Narrow band-IoT and long-range technology of IoT smart communication: Designs and challenges

In the last few years and the present era of digitization, every-one wants to become an IT incumbent. Intuitively speaking, human beings are dependent on technology, which plays an indispensable role in our day-to-day life (like Intelligent Communication and the Internet of Things (IoT). Among all the other technologies, the LPWAN technologies receive huge attention from researchers working in the field of the Internet of Things because of their wide coverage and low power consumption features. LPWAN is all about low power, long-range, and low-cost devices. In this review article, two LPWAN technologies, are named Long Range (LoRa) and Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT). For this review, the summary of some of the latest research work published from 2017 to 2021 is explored for more opportunities and challenges in the field of antennas used in this technology. First, a brief description of these techniques is explained and their technical requirements are mentioned, and then the article is designed by categorizing the article into sections as LoRa Technology, NB-IoT Technology, and their features, different types of antenna designs used in this technology, their performance enhancement techniques, and comparison, design and challenges, and their applications.