Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1545219
2 Executive Summary As the demand for reliable, scalable, and efficient smart metering infrastructure grows, utility providers are increasingly adopting LoRaWAN for its long-range, low-power communication capabilities, high sensitivity and robustness to interferences. However, real-world of radio transmissions bring challenges in maintaining network capacity and high level of meter reading rate and performances while minimizing network infrastructure cost. With 10 years of history and millions of connections over the globe, LoRaWAN technology proved its capability to support massive deployments thanks to several key features and practices across diverse environments. This white paper, developed by the LoRa Alliance Network Capacity Task Force, presents three tracks of best practices: network deployment optimization: layers of gateways, macro-diversity, relays in dedicated spots, airtime optimization: balanced use of unconfirmed/confirmed uplink messages, lightweight acknowledgement, optimal use of higher spreading factors, device behaviour optimization. Implemented jointly by stakeholders, these best practices will optimize network capacity and improve device performance. Introduction LoRaWAN has emerged as a preferred LPWAN technology for utility companies seeking to deploy scalable smart metering infrastructure. Its cost-effectiveness, adaptability to various terrain and environments, and minimal energy consumption in smart meters make it suitable for large-scale implementations. All connectivity providers could face capacity and performance issues across high-density, urban, and deep-indoor environments. The hardest use case is typically the deep underground case of a water meter in a pit and below iron cover, as seen in many European countries. Another challenging use case is smart electricity meters in residential apartment requiring indoor connectivity with very frequent transmissions, resulting in a high density of message transmission in urban areas. The LoRa Alliance Network Capacity Task Force was established to identify and address these challenging use cases, with high service requirements for smart water, energy, and heating metering systems. This document puts together the group's findings and proposed solutions. LoRa Alliance ® WHITEPAPER