reach. The network quickly found numerous IoT applications — by the end of 2015, around 1.5 million devices were connected. The pilot projects included logistics at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport, monitoring of railway switches in Utrecht, and water-depth sensors in the port of Rotterdam.

In Poland, LoRa is used for various purposes, with remote meter reading being the most common application. A pioneering project was launched in Piekary Śląskie in 2019, where about 6,500 water meters with LoRaWAN modules were installed, covering the entire city. The solution enabled remote readings without the need for meter inspectors and allowed faster detection of failures and water losses. A similar system has been implemented in Wrocław, ultimately covering over 70,000 water meters.

Beyond metering, many Polish cities are deploying LoRaWAN for other urban services — air-quality monitoring, waste management, street lighting, and smart parking sensors — demonstrating the technology’s versatility across municipal applications. Additionally, in selected Polish cities, network operators have already deployed LoRaWAN gateways and are prepared to launch commercial networks.

According to the LoRa Alliance, by mid-2024 there were over 350 million LoRaWAN end devices and nearly 7 million gateways operating worldwide. The technology is used both in local installations and in large-scale systems covering entire metropolitan areas and key industrial sectors.

Service providers confirm this dynamic growth — Actility reports over 4 million active devices, and The Things Industries manages 2.7 million, both with year-over-year growth exceeding 50%.
In parallel, efforts are underway to expand network capabilities through integration with satellite communication (NTN – Non-Terrestrial Networks) and more flexible certification processes, facilitating new deployments. As a result, LoRaWAN is becoming an increasingly important element of digital infrastructure, supporting smart cities, modern energy systems, waste management, and industrial and agricultural applications.

Our research shows that the 863–870 MHz band still offers significant reserves, but the continued expansion of the IoT will require regular monitoring of its use.
In the coming years, we can expect:

• a substantial increase in the number of sensors in urban areas, industrial facilities, and farms,
• the implementation of intelligent spectrum-sharing mechanisms to minimize interference,
• and the integration of LoRaWAN with other communication technologies, including 5G and satellite systems.

LoRa is a technology that has gained enormous popularity in recent years and has proven its practical value. It enables IoT deployments that, a decade ago, would have been too costly or technically unfeasible.

The growing number of implementations in Poland and worldwide shows that LoRaWAN can serve as a foundation for smart city solutions — from energy management and transport to logistics and environmental protection. Our spectrum measurements in the 863–870 MHz band contribute to this trend by providing essential data for further development and responsible management of radio resources.

[Author: Daniil Ruban, Electromagnetic Compatibility Department, National Institute of Telecommunications, Wrocław]