Leveraging Satellites for Global Connectivity: The Future of NTN LoRaWAN IoT

Internet of things (IoT) is rapidly evolving with non-terrestrial (NTN) satellite technology quickly becoming a game changer because it can provide global connectivity solutions in areas that have previously been underserved, especially in remote locations. A recent LoRa Alliance^® webinar brought together three pioneering companies: EchoStar Mobile, Lacuna Space and Plan-S, to delve into the current landscape and future opportunities for NTN LoRaWAN IoT services.

LoRaWAN holds a leadership position amongst low-power wide area networking (LPWAN) technologies because these three companies are already providing commercial satellite connectivity leveraging low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites. Their approaches, taking advantage of the capabilities and benefits of the LoRaWAN standard, are enabling low-cost commercial IoT services, addressing various challenges and unlocking future opportunities.

Lacuna Space: Providing Global IoT Coverage and Compatibility with the Entire LoRaWAN Ecosystem

Lacuna Space pioneered the evolution of LoRaWAN IoT from a successful terrestrial technology to an “out-of-this-world” NTN technology, as the first to demonstrate LoRaWAN satellite IoT coverage at commercial scale.

We present a recent water pollution monitoring project to illustrate the types of remote locations where satellite IoT offers best value and also details how users engage with this amazing new capability, described as “a technical and commercial marvel.”

The Welsh Teifi River monitoring project showcased here solves the problem of “not-spots” spanning 120km of rural valleys, where lack of terrestrial coverage was preventing data gathering and thus blocking planning policy decisions for Ceredigion County Council.

Lacuna is highly focused on ensuring interoperability with existing private and/or public terrestrial networks in a “hybrid” mode, so that satellite IoT devices seamlessly integrate into the broader IoT ecosystem. This allows IoT devices to communicate with satellites over thousands of km using the same sub-GHz frequency bands and power levels as terrestrial devices, further simplifying the integration process and reducing costs.

As the first licensee of Long Range-Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (LR-FHSS), Lacuna Space worked with Semtech to validate in-orbit performance, implemented in the highest capacity software defined radio (SDR)-based payload (aka gateway). In addition to Lacuna’s own core network of sub-GHz satellites in LEO “store-and-forward” architecture, making their technology available to other satellite operators, including those using licensed S-Band and including LEO/MEO/GEO orbits. The first commercially available example is Omnispace (MEO, S-Band, bent-pipe) with several other LEO companies mentioned in the webinar.

We also describe how developers can build devices themselves using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) modules and open-source software, whereby for this project Lacuna undertook the R&D services building on Lacuna’s antenna module, combined with I/O expansion kits and specialist 3^rd party nitrate and phosphate sensors.

Ensuring that satellite IoT adoption is easily accessible, Lacuna Space provides a certified Quick Start Kit for developers, comprising of a dual-band (sub-GHz & S-Band) reference design device that can communicate with satellites in all orbits. This approach provides a hands-on opportunity for developers to explore satellite connectivity with maximum versatility.

EchoStar Mobile: Delivering Massive IoT with NTN LoRaWAN

EchoStar Mobile provides IoT and mobile satellite services across Europe, and soon in the United States, to digitize environments beyond urban areas. It provides GEO satellite connectivity to support a wide range of customer use cases across multiple vertical markets, ensuring that even the most remote locations can benefit from IoT technology. The company’s approach leverages a strong link budget to minimize antenna footprint, which reduces size and weight, makes for easier deployment on IoT sensors and lowers costs.

Primary advantages of satellite connectivity include providing coverage in areas where terrestrial networks are not feasible and real time two-way communication, which is a requirement for industrial applications. In the webinar, we highlight several use cases, including tracking people and assets, precision farming, maritime connectivity, wildfire and critical infrastructure monitoring. One example we share is precision farming, where satellite connectivity allows farmers to monitor soil health, track livestock and optimize irrigation, increasing crop yields and reducing resource wastage. Another example is the importance of wildfire detection and critical infrastructure monitoring, where satellite IoT can play a crucial role in disaster management and public safety because real time data can trigger real time actions. One of our customers, Dryad Networks, won a Mobile World Congress Global Mobile (GLOMO) Award this year for the Best Mobile Innovation for Climate Action with its wildfire prevention solution.

EchoStar Mobile also supports NTN connectivity with its own innovative solutions, like a dongle that can turn any smartphone into a satellite phone for emergency services. It offers a compelling value proposition to people in remote areas without cellular connectivity and can serve as a lifeline for individuals in distress.

Another solution is delivery of seamless connectivity via dual-mode services, offering dual connectivity both in the S band and terrestrial band. To do this, EchoStar works with partners from the LoRa Alliance ecosystem like Actility and Swisscom to combine terrestrial and satellite network coverage. This approach allows IoT devices to automatically switch between networks based on availability, optimizing connectivity and reducing costs.

Plan-S: Pioneering Cost-Efficient Satellite IoT Solutions

Founded in 2021 and based in Türkiye, Plan-S is a dynamic, young company making an impact in the satellite IoT space. Its mission: Improve life on Earth through sustainable space technologies and Plan-S focuses on three primary services: satellite IoT, Earth observation, and tailored space solutions.

In the webinar, Plan-S explains how it leverages LEO satellites to enable cost-efficient and scalable IoT solutions. The Connecta IoT Network is fully compliant with LoRaWAN specifications, allowing the company to provide global coverage with low latency. It also enables cost efficiency, which is critical so that NTN coverage can be accessible to a wide range of industries. Further, its network is optimized for power efficiency, to maximize IoT device lifetime and minimize the need for battery replacement.

The Connecta IoT Network architecture includes two types of IoT connectivity: direct-to-satellite and terminal-satellite links to ensure flexibility and scalability and meet the needs of a variety of deployment scenarios. Direct-to-satellite allows IoT devices to connect directly to the satellites, while terminal-satellite uses gateways to aggregate sensor data and transmit it to the satellites. Plan-S also discusses its ambitious plans to expand its satellite operations, with a goal to reduce revisit times and improve service coverage.

The company’s second business line is Earth observation, in which it is deploying a constellation of high-resolution and very high-resolution Earth observation satellites, called Observa. It combines Earth observation data with IoT data for specific applications to build sector specific solutions for many Industries like energy, logistics, maritime or agriculture. Its third business activity developing tailored solutions to address customer specific needs.

We highlight several satellite use cases in the webinar, including electricity meter monitoring, water management, solar power plant monitoring, weather monitoring, and soil health monitoring. We showcase an electricity meter monitoring use case in which we partnered with energy distribution companies in Türkiye to read smart meters in remote areas with poor GSM coverage. The solution reduced the cost of reading electricity meters up to 25% and decreased total carbon footprint up to 50% by reducing the need for physical visits to the sites. Conducting fewer physical visits also increased worker safety by reducing the potential for accidents in remote locations.

Another example we share is in the water management sector, where we work with partners to monitor water levels, quality and detect leaks in water pipelines, which in some areas reached as high as 40%. By understanding where and when leaks are occurring, Plan-S helps reduce water loss, infrastructure maintenance costs and optimize resource usage. Other use case highlights are in agriculture, where the company provides solutions for monitoring soil health, optimizing irrigation, and improving crop yields, weather monitoring and solar power plant equipment monitoring to understand generation efficiency and detect faults.

Prospects for LoRaWAN NTN IoT

As NTN LoRaWAN satellite IoT services evolve, they have a compelling opportunity to transform industries, strengthen resource management, and solve global challenges in unexpected and unprecedented ways. EchoStar Mobile, Lacuna Space and Plan-S clearly validate that LoRaWAN technology is not only commercially viable but also offer huge opportunities to solve some of the critical challenges facing people and the planet today.

The LoRa Alliance maintains multiple committees and working groups to support NTN LoRaWAN. Its Technical Committee, Satellite Task Force and Regulatory Working Group are continuously engaged in enhancing and advocating for LoRaWAN capabilities to support satellite connectivity. Recent work from the Alliance includes:

• The LR-FHSS specification added new data rates to support long range and high-capacity networking and was a major advancement towards enabling NTN LoRaWAN connectivity.
• Battery-operated relay nodes provide the means to transfer terrestrial data traffic to satellite and then back to the cloud.
• Updating the LoRaWAN Regional Parameters to support global satellite connectivity by making the world a global region for satellites.
• Working with the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) and other regulatory bodies to set rules for short range devices and securing a draft decision (final decision is expected in November) that will include a list of harmonized technical conditions for use of satellites in the 862 to 870 MHz bands, including power levels on the ground received from satellites.

The future of NTN LoRaWAN IoT services using satellites is promising and exciting! Technology advancements, strategic planning, and collaboration among LoRa Alliance ecosystem stakeholders are key to unlocking the full potential of satellite IoT. It is thrilling to see EchoStar Mobile, Lacuna Space and Plan-S leading the charge to leverage satellite technology for IoT connectivity with GEO and LEO satellite solutions that pave the way for a more connected and sustainable future.