Cellular and satellite communications are becoming more integrated and seamless, which is going to be a very good thing for the future of IoT, particularly for applications with sensors and other devices needing to network connectivity in remote areas as well as those with more reliable cellular coverage.
The ability for easier switching between satellite and cellular for IoT and other applications was supported by the 5G NB-NTN [narrowband-non-terrestrial network] standard in the 3GPP Release 17 specification back in 2022. This year finds more companies adopting 5G NB-NTN as one aspect of a growing direct-to-device satellite communications market.
These trends are also fueling more partnerships between IoT service providers and satellite operators, with the latest example an announcement out of this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, where Germany’s Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) revealed a cooperation with Skylo to expand its satellite IoT coverage with 5G-NB-NTN IoT connectivity through Skylo’s Geostationary (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. G+D said the new relationship complements its existing partnership with LEO network operator Sateliot, and now gives G+D connectivity through GEO, LEO and mobile network options. Both Skylo and Sateliot use the same cellular technology as the existing mobile networks. Thus, this makes satellite connectivity available at low cost by being able to leverage the expansive cellular ecosystem, the company said.
Skylo’s GEO satellites are located at an altitude of around 36,000 kilometers and the LEO satellites at an altitude of 400 to 1,500 kilometers, and G+D will now offer access through its physical, embedded, and integrated SIMs. Sam Colley, product strategy at G+D, told Fierce Electronics that user need to switch between mobile and satellite “will likely depend on device capabilities, application type and deployment scenarios, so we would likely review this on a case by case basis and recommend the appropriate approach, but given the costs differences it is for sure beneficial for the customer to want to optimize this as much as possible unless they are deploying in an area where traditional cell coverage simply doesn’t exist.”
When switching between satellite and mobile makes sense, IoT devices can automatically switch without the user noticing any change. Colley said network switching can be enabled in different ways, for instance, through network preference settings on the devices, or use of an applet to check signal strength regularly, which also could trigger a switch back from satellite to cellular when coverage is available.
Potential use cases include asset tracking and smart farming. Particularly in the transportation and logistics sector, satellite connectivity is becoming increasingly important for monitoring and tracking goods in remote areas or at sea, where mobile network coverage is limited or unavailable. Devices can transmit and receive critical data, such as location and temperature, which are essential for maintaining the integrity of goods over satellite. Similarly, IoT solutions with comprehensive network coverage are playing an increasingly integral role in agriculture. By monitoring key data points – from soil moisture to crop maturity – farmers can optimize yields and improve overall efficiency.
"As demand for IoT connectivity continues to rise, the need for seamless global network coverage becomes essential. Only through the assurance of comprehensive global connectivity can the full potential of IoT applications be realized and leveraged to its maximum impact," emphasizes Dr. Philipp Schulte, CEO G+D Mobile Security, in a statement. "Through our new partnership with Skylo, we can now further close this coverage gap by offering IoT services that utilize both mobile networks and GEO and LEO-based satellite networks. This combination of cellular terrestrial networks such as 5G with cellular satellite-based non-terrestrial networks will support seamless coverage of all IoT devices anywhere in the world."