(Telecompaper) The 3GPP announced that it has completed the standardisation of NB-IOT, the new narrowband radio technology developed for the Internet of Things (IoT) over mobile networks using licensed spectrum. The standards are implemented into Release 13 (LTE Advanced Pro). While corrections are still possible in the coming months, the feature is now frozen in the specification, and only essential backward-compatible changes will be allowed from now on, the standards group said. Mobile operators can now choose from Narrow-Band IoT (NB-IoT), as well as the pre-existing evolved technologies EC-GSM-IoT and LTE MTC Cat-M1 to deploy low-power, wide-area networks for the IoT. NB-IoT can use both 2G and 4G spectrum and is already being tested by a number of operators around the world. The GSMA welcomed the decision by the 3GPP and supports the development of NB-IoT through its Mobile IoT Initiative.