Regional Parameters

LoRaWAN operates in unlicensed radio spectrum. This means that anyone can use the radio frequencies without having to pay million dollar fees for transmission rights. It is similar to WiFi, which uses the 2.4GHz and 5GHz ISM bands worldwide. Anyone is allowed to set up WiFi routers and transmit WiFi signals without the need for a license or permit.

LoRaWAN uses lower radio frequencies with a longer range. The fact that frequencies have a longer range also comes with more restrictions that are often country-specific. This poses a challenge for LoRaWAN, that tries to be as uniform as possible in all different regions of the world. As a result, LoRaWAN is specified for a number of bands for these regions. These bands are similar enough to support a region-agnostic protocol, but have a number of consequences for the implementation of the backend systems.

  • LoRaWAN has official regional specifications, called Regional Parameters, that you can download from the LoRa Alliance website.

  • These LoRaWAN regional specifications do not specify everything either. They only cover a region by specifying the common denominator. For example, the LoRaWAN regional parameters for Asia only specify a common subset of channels - but there are variations between regulations in Asian countries. Furthermore, each network server operator is free to select additional parameters, such as additional emission channels. We call these parameters Other. For The Things Network, they are defined in this GitHub repository.

  • In some countries, more than one frequency plan may be used. For example, in the Netherlands, both EU868-870 and EU433 can be used.

  • The regional parameters include physical layer parameters such as frequency plans (channel plans), mandatory channel frequencies and data rates for join-request messages. The Regional Parameters also include LoRaWAN layer parameters such as maximum payload size.

In this chapter you will learn in detail about the EU863-870 band and US902-928 ISM band. This chapter also presents some important parameters involved in other frequency plans.

Common Frequency Plans #

LoRaWAN operates in the unlicensed ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) bands. The table below lists the latest frequency plans and their common names.

Channel Plan Common Name
EU863-870 EU868
US902-928 US915
CN779-787 CN779
EU433 EU433
AU915-928 AU915
CN470-510 CN470
AS923 AS923
KR920-923 KR920
IN865-867 IN865
RU864-870 RU864

Information about specific countries and frequency plans can be found here:

Note:
The Things Fundamentals certification expects detailed knowledge about the EU863-870 and US902-928 frequency plans. However, having a basic understanding of other frequency plans is sufficient; for example, you should know that Listen Before Talk (LBT) is used in Japan.

EU863-870 Band #

The EU863-870 band can be applied to any region where the radio spectrum use is defined by the ETSI [EN300.220] standard. The EU863-870 band is used in all the European countries, and some countries outside Europe, for example, Bahrain (BH), located in the Middle East. The EU863-870 band implies the frequency band ranges from 863 MHz – 870 MHz but some countries use slightly different frequency ranges. For example, Albania (AL) uses 863-873 MHz.

EU863-870 default channels #

The following three default channels must be implemented in every end device that supports the EU863-870 band. These channels are used by the end device to broadcast the Join-request message. The end device randomly selects one of the default channels to send the Join-request message.

Channel Frequency (MHz) Bandwidth (kHz) LoRa data rate Bit rate
868.10 125 DR0 – DR5 0.3 – 5 kbps
868.30 125 DR0 – DR5 0.3 – 5 kbps
868.50 125 DR0 – DR5 0.3 – 5 kbps

For devices compliant with LoRaWAN version 1.0.x, these three default channels shall not be modified, but for devices compliant with LoRaWAN version 1.1 and beyond, these channels may be modified through the NewChannelReq command.

The EU863-870 band supports a maximum of 16 channels. During end device activation additional channels may be specified. For example, The Things Network uses the following 5 additional frequencies for uplink.

  • 867.1 MHz
  • 867.3 MHz
  • 867.5 MHz
  • 867.7 MHz
  • 867.9 MHz

For downlink, The Things Network uses one additional fixed frequency for the RX2 receive slot:

  • 869.525 MHz at DR0 (SF12 / 125 kHz).

EU863-870 Duty Cycle #

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) sets the maximum duty cycle for the EU863-870 frequency at 1%, which is the maximum amount of time a device may spend communicating.

Let’s have a look at how to calculate the time-on-air allowed per day (24 hours), per end device for some common duty cycles.

Duty cycle (take the maximum) Equation: Time-On-Air = number of seconds per day X duty cycle Maximum allowed Time-On-Air per day, per device
0.1% 86400 x 0.1% 86 seconds per day
1% 86400 x 1% 864 seconds per day
10% 86400 x 10% 8640 seconds per day
Note:
Some network operators (like The Things Network) reduce the duty cycle further than ESTI recommends. These types of restrictions are called ‘Fair Access Policy’. For example, The Things Network’s fair access policy limits the uplink airtime to 30 seconds per day per node and the downlink messages to 10 messages per day per node.

EU863-870 Data Rates #

Data rate is the number of bits that are transmitted per unit of time. With LoRa modulation, the data rate depends on a few factors like spreading factor, bandwidth, and the coding rate.

The following table shows the bit rate for each data rate (DR0 - DR6) configured with the spreading factor and the bandwidth.

Data Rate Configuration (SF + BW) Bit rate (bit/s)
0 LoRa: SF12 / 125 kHz

250
1 LoRa: SF11 / 125 kHz

440
2 LoRa: SF10 / 125 kHz

980
3 LoRa: SF9 / 125 kHz

1760
4 LoRa: SF8 / 125 kHz

3125
5 LoRa: SF7 / 125 kHz

5470
6 LoRa: SF7 / 250 kHz

11000

As you can see, higher spreading factors cause lower bit rates and lower spreading factors cause higher bit rates. However for the same spreading factor, if the bandwidth doubles the data rate also gets doubled. You will learn more about this in the Spreading Factors chapter.

All EU868-870 end devices must support one of the following data rate options.

  • DR0 – DR5 – the minimal data rate set supported to obtain the LoRaWAN certification.
  • DR0 – DR7
  • DR0 – DR11 – all data rates are implemented in the end device

EU863-870 Maximum EIRP / ERP #

The Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) is the total power radiated by an isotropic antenna in a single direction. The antenna gain is expressed in dBi for isotropic antennas.

The following table shows the list of EIRP values that can be used to transmit data.

TX Power EIRP Calculated value
0 Max EIRP +16 dBm
1 Max EIRP - 2 dB +16 dBm - 2 dB = +14 dBm
2 Max EIRP - 4 dB +16 dBm - 4 dB = +12 dBm
3 Max EIRP - 6 dB +16 dBm - 6 dB = +10 dBm
4 Max EIRP - 8 dB +16 dBm - 8 dB = +8 dBm
5 Max EIRP - 10 dB +16 dBm - 10 dB = +6 dBm
6 Max EIRP - 12 dB +16 dBm - 12 dB = +4 dBm
7 Max EIRP - 14 dB +16 dBm - 14 dB = +2 dBm

The Max EIRP for EU863-870 is +16dBm.

The above mentioned EIRP and ERP values can also be expressed in milliwatts (mW). For example:

  • +16 dBm = 40 mW
  • +14 dBm = 25 mW
  • +27 dBm = 500 mW

EU863-870 Maximum Payload Size #

The maximum application payload size (length) varies by data rate.

The following table shows the maximum application payload (FRMPayload) size for different data rates.

Data Rate Configuration (SF+BW) Maximum application payload size (bytes)
0 LoRa: SF12 / 125 kHz

51
1 LoRa: SF11 / 125 kHz

51
2 LoRa: SF10 / 125 kHz

51
3 LoRa: SF9 / 125 kHz

115
4 LoRa: SF8 / 125 kHz

242
5 LoRa: SF7 / 125 kHz

242
6 LoRa: SF7 / 250 kHz

242

EU863-870 Summary #

The following table summarizes all the important parameters we have discussed in this section for EU863-870 band.

Default frequency band 863-870 MHz
Mandatory channel frequencies (join-request) 868.10

868.30

868.50

Mandatory data rates 0-5 (minimum set supported for certification)
Optional data rates 6-7 or 6-11
Number of channels 16

3 default + 5 optional by CFlist

These 5 optional channels and the remaining 8 channels can be modified /populated by NewChannelReq command

Default channels 0, 1, 2
Duty cycle < 1%
Dwell time limitation No
Max EIRP / ERP +16 dBm (40 mW) / +14 dBm (25 mW)

This is the power radiated by the isotropic antenna / half-wave dipole antenna (not the transmitter power)

Max antenna gain 2.15 dBi or 0 dBd
Default RX2 data rate DR0 (SF12 / 125 kHz)
Default RX2 frequency 869.525 MHz

US902-928 ISM Band #

This section describes the regional parameters for the USA, Canada, and all other countries using the 902-928 ISM band.

US902-928 Frequency Plans #

The US902-928 ISM band is divided into the following frequency plans as shown in the table below.

Uplink/Downlink Channels range Frequency range BW Data rate
Uplink 64 0 - 63 902.3 – 914.9 MHz in 200 kHz increments 125 kHz DR0 – DR3
Uplink 8 64 - 71 903.0 – 914.2 MHz in 1.6 MHz increments 500 kHz DR4
Downlink 8 0 - 7 923.3 – 927.5 MHz in 600 kHz increments 500 kHz DR8 - DR13

US902-928 Data Rates #

The following table shows the bit rate for each data rate configured with the spreading factor and the bandwidth.

  • DR0 - DR4 and DR8 - DR13 are used for LoRa modulation.
  • DR4 is identical to DR12.
  • DR8 - DR13 are only used for downlink messages.
Data Rate Configuration (SF + BW) Bit rate (bit/s) Uplink/Downlink?
0 LoRa: SF10 / 125 kHz

980

 Uplink
1 LoRa: SF9 / 125 kHz

1760

 Uplink
2 LoRa: SF8 / 125 kHz

3125

 Uplink
3 LoRa: SF7 / 125 kHz

5470

 Uplink
4 LoRa: SF8 / 500 kHz

12500

 Uplink
5

6

7

8 LoRa: SF12 / 500 kHz

980

 Downlink
9 LoRa: SF11 / 500 kHz

1760

 Downlink
10 LoRa: SF10 / 500 kHz

3900

 Downlink
11 LoRa: SF9 / 500 kHz

7000

 Downlink
12 LoRa: SF8 / 500 kHz

12500

 Downlink
13 LoRa: SF7 / 500 kHz

21900

 Downlink
14

15

All US902-928 end devices shall support one of the following data rate options.

  • DR0 – DR4 and DR8 – DR13 – the minimal data rate set required to obtain LoRaWAN certification.
  • DR0 – DR13 - all data rates are implemented in the end device

When using Over-The-Air-Activation (OTAA), the end device shall transmit the Join-request message on a randomly selected channel as follows.

  • 64 channels (each have 125kHz bandwith) defined using DR0
  • 8 channels (each have 500kHz bandwidth) defined using DR4

The end device shall change channels for every transmission.

The maximum radiated output power allowed in the USA is EIRP = +30 dBm but for most devices +20 dBm is sufficient. Under the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) there are no duty cycle limitations but there is a 400 ms maximum dwell time per channel. Dwell time is the amount of time needed for a transmission.

US902-928 Maximum Payload Size #

The maximum application payload size (length) varies by data rate (configured with spreading factor and bandwidth).

The following table shows the maximum application payload (FRMPayload) size (N) for different data rates.

Data rate Configuration Maximum application payload size (bytes)
0 LoRa: SF10 / 125 kHz

11
1 LoRa: SF9 / 125 kHz

53
2 LoRa: SF8 / 125 kHz

125
3 LoRa: SF7 / 125 kHz

242
4 LoRa: SF8 / 500 kHz

242
5

6

7

8 LoRa: SF12 / 500 kHz

53
9 LoRa: SF11 / 500 kHz

129
10 LoRa: SF10 / 500 kHz

242
11 LoRa: SF9 / 500 kHz

242
12 LoRa: SF8 / 500 kHz

242
13 LoRa: SF7 / 500 kHz

242
14..15

US902-928 Summary #

The following table summarizes all the important parameters we have discussed in this section for US902-928 band.

Default frequency band 902-928 MHz
Mandatory channel frequencies for join-request Upstream: 64 channels - 902.3 – 914.9 MHz in 200 kHz increments)

Upstream: 8 channels - 903.0 – 914.2 MHz in 1.6 MHz increments

Downstream: 8 channels - 923.3 – 927.5 MHz in 600 kHz increment

Mandatory data rates for join-request 64 (125kHz channels) using DR0 and 8 (500kHz channels) using DR4
Optional data rates 5-6
Number of channels Upstream: 64 (125kHz) + 8 (500 kHz)

Downstream: 8 (500 kHz)

Default channels Ch0 - Ch71
Duty cycle No limit
Dwell time limitation Ch0-Ch63: 400 ms

Ch64-Ch71: No

Max EIRP (default) - TXPower 0 +30 dBm
Default RX2 data rate DR8
Default RX2 frequency 923.3 MHz

Other frequency plans #

You should have a basic knowledge about some important parameters that are included in other frequency plans.

  • CN779-787: Applies to China. The duty cycle is <1% and there is no dwell time limitation. The default maximum EIRP allowed is +12.15 dBm.
  • AU915-928: Applies to Australia and all other countries whose band extends from 915 to 928MHz. There is no duty cycle limitation applicable and the dwell time limitation is 400ms. The default maximum EIRP allowed is +30 dBm.
  • AS923: Applied for multiple regions (some countries in Asia and Oceania). All end-devices operated in Japan must perform Listen Before Talk (LBT) based on ARIB STD-T108 regulations.
  • KR920: The regulations in South Korea allow the choice of using either a duty-cycle limitation or Listen Before Talk Adaptive Frequency Agility (LBT AFA) transmission management.
  • IN865: Applies to India. The default maximum EIRP allowed is +30 dBm.

Default Settings for All Regions #

There are a few recommended default settings available that can be applied to all the regions.

  • RX1 Delay: 1s
  • RX2 Delay: 2s (RX1 Delay + 1s)
  • Join Accept 1 Delay: 5s
  • Join Accept 2 Delay: 6s

Questions #

  1. Which frequency plan is used in Europe?
  • EU863-870
  • US902-928
  • IN865-867
  • CN470-510
  1. Which bit rate can be achieved with the configuration, SF12 / 125 kHz?
  • 250 bit/s
  • 440 bit/s
  • 980 bit/s
  • 1760 bit/s
  1. Which country allows the choice of using Listen Before Talk Adaptive Frequency Agility (LBT AFA)?
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Australia
  • United States of America
  1. Which country uses Listen Before Talk (LBT) instead of using duty cycle limitations?
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • China
  • The Neatherlands
  1. How many sub-bands does the EU863-870 frequency plan include for LoRaWAN?
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  1. What is the maximum application payload size allowed for LoRa: SF12 / 125 kHz in Europe?
  • 51 bytes
  • 115 bytes
  • 242 bytes
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