Global satellite IoT subscriber base gains higher orbit

In further confirmation of space-based communications being one of the key markets of 2024, research from specialist internet of things (IoT) analyst firm Berg Insight has revealed that the global satellite IoT communications market is expanding steadily, and is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39.2% to reach 26.7 million units in 2028, from a base of 5.1 million in 2023.

The analyst calculates that only about 10% of the Earth’s surface has access to terrestrial connectivity services, leaving a big opportunity for satellite IoT communications. As it provides a complement to terrestrial cellular and non-cellular networks in remote locations, satellite connectivity is regarded as especially useful for applications in agriculture, asset tracking, maritime and intermodal transportation, oil and gas industry exploration, utilities, construction and governments.

Berg Insight notes that incumbent satellite operators and more than two dozen new initiatives are now betting on the IoT connectivity market. “Iridium, Orbcomm, Viasat (Inmarsat) and Globalstar are the largest satellite IoT network operators today,” said Berg principal analyst Johan Fagerberg.

The research found that Iridium grew its subscriber base by 17% in the past year and reached the number one spot, serving 1.8 million subscribers. Originally a dedicated satellite operator, Orbcomm was noted to have transitioned into an end-to-end solution provider, delivering services on its own satellite network as well as being a reseller partner of Viasat (Inmarsat) and others. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, the company had 715,000 million satellite IoT subscribers on its own and Viasat’s networks.

Globalstar reached 480,000 subscribers. Other players with connections in the tens of thousands include Myriota in Australia, Kineis in France and Thuraya in the United Arab Emirates. In addition to the incumbent satellite operators, a number of new initiatives have appeared on the market recently. Examples of some high-profile projects cited by Berg include Astrocast, AST SpaceMobile, CASC/CASIC, E-Space, Hubble Network, Kepler Communications, Kineis, Ligado Networks, Lynk, Myriota, Omnispace, Skylo, Swarm Technologies (SpaceX) and Totum.

Berg added that many of these are based on low-Earth orbit nano satellite concepts, and while some rely on proprietary satellite connectivity technologies to support IoT devices, several are starting to use terrestrial wireless IoT connectivity technologies. Examples include OQ Technology, AST SpaceMobile, Omnispace, Sateliot, Galaxy Space, Ligado Networks, Lynk, Skylo and Starlink (3GPP 4G/5G), EchoStar Mobile, Fossa Systems, Lacuna Space, Innova Space and Eutelsat (LoRaWAN); and Hubble Network (Bluetooth).

The analyst predicted that collaborations between satellite operators and mobile operators that explore new hybrid satellite-terrestrial connectivity opportunities will become common in the coming years.

“Skylo has been the most active NTN [non-terrestrial network] provider lately for hybrid cellular/satellite offerings working with Deutsche Telekom, BICS, emnify, floLIVE, Monogoto, O2 Telefónica (Germany), Particle, Soracom, Transatel and 1Global (Truphone),” added Fagerberg. “Additional satellite IoT operators partnering with mobile operators and mobile virtual network operators include Sateliot, Starlink, OQ Technology, Omnispace, Lynk, Intelsat, Viasat and AST SpaceMobile.”