DECT NR+ is the first 5G standard that needs no cellular network at all. It runs in licence-exempt spectrum, and the devices organise themselves into a mesh that relays and heals — no base station, no operator, no core. That autonomy is the whole point.
DECT-2020 NR+ (usually DECT NR+) is recognised by the ITU as a 5G technology, but it looks nothing like cellular 5G. There is no operator, no SIM, no core network and no base station to deploy. It evolves the old DECT cordless-phone standard into a modern NR-based radio and runs in licence-exempt spectrum (the globally reserved 1.9 GHz DECT band), which means anyone can build a network without buying spectrum or a subscription.
That removes the two things that make cellular hard to deploy at the edge: the operator dependency and the infrastructure. A DECT NR+ network can be switched on in a factory or a field by the devices themselves.
Instead of every device talking to a base station, DECT NR+ devices form a self-organising mesh. Nodes discover each other, some take on a routing role, and traffic hops node to node to reach a sink that connects to the backend. If a node fails or a path degrades, the mesh re-routes around it automatically — there is no single point of failure the way a star has.
This is what gives it range and resilience without infrastructure: coverage extends as far as the devices can relay, and the network repairs itself. It is the opposite of the LPWAN star, where devices never talk to each other and the gateway is everything.
DECT NR+ is designed for the hard end of IoT. It supports very high device density — on the order of a million devices per square kilometre — and deterministic, URLLC-class reliability and latency, which matters for industrial control, metering, smart buildings and professional sensing where a missed or late message is a real problem.
So it sits in a distinctive spot: more capable and more deterministic than LPWAN, but without the cost, operator and infrastructure of cellular. Where you need many reliable nodes over a site, deployed by whoever owns the site, it is a strong fit.
For a device maker, DECT NR+ is attractive because it removes the operator and the base station, but it moves work into the device: each node carries the NR-based PHY and the mesh stack, and routing nodes must stay awake and forward traffic, which is a power and scheduling consideration. The licence-exempt band is a benefit and a constraint — free to use, shared with others, so coexistence matters.
We treat a DECT NR+ product as the full stack: the NR-based modem and RF, the mesh and routing behaviour, the power architecture for nodes that must relay, and coexistence in the shared band — tuned to the density, reliability and battery targets of the deployment.
A non-cellular 5G standard, recognised by the ITU, that runs in licence-exempt spectrum with no operator, SIM, core or base station. Devices form a self-organising mesh that relays and self-heals. It evolves the DECT standard into a modern NR-based radio for industrial and massive IoT.
Cellular 5G needs an operator, licensed spectrum, a core network and base stations. DECT NR+ needs none of these: it runs in licence-exempt spectrum and the devices build their own mesh, so a network can be deployed autonomously by whoever owns the site.
LPWAN uses a star: devices only talk to gateways and never relay, keeping them very simple and low-power but limited to one hop. DECT NR+ uses a self-healing mesh where nodes relay for each other, giving more range, resilience and far higher reliability and density, at the cost of more capable nodes.
Industrial and massive IoT: factory automation and control, smart metering, smart buildings and professional sensing, where you need many reliable nodes deployed over a site without an operator. Its high device density and deterministic, low-latency reliability suit control applications.
The globally reserved, licence-exempt DECT band around 1.9 GHz, so no spectrum licence or subscription is needed. Being licence-exempt means it is free to deploy but shared, so coexistence with other users of the band is part of the design.
Yes, in the sense that the ITU recognises it as meeting 5G requirements (as a non-cellular 5G technology). It is NR-based and delivers 5G-class density and reliability, but it is architecturally independent of the cellular 5G system.
The NR-based modem, the mesh and routing behaviour, the power budget for relaying nodes and coexistence in the shared band are the real work. Tell us the density and the reliability you need.