From Smart Cities to Pro Audio – DECT NR+ and its potential for NR+ Audio

August 29, 2025

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In 2025, DECT might seem like an aging technology best known for cordless phones, but it is now undergoing a true revolution. With the introduction of the innovative DECT New Radio + (NR+) standard, DECT has transformed into one of the most exciting wireless platforms available today. NR+ not only redefines what DECT can do, but also opens the door to entirely new wireless solutions, often surpassing existing technologies. Here’s what NR+ is, how it opens the door to new wireless solutions, and how it compares to commonly used technologies:

At its core, DECT is quite different from popular wireless systems like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The main distinction lies in how it manages access to the medium. DECT uses a centralized approach similar to a simplified GSM system: a base station controls the network and assigns exact time slots to each device for transmitting and receiving. This tight synchronization ensures that devices communicate without collisions, since each of them knows precisely when it is allowed to send data.

In contrast, Wi-Fi uses contention-based protocols, where devices listen to check if the channel is clear before transmitting — which in radio-crowded environments can lead to unpredictable delays and collisions. Bluetooth, on the other hand, does not listen before transmitting. Instead, it avoids interference by rapidly hopping across different frequency channels (frequency hopping spread spectrum).

Another important difference is the radio spectrum. DECT operates in its own dedicated 1.9 GHz band, largely free from interferences that are caused by other consumer technologies. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth share the heavily used 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz ISM bands, competing with countless other devices for airtime.

We already know why it's worth knowing about NR+, so what kind of technology is it?

DECT NR+, which will soon be standardized by the DECT Forum, is a modern, non-cellular radio technology. NR+ is designed from the ground up, to meet the demands of industrial, enterprise, and large-scale IoT deployments. It combines proven radio techniques from cellular systems with a decentralized architecture, delivering a platform for reliable, low-latency wireless communication.

The 1.9 GHz DECT band, apart from offering lower interference, also provides largely license-exempt, globally accessible spectrum — though still subject to local regulations and ongoing approvals in some regions. This dramatically reduces deployment costs by eliminating the need for frequency licensing or reliance on mobile network operators. This enables the potential for global adoption of this technology – whereas for other wireless-related Alliances, regulatory work remains a major challenge and obstacle on the road to global success.

At the same time, NR+ supports flexible topologies—including point-to-point, star, and fully decentralized mesh networks. Its mesh capability is particularly powerful, featuring self-organizing and self-healing mechanisms that allow networks to dynamically adapt, resolve local congestion, and continue operating smoothly even if individual node fails.

NR+ is engineered to achieve end-to-end latencies as low as few millisecond and packet delivery rates close to 100% - performance levels previously only feasible with wired connections. This is made possible by NR+’s use of advanced OFDM with turbo coding (DECT bit coding technique using  Parallel Concatenated Convolutional Code), hybrid ARQ for rapid error correction, and adaptive mesh routing that together minimize latency and maximize reliability.

It also provides a huge advantage for communication applications – NR+’s supports IPv6 and thanks to that can also act in the future as a long-range transport layer for application frameworks like Matter. Why is this important?

Matter mostly uses Wi‑Fi or Thread for ongoing wireless communication (Bluetooth Low Energy for device setup and commissioning), which do not provide the range that NR+ can potentially offer – according to DECT Forum “600m line of sight, 250m no line-of-sight”. This opens up the possibility of creating not only building automation on a large scale, but also smart cities in the complete sense of this word. Matter is just one example — DECT NR+, however, by using IPv6 for addressing, makes it straightforward to add various standardized application layers and frameworks on top, greatly simplifying integration and accelerating adoption by device manufacturers.

Use Cases related to wireless mesh networks in cities or buildings are obvious - even after this short description they are first things that come to mind. However, as it turns out, NR+ is not just a mesh network for transferring small amounts of data between devices.

Now let's get to the roots of DECT technology:

Many people still think of DECT mainly as the technology behind cordless home or office phones. Originally, classic DECT used narrowband channels, simple frequency hopping and star topologies, designed almost exclusively for voice. Later, DECT NR introduced more data-friendly capabilities and IP payloads, but still kept the same underlying physical layer.

With NR+, this changes completely — it’s a new generation with a totally redesigned PHY layer using advanced techniques allowing high coding rate resistant to interferences.

What about the original use - sending sound? Is DECT NR+ still suitable for this?

YES! NR+ Audio have capabilities in the field of professional sound applications. NR+ provides a solid foundation for high-quality, low-latency wireless audio in scenarios such as wireless microphones, in-ear monitoring, intercom systems, business communication headsets, and audio for video productions.

Let’s compare NR+ Audio to other Wireless Audio technologies:
1. Latency

Technology	Typical one-way latency	Implications for Audio signal
NR+ Audio	<1 ms radio, <4 ms total	Enables real-time live mics, foldback IEMs(In-Ear Monitoring Systems) , intercom without perceptible delay.
BLE Audio	~10–20 ms typical	Acceptable for casual listening; too high for live mics or stage monitoring.
Wi-Fi	Variable, often >20 ms under load	Unpredictable jitter; noticeable delays and lip-sync issues in production.

2. Multi-channel synchronization

Technology	Support for tight multi-device sync	Impact for pro audio
NR+ Audio	Designed for synchronized operation even across mesh hops, using coordinated clock distribution.	Maintains phase coherence across multiple microphones or speaker feeds, essential for stereo or ambisonic setups.
BLE Audio	No native multi-device time alignment	Leads to phase drift and potential comb filtering in multi-mic arrays.
Wi-Fi	No inherent low-level sync; requires additional protocols	Adds complexity (e.g. Dante over Wi-Fi) and remains prone to timing jitter and re-association breaks.

 

3. Interference handling & RF robustness

Technology	How interference is handled	Impact on crowded environments
NR+ Audio	Uses globally dedicated DECT 1.9 GHz band, dynamic channel allocation, OFDM ((Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) + Turbo coding, adaptive power (-40 to +23 dBm).	Operates reliably in dense deployments like theaters or sports arenas, without exhaustive manual frequency planning.
BLE Audio	Simple frequency hopping in 2.4 GHz ISM band	Competes with Wi-Fi, microwaves, and other Bluetooth, increasing chance of dropouts.
Wi-Fi	Operates in busy ISM bands, with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA)	Heavy interference and retry bursts lead to unpredictable quality.

 

4. Range & mobility

Technology	Practical range	Moving performers / roaming
NR+ Audio	Couple of hundred meters natively, extendable by mesh	Specifically designed to support mobile devices and moving infrastructure without service interruption.
BLE Audio	Typically ~10–30 meters	Sufficient for personal headphones; outside that range leads to abrupt loss.
Wi-Fi	~30–50 meters indoors	Handoff between APs disrupts streams, problematic for live microphones or intercoms.

 

5. Network topologies

Technology	Suitable topologies for audio	What it means in practice
NR+ Audio	Point-to-point (for cable replacement), star, and true mesh	From a single mic-to-mixer link to full multi-hop intercom systems across a venue.
BLE Audio	Star only (central device with peripherals)	Works for simple headphone scenarios, not for distributed mic arrays or intercoms.
Wi-Fi	Star (AP-client)	Requires central AP, roaming or moving between APs breaks streams.

The question may arise whether DECT NR+ will then replace Bluetooth LE Audio or ensure that the UWB (Ultra-Wideband) Audio standard will never be created? The answer is No - because each of these technologies has its strengths and the market for which it is best suited.

For example Bluetooth, including LE Audio, shines in its own space: ultra-low power, compact form factors, global compatibility, and effortless pairing with smartphones, wearables, and hearing aids. It was built for a short-range, cost-effective consumer audio — ideal for earbuds, headsets, and assistive devices — but not for the ultra-low latency, multi-channel, interference-resilient demands of professional wireless audio. Simply put, Bluetooth is optimized for a different set of needs.

What is needed to create a solution based on NR+ Audio? First, a wireless module supporting NR+  - currently, the only hardware is the Nordic solution. However, it is definitely not a plug and play. The development of the NR+ Audio protocol along with the application qualifies as a challenging, yet crucial R&D project to move the audio industry forward..

Given how many benefits NR+ brings to audio solutions and current market situation, the natural question arises: what steps should you take today to ensure that your company’s product supports this technology?

To achieve this, you need these specialized competencies in-house or must engage a partner with a proven expertise in wireless systems and Audio. Comarch’s team is supporting market leaders in adapting wireless and wired technologies to the audio industry’s demands — including Bluetooth Classic & LE Audio, UWB (Ultra Wideband) Audio, and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) solutions. We have co-developed both wireless audio and professional audio products.

Since there are no ready-made NR+ Audio modules, it’s essential to work with a partner who can build the protocol from the ground up. Comarch has already done this with companies like Renesas and Silicon Labs, ensuring low protocol layers expertise and practical know-how to deliver your NR+ Audio solution.

To get in touch with Comarch team you can e-mail author of this article: Tymoteusz Polański
( [email protected] ) and check all our software & hardware services https://www.comarch.com/sw-and-hw-services/

If you are interested in wireless technologies with great potential in the Audio market, please read Comarch article about UWB Audio.