The ability to monitor moving items – whether goods, equipment, vehicles, livestock, or people – is increasingly vital to business success. Without it, enterprises risk the safety of their assets and fail to gain insights that would inform operational efficiency, resource allocation, and compliance. Ultimately, this compromises their bottom line.

To track assets globally, a satellite connection is essential. Although the high cost of this technology once made it difficult to justify a business case, this is no longer true. A range of more affordable options is now available, improving the viability of global location monitoring and generating a new wave of applications.

This article explores the connectivity needs of asset tracking, the methods used to create low-cost satellite solutions, and the new opportunities they present for location monitoring in remote areas.

For more information, see Beecham Research’s free report – IoT for Asset Tracking: On The Ground and From Satellite.

Connectivity Requirements for Asset Tracking

Asset tracking is not typically a high-bandwidth application.

Often, end-devices only need to capture a single data point – location. Even when capturing additional conditions – like temperature, vibrations, humidity, or biometrics – bandwidth requirements remain low.

Solutions also need to be scalable, allowing businesses to track a growing number of assets, and adaptable to changing solution constraints. Many solutions also rely on the delivery of real-time data, for which a reliable, constant connection is required.

This makes LPWA technologies a popular choice for asset tracking. Other features such as a long-battery life, environmental resilience, and cost-effectiveness support this. However, terrestrial networks cover at most 20% of the earth’s surface, leaving significant gaps in a global tracking solution.

This is where satellites excel – with near-full coverage of the earth’s surface, satellites enable location monitoring where terrestrial networks fall short.

Affordable Satellite Solutions

Several innovative approaches are now making satellite solutions more affordable for businesses:

• Low-Bandwidth Satellites: By integrating LPWA technologies with satellites, businesses can access cost-effective, remote connectivity. Although these satellites cannot handle the high data demands of GNSS or 4G/5G-enabled solutions, they offer an affordable option for low-bandwidth applications.

• Low-Orbit Nanosatellites: Smaller, cheaper, and easier to launch than traditional LEO and GEO satellites, nanosatellites make it possible for operators to offer more affordable satellite subscription services. Certain regions are now served by dense swarms of nanosatellites, enabling constant connectivity.

• Scheduled Data Packet Transfers: By transferring data infrequently, scheduled packet transfers reduce energy consumption and lower connectivity costs, especially when compared with ‘constantly-on’ devices. This provides a cost-effective way to utilise the coverage and reliability of LEO satellites.

• Hybrid Satellite-Terrestrial Networks: Combining terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity enables devices to use satellite services only when needed. This hybrid approach plugs coverage gaps and provides a fail-safe backup option. It also enables seamless switching of networks for assets travelling between regions, or indoors and out.

These approaches are not mutually exclusive, nor should they be considered intrinsically better than terrestrial options. In fact, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ for IoT connectivity.

Instead, it is the requirements of the application that determine whether, how, and to-what-extent satellite connectivity should be leveraged within an asset tracking solution.

Integrating Satellites into Asset Tracking

Reliable, Remote Coverage

The emergence of low-cost satellites has significantly improved the viability of location monitoring in areas with little to no terrestrial coverage.

For instance, APIK’s KIP2 Safety Beacon helps outdoor enthusiasts stay safe. Leveraging EchoStar Mobile’s LoRaWAN®-enabled satellite network, the device transmits regular location updates, allows the carrier to send distress signals, and, if necessary, connects with APIK’s FIND-R device. This enables rescue teams to locate the adventurer if injured or lost.

As well as supporting real-time monitoring, satellite connectivity can be used to transmit scheduled data packets for assets in remote locations. This is beneficial when servicing non-time-sensitive applications.

Fail-Safe Systems

For mission-critical applications, maintaining a continuous connection is crucial. In these cases, satellite connectivity can serve as a backup to mitigate the impact of terrestrial network outages.

Take, for example, cross-country rally racing – an activity that is fast-paced, time-sensitive, and often takes place in remote locations. To ensure the safety of its participants, a rally company employed a smart connectivity solution – using a single SIM for global access and dual backhaul connectivity.

Such systems guarantee constant location monitoring abilities and swift recovery from any terrestrial network disruptions.

Seamless Network Switching

For assets travelling across multiple regions, a combination of satellite and terrestrial connectivity is crucial for uninterrupted location monitoring. Devices must be able to switch seamlessly between networks – whether moving through regional coverage gaps, crossing borders, or traveling overseas.

A prime example of this is Digital Matter’s Oyster Edge, which supports Wi-Fi, cellular, and GNSS connectivity. The device can swiftly transition between connectivity types, ensuring reliable tracking capabilities across indoor, outdoor, and remote environments.

By using devices compatible with both satellite and terrestrial technologies, businesses can achieve global visibility of their assets.

Sarah Woon, Research Analyst, Beecham Research

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