For decades, satellites have been used to support a relatively limited set of use cases in IoT, specifically the monitoring of high value and highly remote assets. That satellite IoT market is set for a shot-in-the-arm in the coming decade as a result of two recent developments: the proliferation of LEO satellites and the arrival of cellular connectivity using ‘Non-Terrestrial Networks’.
Companies are lining up to launch fleets of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. The most eye-catching – and biggest – of these is SpaceX’s Starlink which has plans for over 40,000 satellites by 2027. But it is not alone. There are also smaller fleets focused on IoT, typically involving a few dozen satellites deployed by other newcomers. With a little over 3,000 active satellites currently in orbit, these massive deployments promise a vast increase in satellite capacity.
In some cases, these LEO deployments are making use of standards-based cellular technology developed as part of the recent 3GPP Release 17. So too are some geostationary (GEO) satellites. The arrival of this Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) capability allows devices using some cellular technologies to connect directly to satellites without incorporating any other technology. They are also increasingly being integrated into combined offering of terrestrial and non-terrestrial cellular offerings.
This creates an opportunity for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and IoT MVNOs to further stitch satellite into their proposition. Many already do, through multi-mode cellular/satellite devices. The new technology developments, with a common set of hardware and comparatively simple switch-over between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, allow for a simpler and cheaper proposition. This comes at a time when MNOs are looking for differentiators for their IoT offerings, and additional value-added services to layer onto cellular connectivity. Satellite offers an opportunity to do that. Specifically in the form of hybrid cellular/satellite propositions.
In this report we examine the opportunities associated with specifically hybrid cellular/satellite offerings using 3GPP NTN.
