# Low Power Wide Area Network, Cognitive Radio and the Internet of Things: Potentials for Integration  
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.J.O. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.P.H.) Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China  
Correspondence: [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.J.O. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.P.H.) Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China  
Correspondence: [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.J.O. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.P.H.) Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China  
Correspondence: [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.J.O. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.P.H.) Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China  
Correspondence: [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.J.O. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.P.H.) Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Pretoria 0028, South Africa; adeiz1@futmina. cellular communication technologies such as the 3G, 4G, and 5G cellular technologies do not satisfy many of these requirements, such as the provision of low power consumption rates, long single hop transmission ranges, and low device development/deployment cost; thus, it is pertinent that alternative solutions be provided. Therefore, low power wide area network (LPWAN) technologies have recently sufficed as suitable communication preferences for many IoT-based applications. LPWANs are popular for a number of unique characteristics, some of which are: they provide low power consumption rates [4], simplified network topologies, low developmental and purchase cost of devices, long transmission ranges (distance), simple and scalable deployment schemes, thin infrastructure, small data frame sizes, albeit at low data rates [4; 5]. These characteristics closely align with the aforementioned demands of many IoT applications, thereby serving to motivate the present drive towards the development and performance improvement of new and existing LPWAN technologies [6; 7; 8; 9; 10]. Although LPWANs may not necessarily satisfy all the communication requirements of all the different IoT-based application areas, such as the provision of high data rates, nevertheless, they are envisioned to complement other communication technologies towards guaranteeing the holistic success of all IoT-based applications. Consequently, it is envisaged that the business capacity for LPWANs will surge in the coming years based on an estimation of over 700 million IoT devices to be connected over LPWAN standards by 2021 [11]. In this regard, some notable application areas that aim to benefit from LPWAN technologies include, but are not limited to ocean monitoring, smart city systems, smart grid, smart metering, soil monitoring, home automation, smart industries, wild life survey, intelligent transport systems, and forest management. This myriad of different application areas emphasizes the importance of LPWAN in the overall realizable architecture of the IoT. However, many LPWAN technologies are typically beleaguered by specific PHY layer challenges such as increased interference, limited data rates, and spectral inefficiency. These limitations are inherent based on the fact that most LPWANs are largely deployed in the presently congested industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) bands. Thus, an approach towards addressing these challenges may require the innovative integration of cognitive radio (CR) technologies in LPWAN.