DECT NR+

The world’s first non-cellular 5G technology standard

NR+ provides a robust, standardized solution that is unmatched by any other non-cellular technology. By utilizing known cellular techniques proven by billions of devices already in the field, Nordic Semiconductor is leveraging its existing low-power nRF91 Series technology to offer a seamless and highly integrated DECT NR+ solution.

 

Why choose DECT NR+?

icon     LOW COST OF OWNERSHIP: DECT NR+ allows you to own your own private 5G network, meaning no base stations, no SIM cards, and no subscriptions.
       
Icon of a mesh nettwork     SCALABLE AND RELIABLE: A DECT NR+ network can scale from 100 to 1 million nodes in a single square kilometer and offers high reliability with technology built on proven cellular technology standards.
       
Icon of a board with a checklist     LICENSE-EXEMPT FREQUENCY: DECT NR+ gives access to the dedicated, license-exempt 1,9 GHz DECT band, which offers less interference than other available bands and is (almost) globally allocated.
       

What is NR+

NR+ is a non-cellular radio standard recently included as part of the 5G standards by the ITU.

NR+ employs a self-healing, decentralized, and autonomous mesh network, making it easy to add new devices and eliminating any single points of failure. It has a flexible and highly scalable network structure that has use-cases and applications across many industries. NR+ utilizes known cellular techniques and provides a robust standardized solution that is unmatched by any other non-cellular technologies.

Whitepapers

DECT NR+

 

Imagine massive, self-healing mesh networks that can run for years on a single battery. It's now possible with DECT NR+. Our new firmware for the nRF91 Series unlocks ultra-low power modes, reducing idle consumption. Learn how to design battery-powered systems, understand latency trade-offs, and see the performance data.

 

 

Download here

 

 

Quotation mark

Kjetil Holstad, Nordic Semiconductor’s EVP for Product Management

What NR+ will effectively do is democratize the ability for any company or organization to build its own private 5G network and run and optimize as they wish, free of a network operator. And do this using the license-exempt and globally available 1.9GHz frequency spectrum dedicated for this technology.

Overview and benefits 

The physical radio layer in NR+ reuses known techniques from cellular radios, reaching the same level of reliability that is proven by billions of devices already in the field.

NR+ supports point-to-point, start and mesh topologies. A key feature of the NR+ mesh network is its self-healing and self-organizing properties. Each node can function as an access point with a direct connection to the internet, and nodes can change roles based on the needs of the network. This property eliminates single points of failure in the network and autonomously resolves high-traffic situations that can occur in dense IoT networks.

As a DECT technology, NR+ operates on the global and license-exempt 1.9 GHz DECT band, which significantly cuts deployment costs by eliminating the need for frequency planning or certification from operators. 

The range and dense topology properties of NR+ make it highly scalable. The same 1 square kilometer area can be covered by a little over 100 devices or scaled up to more than 1 million devices, while still maintaining the same reliable, low latency communication. 

Designed with an emphasis on ultra-high reliability and ultra-low latency, DECT NR+ has over 99.99% packet delivery and end-to-end low latency, designed to reach one-millisecond latency between devices on the radio interface. With NR+ delivering the same low latency and reliability previously only matched by wired connections, opens the possibility for low latency systems to consider wireless operation for the very first time, even with kilometers of range. This makes NR+ an open, standardized alternative to existing proprietary technology.  

nRF91x1 SiP DECT nr+ firmware

For access please contact Nordic sales or support

DECT NR+ Firmware Binaries


The official DECT NR+ firmware binaries can be accessed by contacting Nordic Sales, check the changelogs for more information what the different version has introduced.

  • Changelog: MAC and PHY v2.0.0

     

    • This release introduces comprehensive DECT MAC (Medium Access Control) layer functionality, building upon the existing PHY layer capabilities.
      This release supports star network topology.

      This release supports: nRF9151 LACA A0/A1 SiP

      This firmware supports the "Release 2 of the DECT-2020 New Radio (NR) technical specification v2.1.1"

      DECT NR+ operation is enabled on frequency bands 1, 2, 3, 4*, 9 and 22. (*only on the nRF9151).

       

      Highlights:

      The MAC layer provides high-level network management, device association, and data communication services for DECT-2020 NR applications.

      • Network Management: Full star network topology support with network/cluster management, discovery, and RSSI scanning.
      • Device Communication: Association management with up to 6 concurrent flows, using RACH (uplink) and paging (downlink).
      • Data Link Control (DLC): Four service modes (Transparent, Segmentation, ARQ) with advanced flow control.
      • Advanced MAC Features: Link adaptation (MCS & power), HARQ, MAC-level security (Mode 1), IPv6 support, and configurable power saving (PT mode).
      • Operational Modes: Supports Fixed Termination (FT) parent and Portable Termination (PT) child roles.
      • Clock Synchronization: Clock synchronization to external 1PPS input and 1PPS output generation.

      A complete list of new functionality, changes and bug fixes is in the release notes found here or inside the .zip file.

      This release is aligned with v1.3 of the nRF91x1 DECT NR+ AT Commands Reference Guide.

      It is advisable to use the latest version of nRF Connect for Desktop and nRF Connect Programmer tools.

      Some features require support from the nRF Connect SDK, and it is recommended to ensure compatibility with the appropriate version of the SDK.
      Customers are encouraged to use NCS/main. The nRF Connect SDK release v3.3.x. will support the API fully.

       

  • Changelog: PHY only v2.0.0

     

    • This release includes PHY layer only.
      This release supports: nRF9151 LACA A0/A1 SiP

      This firmware supports the "Release 2 of the DECT-2020 New Radio (NR) technical specification v2.1.1"

      DECT NR+ operation is enabled on frequency bands 1, 2, 3, 4*, 9 and 22. (*only on the nRF9151).

      Highlights:

      • L1 Control: Refactored for improved maintainability.
      • Clock Synchronization: Added support for external 1PPS input and 1PPS output generation.
      • General Improvements: Includes various bug fixes and removal of unnecessary AT commands.

      A complete list of new functionality, changes and bug fixes is in the release notes found here or inside the .zip file.

      This release is aligned with v1.3 of the nRF91x1 DECT NR+ AT Commands Reference Guide.

      It is advisable to use the latest version of nRF Connect for Desktop and nRF Connect Programmer tools.

      Some features require support from the nRF Connect SDK, and it is recommended to ensure compatibility with the appropriate version of the SDK.
      Customers are encouraged to use NCS/main. The nRF Connect SDK release v3.3.x. will support the API fully.

       

  • Changelog: PHY only v1.1.0

     
    • • Enabling a 1-slot turnaround time for PHY operations in low-latency modes
    • • Added support for adding and removing scheduled operations
    • • Enhanced support for various radio modes to improve power consumption across different use cases.
    • • Added reporting of turnaround times for different radio modes.
    • • Introduced support for DECT NR+ band 4, available on the nRF9151 LACA A0 and nRF9151 LACA A1.
    • • Add support for 21 dBm output power on bands B1, B2, B9, and B22, available on the nRF9151 LACA A0 and A1.
        Note: Output power on Band 4 is limited to 19 dBm.
    • • Included battery voltage values in PHY operation callbacks.
    • • Added operation handle values for all PCC and PDC reception callbacks, simplifying packet identification for RX operations.

Why NR+

Listen to Kjetil Holstad and Svein-Egil Nielsen talk about Nordic's investment into DECT NR+ (NR+) and our vision for the technology.