Feature: IOT
Reaching for satellites to ensure
seamless, global IoT interoperability By Fabien Jordan, CEO, Astrocast
W
ith the arrival of cost-effective satellite IoT (SatIoT), system integrators
are rushing to meet the huge pent-up demand for global solutions that allow asset tracking across the 85% of the planet not covered by cellular networks. They are building fully-connected IoT solutions, where mobile assets can be tracked as they move, seamlessly connecting to an array of networks – from cellular to LoRaWAN, Sigfox and satellite. Some are even promising one- size-fits-all solutions that will adhere to 3GPP standards. So, is there one safe bet for these systems? While it is technically feasible to
use existing terrestrial protocols to communicate with satellites, it is far from optimal in terms of performance. IoT is hugely sensitive to costs and power consumption – even minor differences in performance from battery
28 March 2023
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
life or device lifetime will undermine the business case for IoT. The best approach is building intelligent devices capable of seamlessly switching between several technologies, each of them highly optimised for specific conditions.
Compelling opportunity Year 2022 saw IoT go global, with low- cost SatIoT solutions for the first time offering tracking of assets in even the most remote locations across the world. Supply chains can be transformed by continuous tracking of shipping containers; agriculture is revolutionised through remote monitoring of crops and environmental factors; scientists can monitor the conditions of oceans and underwater flora and fauna; and so on. However, for a truly seamless global
IoT solution, tens, even hundreds of thousands of devices must be accessed, yet many are situated in inaccessible locations. So, key factors to consider here are battery life or energy- harvesting, the size and frequency of
transmissions (which impacts the power the device needs) and antenna design.
Standards debate A debate dominating the industry right now revolves around satellite communications: Should system integrators rely on cellular IoT standards, which one day may become satellite- compatible and lead to simpler device designs, or should they combine the available and highly-efficient, proprietary SatIoT data protocols with cellular and LPWAN technologies right now? In theory it makes great sense to adhere
to industry standards with any technology – it provides application longevity and improves agility. However, there is little value in this approach if performance is in any way compromised, especially with such a financially-sensitive business case. On top of that, currently there is no
standard for SatIoT deployment. Te proposed 5G NB-IoT standards are years away from full ratification, and NB-IoT is real-time only, since it doesn’t support
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