As energy infrastructure moves further into remote, challenging and increasingly distributed environments, reliable connectivity is becoming a critical enabler of operations. From oil and gas wells and pipelines to renewable energy installations and mobile field assets, organisations need to monitor, manage and control equipment wherever it is located, including places where terrestrial cellular networks simply don't reach.
That was the focus of Satellite IoT for the Energy Sector: Reliable Coverage Where Cellular Networks End a webinar hosted by Jim Morrish of Transforma Insights on 16 September 2026, featuring Martin Jefferson, Global Solutions Architect at Globalstar, and Daniel Irizarry, Executive Vice President of Lasso Technologies.
The discussion explored where satellite IoT fits into the evolving energy landscape, the advantages of combining satellite and cellular connectivity, and how new hardware and edge-computing capabilities are opening up applications that were previously difficult or uneconomic to address.
Energy infrastructure is often located precisely where terrestrial connectivity is weakest. Oil and gas wells, pipelines, offshore platforms, renewable energy installations and other critical assets can be distributed across deserts, mountains, forests, offshore locations and other remote environments.
Satellite offers a fundamentally different connectivity proposition. Rather than relying on a network of national cellular operators, it can provide a consistent connectivity architecture across regions and borders. For organisations managing globally distributed assets, this can simplify deployment and reduce the complexity associated with sourcing and managing cellular connectivity in multiple countries.
Satellite also provides an independent communications path. Because the connection does not depend on a nearby cell tower, terrestrial backhaul or local terrestrial power infrastructure, it can provide valuable resilience when terrestrial networks are unavailable.
The webinar highlighted several energy applications where these characteristics are particularly relevant. These include methane emissions monitoring, pipeline integrity, equipment monitoring, drilling automation, renewable energy management, tailings-dam monitoring and worker safety.
For remote assets, the ability to collect information continuously can also reduce costly and inefficient site visits. Instead of discovering that equipment has failed and dispatching a team to investigate, operators can use sensor data to identify problems, plan maintenance and optimise field-service routes.
One of the most interesting developments discussed was the convergence of satellite and terrestrial connectivity.
Historically, combining the two required separate radios and relatively complex hardware. The emergence of software-defined, multi-mode devices is changing that proposition.
Globalstar's RM 200 was highlighted as an example of this approach. The module supports both Globalstar satellite connectivity and terrestrial NB-IoT and LTE-M, allowing developers to build devices that can select the connectivity available to them.
Crucially, the connectivity strategy does not have to be fixed. A device can be configured for cellular-first, satellite-first, or either technology independently, depending on the application.
Lasso Technologies has taken a satellite-first approach with its 2x2 GPS tracker, using cellular to fill gaps in satellite coverage, for example when assets move indoors or become stacked in ways that make satellite connectivity more difficult.
For battery-powered equipment, this approach can also be significant. As Daniel explained, satellite's ability to transmit short bursts of data can help support long battery life, potentially reducing the need for solar power or other external power sources.
The webinar also explored the importance of developer tools in accelerating satellite IoT adoption.
Globalstar's RM 200 development kit uses an Arduino Rev 3 shield form factor, enabling developers to connect the module to a wide range of interfaces and sensors using readily available hardware. That makes it possible to experiment and validate an application before committing significant resources to custom hardware.
The development environment also provides access to the device firmware through GitHub, allowing developers to reuse, extend and customise existing functionality. This can include extracting additional GPS information or adapting the device's behaviour to specific applications.
For Lasso, this openness and close collaboration with Globalstar helped accelerate the development of its 2x2 product. Rather than simply integrating a module, the two organisations worked closely together throughout the development process.
Another theme running through the discussion was the changing economics of asset tracking.
Connectivity is no longer necessarily reserved for high-value equipment. As transportation, fuel and operational costs increase, even relatively inexpensive assets can justify connectivity when the cost of losing, misplacing or unnecessarily transporting them is considered.
The value may also lie in what an asset contains rather than the asset itself. A relatively inexpensive tank, for example, could contain chemicals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Satellite connectivity can therefore help organisations gain visibility across much larger fleets of distributed equipment including tanks, trailers, containers and other mobile or remote assets.
The final part of the discussion looked beyond connectivity towards edge computing and intelligent IoT devices.
Sending every sensor reading back to the cloud can consume unnecessary power, bandwidth and connectivity budget. Instead, devices can increasingly analyse information locally and communicate only when something important happens.
For example, a device might report its location once a day but switch to more frequent reporting when movement is detected. Similarly, a sensor could monitor pressure, temperature or liquid level continuously but transmit an alert only when a predefined threshold is exceeded.
This “manage by exception” approach can reduce data costs, extend battery life and reduce the amount of information that operators have to process.
With two-way connectivity and programmable outputs, the device can go a step further. Rather than simply reporting an abnormal condition, it can potentially take a predefined action locally.
The webinar used the example of monitoring a tailings pond: if water levels reach a critical threshold, an edge device could trigger equipment to respond automatically rather than waiting for a human operator to intervene.
The discussion hihglighted how satellite IoT is evolving beyond its traditional role as a last-resort connectivity option.
For energy companies operating increasingly remote, mobile and distributed infrastructure, satellite can provide a foundation for global connectivity, resilience, long battery life and intelligent asset management.
Combined with cellular connectivity, flexible development platforms and edge intelligence, it is becoming possible to build devices that can be deployed with far less concern about exactly where they will operate.
The result is a compelling proposition for energy organisations: connect assets wherever they are, monitor what matters, act when necessary and reduce the complexity of managing connectivity across an increasingly distributed energy landscape.
