FROM THE INDUSTRY
Add to this new standards-based technologies that enable devices to communicate directly with satellites without a proprietary modem, and the battle for delivering seamlessly integrated cellular and satellite connectivity is on. Here, Alastair Macleod, CEO of remote connectivity provider, Ground Control, explains more. IoT devices are transforming industries by enabling real-time data collection, monitoring and automation. Whether it’s asset tracking, monitoring soil conditions in agriculture or managing critical infrastructure in remote areas, IoT devices rely on constant, reliable connectivity. In urban settings, connectivity is less of an issue thanks to established mobile networks, although urban canyons are challenging this assertion in the most densely populated cities. But in rural or remote areas, where many industrial-level IoT devices are used, network coverage can range from patchy at best to non- existent. In the effort to deliver reliable, global connectivity, this is where non-terrestrial connectivity steps in, with the major telcos turning to satellite technology to bridge coverage gaps in remote and
underserved areas. Direct-to-device is full of promise in solving these challenges, but what is it, and what could it mean for IoT? The D2D promise D2D enables unmodified cell phones and IoT devices to communicate with satellite constellations. In essence, the same communications module that allows your sensor/gateway/array to connect to terrestrial networks will also allow you to connect to non-terrestrial networks (NTN). Coverage remains dependent on the satellite network(s) your device is compatible with, but it invariably expands the reach of IoT connectivity at a lower cost and less inconvenience, to users. There are two ways to deliver D2D. The first is to launch new satellites specifically designed to talk to existing IoT devices, and the second is to add a new, mass-produced chipset to IoT devices themselves, so that they can talk to existing satellite networks. This could either be a proprietary chip, which allows the device to speak to a single satellite network, or a standards-based chip, which would allow the device to roam on to any network built to the same standards.
There are pros and cons to each approach; in the case of purpose-built satellites, the main plus is that there is a large market of existing devices. However, as we will see, there are performance, spectrum and funding challenges to overcome. In the case of new chipsets, whether standards-based or proprietary, it will take time for these to be developed and deployed at scale. The battle for bandwidth One of the obstacles in the greater ubiquity of direct-to-devices is tied to radio spectrum availability and licensing. All network operators rely on the electromagnetic spectrum to carry data. However, the parts of the spectrum best suited to IoT transmissions are for the most part already licensed, either to long- established Satellite Network Operators (SNOs), or terrestrial Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). This limits the ability of new satellite operators to provide coverage independently. This is why new SNOs like Lynk, Starlink and AST SpaceMobile are partnering with MNOs to access their spectrum. These partnerships will prove crucial for delivering wider coverage; without them, the SNO cannot ‘land’ its data. And if that’s not challenging enough, in more densely populated countries, MNOs
DECEMBER 2024 Volume 46 No.4
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