ABI Research, a global technology intelligence firm, awarded eight satellite operators a “Hot Tech Innovator” title for their contributions to the satellite IoT industry.
Each awarded operator has been instrumental in maturing the satellite IoT ecosystem, creating new standards-based services or investing in large, IoT-compatible constellations to expand IoT customers’ options beyond terrestrial limits.
“Though it is ramping up, the satellite IoT market has developed a reputation of being out-of-step with IoT customers’ pricing and power requirements,” says Lizzie Stokes, Senior. Analyst at ABI Research. “Each of these Hot Tech Innovators is responsible for reversing that trend, bringing to market new technologies and service offerings that are both innovative and IoT-friendly.”
One Innovator, Globalstar, is known for its affordable IoT services. Its historical focus on one-way messaging in IoT-heavy markets, like asset tracking, has allowed the company to become an expert in low-cost, low-data communications. It will continue its accessible legacy by introducing a new two-way messaging offering. Globalstar’s accompanying LTE and 5G terrestrial spectrum for private networks is also an important differentiator, allowing the company to become a comprehensive connectivity provider. Iridium, another awarded Innovator, has focused its IoT innovation efforts around multi-mode capabilities, announcing in January 2024 its own 3GPP NTN service. This service will shake up the satellite IoT competitive landscape, as it competes directly with the 3GPP NTN services offered by two other Hot Tech Innovators, Sateliot and OQ Technology.
Though fairly new to the market, Sateliot and OQ Technology have been at the forefront of 3GPP NTN adoption, building LEO constellations based on the new standard. Both companies are forming cellular partnerships with influential MNOs and MVNOs to grow their platforms as their satellite infrastructure ramps up.
The LoRa NTN standard is also pertinent to satellites’ uptake in the IoT world, serving as an NTN technology that suits the IoT’s cost and power constraints. Hot Tech Innovators Lacuna Space and EchoStar Mobile are taking different paths to the standard’s adoption, with EchoStar Mobile primarily focusing on its pan-European LoRa NTN while Lacuna Space builds its constellation and expands into new markets.
Starlink is another influential player in the satellite IoT market, with plans to offer an IoT service in 2025. The company has an impressive mega-constellation of 6,791 LEO satellites as of October 2024. However, Starlink’s dominance could face competition from Amazon as it invests in its own satellite company, Amazon Project Kuiper. Amazon Project Kuiper also plans to use a huge constellation of LEO satellites to support a wide range of customer segments, from broadband services to IoT devices.
“A satellite operator’s success in the IoT market depends on various factors. The size of its constellation, its orbital regime, and its chosen protocols can affect how an operator appeals to an asset tracking or condition-based monitoring customer,” says Stokes.
“Each operator listed in this report has displayed a thorough understanding of the IoT’s inherent constraints and prioritized offerings that will bring more IoT users into the non-terrestrial market.”
The post Hot Tech Innovators: ABI Research Names Globalstar, Iridium, and EchoStar Mobile Among 8 Top Satellite Operators Innovating in the IoT Market appeared first on IoT Business News.