5 Satellite IoT Connectivity Solutions For Remote Areas

When IoT devices are deployed in areas where there is little to no coverage for cellular networks and other ground-based communications infrastructure, satellite connectivity is there to fill in the gaps.

In recent years, IoT has become a greater priority for satellite vendors and service providers due to satellite IoT connectivity revenue growing far faster than traditional satellite connectivity revenue, according to Kathryn Weldon, research director at data and analytics firm GlobalData.

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While satellite IoT connectivity has been around for many years, it has recently become more viable as a result of vendors and service providers developing solid business models around low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technologies after an initial wave of companies failed to do so, Weldon said.

“There’s a new set of companies, many of which are still doing LEOs as their primary satellite technology but have somehow figured out more of the cost equations and instead of having a whole constellation of satellites, at the beginning, they have staged launches,” she told CRN.

To address growing demand for satellite IoT connectivity, mobile network operators such as Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom and Skyle has developed new partnerships with satellite providers in recent years to give organizations with IoT fleets a continuum of coverage from cellular networks to satellites.

“There’s more partnering, and there will continue to be more partnering for the operators and satellite providers,” said Weldon.

As part of IoT Week, CRN has rounded up five satellite IoT connectivity solutions that can help organizations keep devices connected in remote areas where there is little to no cellular coverage.