nRF9160-DK not connecting to LTE-M and NB-IoT network (Italy, Things Mobile)

[DCL]

Hi everybody,

I am currently testing the nRF9160-DK board with a M2M SIM from the provider "Things Mobile" (iBasis does not offer his services in Italy).

Issue:

the LTE indicator in LTE Link Monitor does not turn green (all other indicators do turn green).

the "registration" state is "not registered, searching".

Some details:

• I can read the signal power;
• I can read the list of the available providers/networks;

Here is a list of what i have tried to do thanks to other topics on this forum:

• Using all available examples of the "asset tracker" and the "AT client";
• Using the AT commands to set the correct APN, the MCC and the MCN;
• Updating the modem firmware to the latest version.

I am new to this devices so any suggestion is much appreciated; please keep in mind that I may be overlooking something basic.

I have SES up and running and I can "compile" the examples from the SDK.

Of course feel free to ask me for details: i will provide any debug resource you may need.

Thanks in advance.

[DCL]

Useful update for all Italian users: do not purchase a Things Mobile SIM if you need NB-IoT coverage. Despite their marketing, they are not offering such kind of service. They even list the nRF9160 as a supported device which may be true, but not in Italy.

The provider customer support finally answered me that they do not offer any kind of NB-IoT or LTE-M coverage. For sake of completeness i will quote here their answer in Italian: "Ti informo che attualmente offriamo copertura in 2G, GPRS, 3G e 4G. Stimiamo di offrire il servizio in CAT-1, CAT-M1 e NB-IoT entro il 2021, essendo queste tecnologie in via di sviluppo."

I feel sorry for everyone that lost time in purchasing and testing like me.

 

[DCL]

Just a brief update for all Nordic users from Italy: i purchased a SIM from 1NCE. The Asset Tracker (NB IoT) works like a charm without any additional operation.