The Random Access Procedure in Long Term Evolution Networks for the Internet of Things

Network connectivity is a key issue in the realization of IoT, and LTE cellular technology is the most promising option for the provisioning of such connectivity. However, in LTE networks, a large number of IoT devices trying to access the medium can overload the RAN. In this article, we review the LTE random access procedure and its support for IoT applications. We also assess the performance of the RAN overload control schemes proposed by 3GPP, taking into consideration the interaction between the random access procedure and packet downlink control channel resource allocation.