Technology

Will space IoT enable us to connect the oceans and deserts?

2 July 2024

As the adoption of the Internet of Things continues and accelerates across all industrial sectors, a major evolution is on the horizon: Space IoT. Through satellite networks, it will enable the connectivity of objects and the retrieval of data from all over the world, even in areas where terrestrial networks are absent.

Conquering low earth orbit

The world of satellites features two major technologies: the first consists of geostationary satellites that we all use indirectly when we watch television, browse the internet, or make telephone calls. These are located at an altitude of 36,000 km and are very costly devices, with an overall cost ranging between 350 and 450 million euros (satellite, launch, insurance, and operational maintenance).

The second emerging category involves lighter satellites positioned in low earth orbit, that is, between the atmosphere and the Van Allen belt at 2000 km from Earth. These satellites enable the connection of devices in areas of the globe that are difficult to cover through terrestrial telecommunications networks.

The introduction of nano-satellites a decade ago, with a mass of less than 10kg, represents a true technological breakthrough and a decisive advance for space-based IoT. Their reduced weight lowers the cost of deployment to orbit (on average between 500,000 and 1.5 million euros, including launch), making the technology more accessible. Additionally, these shorter distances decrease radio attenuation and reduce the energy consumption of the connected devices. It is precisely this category of satellites that is currently used for IoT needs. Several players are developing constellations of nano-satellites to provide IoT connectivity, notably the French project Kinéis, launched in 2018, aiming to send 25 nano-satellites into orbit at 650 km from Earth, in addition to the 7 already functional Argos satellites.

Spatial IoT: New Uses in Combination with Terrestrial Networks

Un tiers de la surface du globe est aujourd’hui couvert par les réseaux terrestres (5/4/3/2G, LPWAN, etc.). L’IoT Spatial permettra aux entreprises et aux populations situées dans les zones difficiles d’accès de bénéficier elles aussi d’un réseau IoT.

Les 2 technologies sont parfaitement complémentaires lorsqu’il s’agit de collecter les données provenant des objets-connectés, mais elles ne sont pas parfaitement équivalentes. Avec l’IoT satellitaire, il est en effet aujourd’hui compliqué d’envoyer des informations vers les objets-connectés.

La démocratisation des nano-satellites et la baisse des coûts qu’elle a entrainé, engendrent de nouveaux usages. L’IoT spatial vient ainsi répondre à des besoins de tracking ou encore d’amélioration de la chaîne logistique sur des zones jusque-là non traitées par les réseaux terrestres comme les océans, l’air ou des régions non-couvertes par les réseaux terrestres.

De plus, les réseaux satellitaires paraissent bien adaptés pour répondre aux besoins critiques de traçabilité des industriels dans des environnements parfois difficiles d’accès.

Les entreprises, tous secteurs confondus, pourront ainsi bénéficier d’offres IoT alliant réseaux terrestres et réseaux satellites pour répondre à l’ensemble de leurs besoins avec des performances optimales quelle que soit leur localisation.

An Emerging Market

The advantages of nano-satellites make this technology particularly attractive. There are currently about twenty nano-satellite constellation projects internationally. Therefore, one can imagine that there will be market consolidation in the future as it matures.

However, if there is one thing all experts agree on, it is difficult to predict what this market will look like in the coming years. Customer needs are present across different sectors, ranging from the pharmaceutical industry to the world of transportation and logistics, as well as scientific research. The first use cases are currently underway and will allow for a better visibility of the concrete contributions for each industry. The technology works perfectly; there is no doubt about that. This will open up new commercial opportunities for international IoT players.

However, it will be important to keep in mind that, for customers, the objective remains to connect objects and collect data optimally – regardless of the means to be used. Telecommunications experts will thus need to manage the automatic handling of such hybrid solutions, between terrestrial and satellite networks. The idea is to combine the best of both worlds while reducing technological complexity, costs, and optimizing global energy consumption for customers, guaranteeing the use of LPWAN/LPGAN.

The challenge now is to offer industries simple, efficient, and customized solutions to meet their needs and thus support them on this new space conquest with hybrid solutions.