Satellite IoT Boom: Space Networks Poised to Connect the Unconnected by 2029

• Global market set to skyrocket: Satellite IoT connectivity revenues are forecast to reach €1.58 billion by 2029, up from just a few hundred million today techafricanews.com. This represents ~36% annual growth, far outpacing traditional IoT sectors, as satellite-connected devices surge from ~5.8 million in 2024 to 32.5 million by 2029 techafricanews.com.
• Driving need – connecting the other 90%: Only about 10% of Earth’s surface has terrestrial connectivity, leaving vast remote areas offline techafricanews.com. Satellite IoT is emerging to connect the remaining 90% – from oceans and deserts to rural farms – filling critical coverage gaps that cellular or Wi-Fi networks can’t reach techafricanews.com.
• Complement, not replacement: Satellite IoT augments terrestrial IoT networks, not replaces them. In 2024 it was just 3.8% the revenue of cellular IoT iot-analytics.com, but with new standards and falling costs it’s rapidly growing. Hybrid solutions allow IoT devices to use cellular where available and switch to satellite in dead zones, enabling truly global coverage.
• New technologies slashing costs: Advances in low-Earth orbit (LEO) nanosatellites and the integration of 5G NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks) are driving prices down. Standard 3GPP protocols (e.g. NB-IoT over satellite) let affordable, off-the-shelf chips talk to satellites rcrwireless.com, eliminating expensive proprietary hardware. Dozens of low-cost LEO minisats can now be launched in a single rocket, dramatically lowering launch and connectivity costs iot-analytics.com iot-analytics.com.
• Real-world use cases exploding: Satellite IoT is already transforming agriculture, logistics, energy, maritime and more. It’s powering precision farming on remote farmland, tracking shipping containers across oceans, monitoring pipelines and mines in real time, and connecting ships, trucks, and wildlife in areas with no cell signal techafricanews.com rcrwireless.com. These space-enabled sensors can save billions (e.g. up to $47 billion in shipping efficiencies) by bringing data from previously unconnected assets rcrwireless.com.
• Dynamic industry with new players: A wave of new entrants (over 100 companies) has joined legacy operators in the satellite IoT race iot-analytics.com. Established leaders like Iridium, Inmarsat (Viasat), ORBCOMM, and Globalstar (which collectively held >80% of the market in 2024 iot-analytics.com) are now challenged by nimble startups (e.g. Swarm/SpaceX, Astrocast, Sateliot, Skylo). Competition is driving innovation, partnerships, and lower prices across the board.

Global Market Growth: From Niche to €1.6 Billion

Just a few years ago, satellite IoT was a niche segment – but not for long. Analysts project exponential growth through the decade. Berg Insight’s latest report pegs satellite IoT connectivity revenues at €1.58 billion by 2029 (36.4% CAGR from 2024) techafricanews.com. The subscriber count is expected to quintuple, reaching 32.5 million IoT devices on satellite networks by 2029 techafricanews.com. Another analysis by IoT Analytics finds 7.5 million active satellite IoT connections in 2024, with total market (connectivity + hardware) climbing 26% annually to $4.7 billion by 2030 iot-analytics.com. In short, space-based IoT is transitioning from early adopter phase to mainstream deployment.

This surge is occurring despite falling ARPU (average revenue per device) – a sign of pricing becoming more affordable. The monthly IoT connectivity cost via satellite is forecast to drop to around €4 per device by 2029 techafricanews.com (down from far higher levels historically in satellite). For comparison, satellite IoT still commands a premium – legacy satellite plans often ran $40–70 per device/month, nearly 15× the ARPU of cellular IoT iot-analytics.com – but that gap is closing fast. With new low-cost constellations, some services are pushing costs down into the single-digit dollars range. (For instance, SpaceX’s Swarm network (acquired in 2021) offered global IoT connectivity for ~$5 per month per device techcrunch.com, using palm-sized “SpaceBEE” satellites. SpaceX is now folding Swarm’s tech into its larger direct-to-cell initiative techcrunch.com techcrunch.com.)

What’s driving this boom? In large part, pent-up demand for connectivity in places terrestrial networks can’t reach. An estimated 90% of the planet has no cellular or fiber coverage techafricanews.com, leaving huge numbers of sensors and assets disconnected. “The report highlights a substantial opportunity for satellite IoT… given that only about 10% of the Earth’s surface has access to terrestrial connectivity,” notes TechAfrica News, emphasizing satellite’s role as a complement to ground networks in remote areas techafricanews.com. As industries worldwide digitize and seek real-time data from field operations, IoT adoption is bumping against the limits of terrestrial networks. Satellite steps in to extend the Internet of Things to the farthest corners – whether offshore wind farms, rainforest monitoring stations, or borderless global supply chains.

Key Growth Drivers: LEO, 5G NTN, and Falling Barriers

Several converging trends are propelling satellite IoT’s rapid rise:

• LEO Constellations & Nanosatellites: The shift from a few heavy satellites to swarms of mini-satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) has slashed costs and improved coverage. Traditionally, satellite operators launched 1–tonne class GEO satellites costing hundreds of millions. Now, companies build 10–100 kg nanosats by the dozen. For example, OneWeb mass-produces two 147 kg satellites per day on an assembly line iot-analytics.com. Startups like FOSSA offer pico-satellites for as little as €100k iot-analytics.com. These lightweight LEO sats enjoy cheaper launches (thanks in part to rideshare launch services) and can provide low-latency global coverage by orbiting a few hundred kilometers up. 98% of new IoT satellites launched in the next 5 years will be LEO according to Juniper Research computerweekly.com computerweekly.com, reflecting this industry-wide pivot. In short, space is becoming more accessible and affordable, allowing even smaller nations and companies to loft IoT-focused satellites.
• Standardized 5G NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks): A game-changer for device compatibility, the new 3GPP NTN standards (finalized in Release 17) enable regular cellular IoT devices (like NB-IoT or LTE-M modules) to connect directly via satellite. This eliminates the need for proprietary satellite-specific radios, vastly expanding the device ecosystem and lowering costs. “The partnership leverages 3GPP-standardized 5G direct-to-device tech, enabling sensors, vehicles, and machines to connect across both satellite and terrestrial networks without proprietary hardware,” Deutsche Telekom noted of its new satellite IoT venture rcrwireless.com. Now a sensor in a tractor or a pipeline can use a standard NB-IoT modem and still transmit via satellite when out of cell range – no special expensive transceiver needed. Sateliot (Spain) has been a pioneer here, launching the first LEO nanosats that fully implement the standard NB-IoT protocol in space. After deploying its latest batch of satellites in 2024, Sateliot declared the launch “represents the revolution of the 5G NB-IoT NTN standard… regardless of location or infrastructure, connectivity black spots will become a thing of the past” rcrwireless.com. In parallel, Iridium is readying “Iridium NTN Direct,” a 5G NTN service to allow NB-IoT devices to roam onto its LEO network globally rcrwireless.com. The bottom line: satellite IoT is no longer a closed, custom club – it’s merging with mainstream wireless standards, making adoption much easier.
• Hybrid and Multi-Orbit Networks: Rather than relying on one type of satellite, operators are combining strengths of different orbits. Multi-orbit strategies use fleets of LEO satellites (for low latency and capacity) together with GEO satellites (for broad coverage and broadcast) in one seamless service computerweekly.com. This approach delivers “the low latency and high throughput from LEO plus the extensive geographical coverage of GEO” in one package computerweekly.com – ideal for meeting diverse IoT needs. It’s gaining traction as established players adapt: legacy operators like Inmarsat, EchoStar, and Thuraya (GEO players) are complementing their coverage with LEO partnerships or subsidiaries, while newer LEO constellations explore GEO tie-ups for backhaul. Juniper Research urges satellite IoT providers to invest in such multi-orbit solutions to cater to the full spectrum of IoT use cases, from “nomadic” asset trackers to fixed sensors computerweekly.com computerweekly.com.
• Cost Declines & Efficiency Gains: Beyond launch costs falling, the networks themselves are becoming more efficient. Mass-produced satellite hardware, reusable rockets, shared launches, and cloud-based ground infrastructure (e.g. satellite operators using AWS/Azure for mission control) all lower the cost per IoT connection. New satellite protocols are also more bandwidth-efficient. For instance, Viasat’s new “IoT Nano” service repurposes ORBCOMM’s next-gen (OGx) protocol to allow larger, faster two-way messages with lower power consumption on L-band satellites rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com – enabling richer IoT data (images, sensor batches) that previously were impractical over satellite. At the same time, ultra-narrowband options exist for tiny payloads: Viasat is also trialing a 3GPP NB-IoT NTN service for “massive-scale” ultra-low-power devices sending just daily measurements rcrwireless.com. In short, whether the application needs a few bytes or a burst of kilobytes, satellite networks are tuning offerings to be more data-efficient and power-efficient, squeezing more out of limited spectrum.
• Government and Industry Support: Recognition is growing that space-based IoT is critical infrastructure. Governments are investing in satellite IoT projects and adapting regulations. For example, regulators in the US and EU have moved to open licensed bands for satellite IoT integration (so satellites can serve mobile users without interference), and initiatives like the FCC’s 2023 “Supplemental Coverage from Space” rules encourage collaboration between mobile carriers and satellite firms. Space agencies and defense departments are also funding IoT constellations for environmental monitoring, smart agriculture, and security uses – often via public-private partnerships with startups. In emerging markets, governments view satellite IoT as a way to leapfrog connectivity gaps for development (more on regions below). All this support lowers entry barriers for new satellite ventures and spurs more deployment.
• Rising Demand in Key Industries: Certain sectors are especially driving uptake. Automotive & transportation is one – from trucking fleets requiring ubiquitous telematics, to connected cars that may soon use satellite links for emergency or navigation data when off-grid. Logistics and asset tracking is another big driver: companies want to track shipments “anywhere on Earth, pole-to-pole.” Agriculture and energy sectors need to monitor equipment spread over thousands of remote acres. These industries have begun to see satellite IoT not as a last resort, but as a must-have to enable modern, data-driven operations. A recent industry survey by Viasat found 85% of organizations struggled to deploy IoT solutions because of connectivity issues in target areas iot-analytics.com – underscoring the latent demand that satellite can fulfill. As IoT ROI has been proven in well-connected settings, enterprises are now eager to extend those benefits to the other ¾ of the planet.

Use Cases: Connecting Farms, Ships, Grids and More

Satellite IoT’s real-world applications span any scenario where assets are dispersed beyond reliable terrestrial networks. Some of the most impactful use cases include:

• Precision Agriculture & Livestock: Farms often lie outside broadband coverage – for instance, in Brazil only ~19% of agricultural land has high-speed internet access computerweekly.com. Satellite IoT is closing that gap by connecting farm equipment, sensors, and animals. In one initiative, Intelsat is partnering with agri-equipment maker CNH Industrial to install satellite terminals on tractors in Brazil’s remote farms, enabling data-driven precision farming even in the middle of nowhere computerweekly.com computerweekly.com. Soil moisture sensors, weather stations, crop health monitors, and smart irrigation controllers can now relay data via satellite, boosting yields and resource efficiency. Ranchers are tagging cattle with satellite IoT collars to track herds across vast rangelands. In Africa and South Asia, satellite-connected agro-weather sensors help farmers adapt to climate conditions. The result is more connected, climate-smart agriculture that isn’t tethered to cell tower range.
• Logistics & Asset Tracking: Whether it’s a shipping container in mid-ocean, a railcar in the wilderness, or construction machinery at a remote site, satellite IoT provides a lifeline to track and manage high-value assets worldwide. Maritime and supply chain companies are equipping containers and vessels with satellite tags, so they transmit location and condition (temperature, shock, etc.) regularly. A Sateliot study suggested connecting the world’s untracked shipping containers across oceans could save up to $47 billion annually by optimizing operations and reducing losses rcrwireless.com. In aviation, satellite IoT trackers on smaller aircraft or drones ensure constant visibility outside radar zones. Humanitarian logisticians use satellite-connected sensors to monitor cold-chain integrity (e.g. vaccines in transit to remote clinics). In mining and oil/gas, vehicles and equipment outfitted with satellite IoT can be tracked for safety and operational data across sprawling sites.
• Energy & Utilities: Many energy infrastructures stretch into remote or offshore areas – pipelines, power lines, oil wells, wind turbines, pumping stations. Satellite IoT is instrumental in monitoring critical infrastructure where fiber or cellular is unavailable. For example, power companies are installing satellite IoT sensors on distant transmission lines and transformers to detect faults or theft in real time. (Swedish grid operator Sentrisense is trialing Sateliot’s NB-IoT satellites for this purpose rcrwireless.com). In oil and gas, upstream wells in deserts or deepwater platforms can send production data and equipment alerts via satellite, preventing costly downtimes. Similarly, pipeline pressure sensors report leaks or anomalies immediately. Even renewable energy relies on satcom: remote solar farms and wind farms use satellite links to send performance data back to operators. By extending SCADA and telemetry to the hardest-to-reach assets, satellite IoT helps prevent environmental incidents and improves maintenance through constant visibility.
• Maritime & Fisheries: The ocean was one of the earliest domains for satellite data (think GPS and ship sat phones), and it remains vital. Satellite IoT is modernizing fisheries and maritime operations, allowing even small fishing boats or buoys to be connected. IoT transponders on fishing vessels can report their catches and routes for regulatory compliance and safety, even far offshore. Environmental and research buoys bobbing in the middle of the Pacific now beam back oceanographic data via cheap nanosat constellations. The maritime shipping industry employs satellite IoT for everything from engine diagnostics on cargo ships to tracking autonomous surface drones. With the IMO mandating more digital reporting and monitoring for ships, satellite IoT provides the only means to comply when out of coastal radio range.
• Environment & Wildlife Conservation: By removing dependency on local networks, satellite IoT has enabled planet-wide environmental sensing. In Africa and Asia, anti-poaching units attach satellite tags to endangered animals (elephants, rhinos) and even to illegal fishing vessels, tracking movements in real time to aid conservation patrols. Climate and geology sensors have been dropped into remote rainforests, volcanoes, and polar regions – sending back vital data on deforestation, seismic activity, glacier melt, etc., through satellites. NGOs are leveraging swarms of small sat-IoT devices to monitor wildfires in forests, floods in unpopulated areas, and water levels in far-flung watersheds. All of this yields early warnings for disasters and richer data for climate science, far beyond the grid of cell towers. Sateliot even markets its service as a way for NGOs to “monitor and protect precious ecosystems” via global IoT connectivity sateliot.space.
• Emergency Response & Remote Healthcare: In disaster-struck regions where infrastructure is down, satellite IoT can keep critical devices online. For instance, portable satellite IoT units can monitor the cold storage of vaccines or food in disaster zones, or track generators and relief supplies. Remote medical clinics with satellite-connected health IoT kits (for patient vitals, diagnostics) can function even if telecom networks are out. Emergency teams use satellite GPS trackers and sensors to coordinate in areas with zero cell coverage (e.g. wildfire firefighters, mountain rescue teams). While consumer satellite texting (like Apple’s Emergency SOS via Globalstar) grabs headlines, it’s the less glamorous IoT sensors (generators, shelters, weather monitors) quietly working via satellite that hugely aid humanitarian efforts behind the scenes.

In short, any industry or mission that extends beyond the reach of cell towers stands to gain from satellite IoT. By bringing connectivity to remote farms, ships at sea, rigs in the tundra, and wildlife roaming free, satellite IoT is truly connecting the unconnected – unlocking efficiencies and insights previously impossible.

Satellite IoT vs Terrestrial IoT vs LPWAN: How They Stack Up

As satellite IoT gains momentum, a natural question is how it compares with established IoT connectivity options on the ground – from cellular IoT (NB-IoT, LTE-M, 5G) to unlicensed low-power networks (LoRaWAN, Sigfox, etc.). The short answer: they each have strengths, and satellite IoT is largely complementary, filling coverage gaps rather than replacing terrestrial solutions. Here’s a quick comparison:

• Coverage: This is where satellite unequivocally wins. Terrestrial networks (cellular, LPWAN, WiFi) cover cities and towns but fade out in rural and remote regions. Even the best cellular networks cover only ~95% of the population, which equates to <20% of the Earth’s land area (and 0% of oceans). In contrast, a satellite constellation can provide near-100% geographic coverage – truly global reach, including poles, oceans, airspace, and deserts. For instance, Iridium’s LEO network covers every inch of the planet (“pole-to-pole”), an important reason it leads in subscriber count rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. LPWAN technologies (like LoRa) typically span a few kilometers from each gateway – fine for campus or city-scale IoT, but useless in the wilderness unless you deploy your own gateways everywhere. Bottom line: if you need connectivity anywhere on Earth, only satellite or satellite-assisted IoT can deliver that.
• Power Consumption & Device Size: Terrestrial LPWAN protocols are designed for ultra-low power: a LoRa or Sigfox sensor can run on a AA battery for years, transmitting tiny packets occasionally. Cellular IoT (LTE-M, NB-IoT) is also optimized for low power, though not as frugal as LoRa in many cases. Historically, satellite terminals were power-hungry and bulky (think sat phones with big antennas). That too is changing. Modern sat-IoT devices like Astrocast or Swarm modems are about palm-sized and can run on small solar panels or batteries, transmitting a few messages per day. Swarm’s modem, for example, could run off two AA batteries sending one daily message for a year reddit.com. Still, to transmit directly 1,000+ km to space, these devices need more power than a short-range LoRa chirp. Thus, for extremely power-sensitive use (e.g. tiny wireless sensors), pure terrestrial LPWAN might be preferable if coverage exists. But in many cases, clever duty cycling and improved satellite link budgets have made battery-powered satellite IoT very feasible. In short, the power gap is closing as sat tech improves.
• Bandwidth & Data Volume: If you need to stream video or high data-rate telemetry, neither terrestrial LPWAN nor most satellite IoT links will suffice – that’s a job for cellular 4G/5G or high-throughput satellite broadband. Satellite IoT services today are typically narrowband, designed for intermittent messaging and sensor data (bytes to kilobytes). NB-IoT via satellite has similar throughput to NB-IoT on land (tens of kbps at best). Proprietary systems like ORBCOMM’s OGx (now Viasat’s IoT Nano) allow messages up to 1 MB and faster delivery rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com, but these are exceptions aimed at higher-end use cases. By contrast, terrestrial IoT options span a range: LoRa/Sigfox are extremely low data rate (like satellite), while LTE-M can do moderate data, and full 5G can do real-time broadband for IoT cams, etc. Thus, satellite IoT is ideal for small bursts of telemetry, not heavy data. However, one can envision hybrid setups – e.g., collect HD images via a local drone and send a compressed report via satellite IoT when no other link is available. And if truly high data is needed off-grid, traditional VSAT or emerging LEO broadband (Starlink, OneWeb) might be used as a backhaul.
• Latency: Most IoT applications (sending sensor readings every few minutes or hours) are tolerant of high latency, so satellite’s latency isn’t a big drawback. A LEO satellite link might add 50–500 ms one-way latency; GEO satellites ~600 ms. For comparison, a cross-country cellular/cloud link could be ~50–100 ms. For command-and-control or time-sensitive data, LEO satellites’ lower latency is an advantage over GEO. But again, for typical IoT (monitoring, logging, threshold alerts) a few hundred milliseconds or even a few seconds delay is inconsequential. In sum, latency is a minor factor for most IoT use cases, and LEO networks have made satellite latency quite reasonable.
• Cost (Device & Service): Terrestrial IoT wins on sheer cheapness in areas with coverage – modules are a few dollars, and connectivity can be a dollar or two per month for NB-IoT or even free for community LoRaWAN. Satellite IoT hardware has come down in price (sub-$50 modules in some cases), but still often higher due to more complex radios and antennas. The service cost for satellite IoT is its biggest historical downside – often $5 to $15 per month or more, versus pennies to dollars for terrestrial. However, as noted, new entrants are drastically reducing sat costs: e.g. $5/month global plans (Swarm) techcrunch.com, and the trend toward ~$4/month by 2029 on average techafricanews.com. For many industrial applications, a few dollars per month is a small price for connectivity that ensures operational data continuity. Also, one must factor the cost of lack of connectivity – if an asset is mission-critical, the expense of satellite links can be trivial compared to the value of data or prevention of failure. Still, for massive-scale deployments (tens of thousands of sensors), pure terrestrial IoT remains cheaper if coverage is available. We’re likely to see many dual-mode IoT devices that use cheap terrestrial networks when they can, and only switch to satellite (incurring cost) when absolutely needed – thereby optimizing expenses while maintaining near-100% uptime.

In summary, satellite IoT and terrestrial IoT (cellular/LPWAN) are complementary pieces of the connectivity puzzle. Terrestrial networks handle dense urban and suburban IoT brilliantly, at low cost and high speeds. Satellite networks cover the blanks on the map – the remote highways, oceans, air corridors, and wildlands – albeit at higher cost and lower bandwidth. The new trend of integrated devices and roaming agreements means users may soon not even need to choose: the same IoT sensor can use terrestrial signal when possible and automatically fall back to a satellite mode when it loses coverage. This convergence is already underway: e.g., Deutsche Telekom and Iridium’s 2025 partnership will allow DT’s cellular IoT customers to roam onto Iridium’s satellite network seamlessly, offering “pole-to-pole coverage” for NB-IoT devices with a single SIM rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. As Iridium’s CEO Matt Desch put it, “Iridium NTN Direct is designed to complement terrestrial networks… providing seamless global coverage, extending the reach of their infrastructure” rcrwireless.com. In other words, the future isn’t satellite versus terrestrial – it’s an all-of-the-above fabric where devices use the best available link to stay connected always.

The Players: Established Titans vs New Space Disruptors

The satellite IoT landscape is evolving rapidly, with legacy heavyweights and upstart constellations vying for slices of a growing pie. According to IoT Analytics, as of 2024 seven companies (the incumbents) still account for 80%+ of the market iot-analytics.com, but by 2030 the lineup of top players will likely include several newcomers as the field fragments. Here’s a look at the key contenders and their strategies:

• Iridium Communications: Often dubbed the leader in satellite IoT, Iridium operates a 66-satellite LEO constellation in L-band that provides truly global coverage (including poles). It has over 2 million active users, ~1.7 million of which are IoT devices rcrwireless.com – the most of any satcom provider. Iridium’s network is known for reliability (signal penetrates weather, moderate data speeds) and is used heavily in maritime, aviation, and government IoT (e.g. ship trackers, airplane messaging, military assets). Iridium’s IoT services (like Short Burst Data) have historically had high ARPUs, but the company is pivoting to expand usage via standard tech. It is developing Iridium NTN Direct (launching 2026), a service enabling standard NB-IoT devices to connect directly, in partnership with Deutsche Telekom rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. This effectively could make Iridium a roaming partner for terrestrial carriers worldwide, leveraging its new Certus terminals and existing satellites to carry IoT data. With no new constellation needed (Iridium NEXT was completed in 2019), the focus is on ecosystem integration. Iridium’s competitive edge remains its global L-band coverage and established base – but it faces competition from newer LEOs on cost. CEO Matt Desch emphasizes complementarity: “This partnership [with DT] underscores the power of a straightforward, scalable solution that builds on existing technology to enable global service” rcrwireless.com, highlighting Iridium’s strategy to blend into the broader IoT fabric rather than go it alone.
• Inmarsat (Viasat): UK-based Inmarsat was a GEO satellite pioneer with strong IoT presence (especially in maritime and aviation tracking). In 2023, it was acquired by Viasat, a U.S. firm, creating a powerhouse that combines Viasat’s broadband satellites with Inmarsat’s L-band network. Under Viasat, the IoT portfolio has been rebranded and expanded. Viasat IoT offers a tiered range of services: from NB-NTN (narrowband NB-IoT standard) for tiny messages, up to “IoT Nano” (a new service using ORBCOMM’s OGx protocol) for larger two-way messages, and further to IoT Select/Pro/VSAT for high-data needs rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. This breadth means Viasat can cater to different IoT use cases with the “right tool for the job,” as its VP Simon Hawkins explained rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. For example, battery-powered field sensor? – use NB-NTN. Need to send a photo from a remote camera? – use IoT Nano. By leveraging Inmarsat’s robust L-band GEO network (99.5% uptime) and ORBCOMM’s technology rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com, Viasat is positioning itself as a one-stop IoT provider for enterprises, especially in remote industries like mining, agriculture, transport, and utilities rcrwireless.com. Notably, Viasat’s IoT Nano runs on Inmarsat’s existing satellites (so no wait for new constellation) and works with existing ORBCOMM and IDP hardware in the field rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com – giving it a ready customer base. Viasat is also expanding distribution via wholesalers and integrators (the ELEVATE partner program rcrwireless.com). With this merger, legacy GEO players have shown they can reinvent and compete: Viasat now effectively owns ORBCOMM’s IoT services and has folded them in, instead of ORBCOMM being a standalone rival. It underscores an industry trend of consolidation and synergy between old and new.
• Globalstar: A longtime LEO operator in L-band, Globalstar has a smaller constellation and traditionally focused on niche IoT (like personal SPOT trackers and simplex asset trackers). Its big break came with Apple’s 2022 decision to partner with Globalstar for the Emergency SOS feature on iPhones, leveraging Globalstar satellites to send emergency texts when users are off-grid. This deal injected funding (Apple committed hundreds of millions for new satellites) and thrust Globalstar into the spotlight. While emergency messaging isn’t exactly IoT, the upgrade of Globalstar’s network and ground stations for Apple will spill over to its IoT offerings. Globalstar also holds terrestrial spectrum rights (Band n53, 2.4 GHz), which it’s licensing for private LTE/5G networks – e.g. in 2024 Globalstar partnered with Liquid Intelligent Technologies to use Band n53 and potentially its satellite network for private 5G in African mining rcrwireless.com. In IoT, Globalstar’s services are somewhat simpler (lower data rates), but the company could leverage its new ties to consumer devices to broaden IoT usage (imagine future wearables or vehicles pinging Globalstar for data). With new funding, Globalstar is launching more satellites (2025+) to replenish its constellation, ensuring continued service growth. Its competitive niche is low-power, one-way data (the SPOT tags) and now possibly direct-to-device integration via big brands. As one of the smaller incumbents, Globalstar’s trajectory shows how a single partnership (with Apple) can redefine a satellite IoT provider’s fortunes.
• ORBCOMM: A pioneer in satellite M2M/IoT, ORBCOMM operated a fleet of VHF band LEO satellites and built a solid business in asset tracking (trucking, containers, heavy equipment). In recent years ORBCOMM pivoted from being solely a satellite operator to an end-to-end IoT solutions provider, using whichever networks make sense (satellite, cellular, dual-mode) for a given customer. Notably, ORBCOMM struck a long-term deal to use Inmarsat’s L-band for its next-gen services (OGx), and then in 2021 was taken private by GI Partners. By 2022, ORBCOMM’s satellite operations were effectively integrated with partners. Now in 2025, with Viasat’s acquisition of Inmarsat, ORBCOMM’s fate is further entwined – as seen by Viasat adopting ORBCOMM’s tech in IoT Nano rcrwireless.com. In the TechAfrica report, ORBCOMM is mentioned as a leader transitioning away from operating satellites to focusing on solutions techafricanews.com. Indeed, ORBCOMM today offers IoT devices, software platforms, and managed services to enterprises (for fleet management, cargo monitoring, etc.), often abstracting the underlying connectivity. It has roaming agreements with other sat providers to ensure coverage. ORBCOMM’s story highlights a segment of the industry moving “up the stack” – instead of selling just connectivity, they sell a full solution (hardware+app+connectivity) tailored to verticals. This approach can be very sticky with customers, though it means ORBCOMM competes more with telematics companies than pure satcoms. As the competitive landscape shifts, ORBCOMM’s brand might become less visible (especially if its tech is white-labeled by Viasat or others), but its influence remains significant given the large install base of ORBCOMM devices across global fleets.
• New LEO Constellations: The past 3–4 years have seen an explosion of startup constellations targeting IoT. Many are smallsat LEO constellations, sometimes using unlicensed bands or novel frequency sharing techniques. Notable names include Astrocast (Switzerland), Kineis (France), Swarm (US, acquired by SpaceX), Lacuna Space (UK), Sateliot (Spain), OQ Technology (Luxembourg), Myriota (Australia), NanoAvionics/het cosmos (Lithuania, for IoT), Skylo (US/India, though it piggybacks on GEO satellites). Each has a unique twist:
  • Astrocast operates 10+ cubesats in L-band and even made headlines partnering with Airbus and Thuraya to expand services astrocast.com computerweekly.com. It offers modules for things like wildlife and environmental monitoring, and had an IPO in 2021 (though it recently chose to go private again amid financing challenges).
  • Kineis (spun off from the decades-old Argos system used for wildlife tags) is launching 25 nanosatellites, aiming to provide global tracking and environmental data services.
  • Lacuna Space uses LoRaWAN – effectively acting as space-based LoRa gateways to collect data from off-grid LoRa sensors (very low data rates but ultra-low power devices like weather sensors can send data to space).
  • OQ Technology is focused on 5G NB-IoT via satellite for industrial use, and claims to have a growing constellation in service.
  • Sateliot we discussed – it’s aligning closely with telecom operators (Telefónica trials, others in pipeline) to act as the “satellite roaming partner” for mobile carriers, using 5G NB-IoT standard so devices can move between networks seamlessly rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. Sateliot already launched 5 satellites and plans 100 by 2028 rcrwireless.com, targeting sectors like agriculture, logistics and critical infrastructure rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. It has also secured significant funding (aiming for a €30M series B) and touts having 8 million devices under contract for future connectivity rcrwireless.com – indicating strong demand if it can execute.
  • Swarm (SpaceX) was unique for its ultra-low cost approach with 150 tiny satellites (each under 1 kg). After SpaceX’s acquisition, Swarm’s service continued at $5/month/device and attracted hobbyists and IoT tinkerers, but as of 2023 SpaceX halted new sales and is shifting to integrate Swarm into Starlink’s direct-to-cell system techcrunch.com techcrunch.com. This suggests SpaceX sees a bigger opportunity by combining IoT with standard mobile connectivity from space, rather than a standalone IoT network. It’s a reminder that big players might subsume some smaller ones.
  • Skylo takes a different approach: rather than build satellites, it uses existing GEO satellite capacity (from partners like Inmarsat or Intelsat) and developed a software-defined radio system that can receive IoT signals from standard devices. Skylo has partnered with cellular operators in India and elsewhere, and recently, Soracom (an IoT connectivity platform) announced integration of Skylo’s satellite NTN into its IoT SIM management – letting IoT devices use satellite when out of range computerweekly.com. This kind of partnership brings satellite IoT to potentially millions of devices via a simple platform toggle, showcasing how software and service integration can drive adoption without every provider launching their own constellation.

Collectively, these new entrants are making the satellite IoT arena highly dynamic and fragmented. While each one individually has a smaller network compared to Iridium or Inmarsat, in aggregate they represent a disruptive force. IoT Analytics noted the market is fragmenting, with the share of the top 7 operators expected to decline by 2030 as newcomers grab slices iot-analytics.com iot-analytics.com. We may even see non-traditional players like Starlink (SpaceX) and Amazon’s Project Kuiper enter the IoT fray by decade’s end iot-analytics.com. Both are building massive LEO broadband constellations; while their primary target is internet service, the IoT opportunity is too large to ignore ($4–5B by 2030). Starlink’s planned direct-to-cell service implies that a standard smartphone or IoT module could connect to Starlink satellites using ordinary cellular bands. If realized, that could instantly put Starlink among top IoT providers simply through sheer scale (any Starlink satellite could serve IoT devices as well as phones). Amazon’s Kuiper likewise could partner with enterprises or MVNOs to offer IoT data backhaul. Their potential entry underscores that the competitive landscape by 2029 might include tech giants alongside specialized IoT constellations – a recipe for intense competition but also greater awareness and market growth.

One encouraging trend is partnership and consolidation: big telecom operators are teaming up with satellite firms instead of competing outright. We saw this with DT + Iridium, with Telefónica + Sateliot trials, with Vodafone + AST SpaceMobile (for direct phone/satellite service, a related area), with Orange + Lacuna (LoRaWAN satellite trials), etc. Even regionally, companies like Liquid Intelligent Technologies in Africa are partnering with satellite providers (Globalstar) to offer integrated solutions to customers rcrwireless.com. These partnerships indicate that satellite IoT is being woven into the broader telecom ecosystem, rather than remaining a silo. For the key companies, it means future success may depend on the alliances they forge – whether it’s satellite operators collaborating with each other to offer multi-orbit coverage, or with telcos and cloud providers to reach customers at scale.

Regional Outlook: Emerging Markets & Global Impact

One of the most exciting aspects of the satellite IoT boom is its potential impact on emerging markets and remote regions. While IoT in developed countries often focuses on urban smart cities and factories (well served by 5G and fiber), in much of Africa, Latin America, South and Southeast Asia, the fundamental challenge is connectivity. Satellite IoT could be truly transformative in these contexts:

• Sub-Saharan Africa: Africa has the lowest rate of internet and IoT connectivity today – large portions of the population and land area lack even basic 3G coverage. This hampers everything from agriculture and wildlife management to infrastructure development. Satellite IoT offers a leapfrog solution. For example, African wildlife reserves are using satellite collars and sensors to track animal movements and catch poachers in parks that have no cell service for hundreds of kilometers. In East Africa, sensor-equipped weather stations and water pumps in rural villages send maintenance alerts via satellite, helping utilities and NGOs maintain vital infrastructure. Mining and energy sectors in Africa are also prime beneficiaries: mines in the Congo or Namibia can use satellite IoT to monitor equipment and worker safety in real time; oil operations in the Niger delta or Sahara can instrument their fields without waiting for terrestrial networks. Recognizing this, local integrators are stepping in – e.g., Kenya and Rwanda have launched or planned IoT nanosatellites to support agricultural and environmental monitoring in their countries, showing government interest in indigenous sat-IoT capabilities. The cost remains a consideration in lower-income regions, but as prices fall (and with creative business models like community/shared devices), satellite IoT could help address pressing issues like crop yields, wildlife conservation, and disaster response in Africa. It’s often said that Africa “skipped landlines straight to mobile”; with IoT, it may similarly skip extensive terrestrial IoT build-out and go straight to hybrid terrestrial-satellite solutions to connect rural Africa.
• Latin America: From the Amazon rainforest to the Andes and Patagonia, Latin America’s geography poses connectivity challenges. Yet these environments are exactly where IoT can have huge impact – monitoring forest health and illegal logging in the Amazon, tracking herds and water resources in the vast plains (Llanos, Pantanal), or managing pipelines and mines in remote mountains. Brazil’s agribusiness is a case in point: it’s a world leader in commodities, but only 19% of Brazil’s farmland has connectivity computerweekly.com. Satellite IoT is now being deployed to connect tractors, harvesters, and soil sensors on Brazilian mega-farms, enabling precision ag techniques deeper inland computerweekly.com computerweekly.com. In Argentina’s large ranches, satellite tags monitor cattle health and grazing patterns. Across the region, disaster-prone areas (volcano zones, hurricane paths, rainforest floodplains) use satellite sensors to give early warnings – an IoT-enabled flood sensor in a remote river in Peru can trigger alerts downstream via satellite, potentially saving lives. Even urban utilities in Latin America use satellite links as backups – for example, if a fiber line is down, a satellite IoT terminal can ensure a critical dam or power station still sends alerts. Regional satcom providers like Embratel/Star One in Brazil or ARSAT in Argentina have also started paying attention to IoT as a growth area, often partnering with global players for capacity. As satellite costs drop, Latin America stands to gain a robust IoT layer that doesn’t depend on extending terrestrial infrastructure into every jungle or mountain – effectively covering the “last mile” from the sky.
• South Asia & Southeast Asia: These regions include both high-density population centers and extremely remote areas (the Himalayas, vast archipelagos). In countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, satellite IoT can support agriculture (which employs millions of rural farmers) by connecting irrigation systems and providing timely weather data via remote sensors. The Indian government has discussed using satellites for smart agriculture and fisheries; ISRO (India’s space agency) has tested IoT payloads on small sats. Meanwhile, Southeast Asia’s island nations like Indonesia, the Philippines, and Pacific Island states have thousands of islands where connectivity is sparse. Here, satellite IoT is invaluable for fisheries management and maritime safety – Indonesia, for example, has trialed satellite trackers on fishing boats to combat illegal fishing and improve safety for small fishermen who go far from shore. In the Philippines, after Super Typhoon Yolanda, authorities deployed satellite-based flood and weather sensors to better predict and prepare for disasters, since ground networks were wiped out. Additionally, environmental monitoring of coral reefs, volcanoes (Indonesia has many active ones), and protected rainforests in this region relies heavily on sat IoT telemetry. Southeast Asia is also home to huge plantations (palm oil, rubber) in remote Borneo and Papua – satellite IoT helps monitor plantation conditions and logistics. There’s a strong interest in these countries to adopt IoT for development, and satellite connectivity ensures inclusivity – i.e. IoT benefits reaching even the remote villages and islands. Some ASEAN telecom companies are beginning to bundle satellite IoT for enterprise customers in mining or agriculture, recognizing the demand.
• Polar and Remote Oceania: Though less about emerging markets, it’s worth noting regions like the Arctic, Antarctic, and Pacific Islands. Climate change research in polar regions uses hundreds of satellite-connected sensors to track ice movements, permafrost, and wildlife – a critical IoT network that would be impossible otherwise. Small Pacific island nations, stretched across ocean expanses, use satellite IoT to monitor fisheries (a main income source) and supplement sparse communications – effectively acting as a lifeline for their economic activities.

Across all these regions, a common theme is unlocking economic and social progress by bringing connectivity to places that were left out. Satellite IoT can drive productivity gains in agriculture, safer and more efficient logistics, better disaster resilience, and improved resource management in emerging economies. It can also support social goals – e.g. satellite-linked telemetry for remote water pumps can ensure consistent clean water supply in African villages by notifying when maintenance is needed; or connecting off-grid health clinics to send patient data to city hospitals. These impacts align with global development targets.

Of course, challenges remain: affordability (satellite services must be cheap enough for widespread use in developing regions), awareness (educating industries about IoT benefits), and local capacity (training people to use and maintain these systems). But the trajectory is positive. As one industry executive put it, the goal is to make satellite IoT “democratic and accessible… designed to extend the coverage of mobile operators to 100% of the planet” rcrwireless.com. We are already seeing that vision take shape through pilot projects and partnerships targeted at emerging markets.

Recent Developments (2024–2025): Launches, Partnerships, and Policy

The past two years have been momentous for satellite IoT, with a flurry of new activity. Here are some highlights illustrating how fast the sector is moving:

• Constellation Build-outs: Numerous players launched satellites to boost capacity. In August 2024, Sateliot lofted four new NB-IoT microsatellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of its “5G constellation” and prepared for commercial service rcrwireless.com. The company reported having 8 million devices pre-contracted for its service – a huge number – and boldly projects €1 billion in revenue by 2030 rcrwireless.com. Similarly, Astrocast continued deploying satellites (with launch agreements via SpaceX and others astrocast.com), aiming for its 100-satellite goal. By 2025, the race is on: a Juniper Research study forecast 15,000 satellites supporting IoT by 2029, up 150% from 2024’s ~10,000 computerweekly.com computerweekly.com – indicating many more launches to come. Even OneWeb, fresh off completing its broadband constellation, signaled interest in IoT by teaming with companies to offer low-bit-rate services using its network (and IoT Analytics expects OneWeb to be among top IoT players by 2030 iot-analytics.com).
• New Services & Products: Established operators rolled out fresh IoT offerings. In July 2025, Viasat introduced “IoT Nano”, as discussed, repackaging ORBCOMM’s next-gen tech to offer faster, two-way IoT on its L-band sats rcrwireless.com. It specifically targets remote industries like mining, agriculture, transport, and energy rcrwireless.com with promises of better battery life and bigger message sizes than previous-gen services. Also in 2025, Iridium announced plans for “Project Stardust”, its codename for deploying direct-to-smartphone and IoT capabilities in its next upgrades, focusing on 5G messaging and even emergency SOS for consumer devices investor.iridium.com. On the device side, more manufacturers are producing dual-mode (cellular + satellite) IoT modules. For example, in late 2024 Qualcomm and other chipset vendors unveiled plans for NTN-capable IoT chipsets that support satellite links per 3GPP standards. This means by 2025/26, IoT module catalogs from major vendors (Quectel, Sierra Wireless, etc.) include options that developers can integrate knowing they’ll work with satellites like Iridium, Thuraya, Intelsat, etc., via standardized protocols.
• Telecom Partnerships: As mentioned, big telcos are embracing satellite IoT via partnerships. A standout is the Deutsche Telekom–Iridium deal (announced Sept 2025) to integrate Iridium’s upcoming 5G NTN service with DT’s terrestrial IoT platform rcrwireless.com. This will allow Deutsche Telekom’s customers (and roaming partners) to access truly global IoT coverage seamlessly. “By integrating Iridium’s LEO satellites with DT’s footprint, the partnership will keep customers and assets connected ‘from pole to pole’,” the companies said rcrwireless.com. They plan a 2026 commercial launch focusing on logistics, agriculture, emergency response and utilities rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. We’ve also seen Telefónica (Spain) trial Sateliot’s service for cell tower extension rcrwireless.com; MTN (South Africa) partnering with satellite providers for rural coverage; and Vodafone investing in AST SpaceMobile (which, while aimed at phones, could also support NB-IoT devices eventually). These collaborations underscore that satellite is becoming part of the standard toolkit for MNOs to offer IoT connectivity.
• Mergers & Acquisitions: The Viasat-Inmarsat merger (closed May 2023) was the big one, reshaping the competitive map. But there are other moves: Eutelsat’s merger with OneWeb (completed 2023) created a multi-orbit player that might combine OneWeb LEO with Eutelsat GEO assets for IoT solutions (Eutelsat had its “ELO” IoT cubesats as well). Smaller acquisitions include satellite operator EchoStar buying Orbital Micro Systems (a weather IoT cubesat firm) and TerraBella’s assets – indicating interest in IoT data verticals. On the flip side, SpaceX’s integration of Swarm (2021) reached its conclusion in 2023 with Swarm’s services being subsumed. We also saw UnaBiz (which now owns Sigfox tech) expressing interest in satellite connectivity to complement its terrestrial LPWAN network – a sign that even ground-based IoT companies might acquire or partner with satellite capabilities. All told, the lines between satellite and terrestrial connectivity companies are blurring via M&A.
• Regulatory Progress: Regulators have started laying groundwork for mainstream satellite IoT. In 2024, the U.S. FCC granted licenses to multiple firms (Lynk, AST SpaceMobile, etc.) to test direct-to-phone satellite services on cellular bands – which indirectly advances the regulatory acceptance of satellite IoT on shared spectrum. The FCC also created rules to streamline “supplemental satellite coverage” for cellular operators, which will benefit IoT use cases on those networks. Internationally, the ITU and 3GPP coordination ensures that frequencies for NTN (especially S-band, L-band, and portions of cellular bands for satellite) are harmonized globally, so devices can work across regions. Some countries have launched national satellite IoT initiatives – e.g., Indonesia’s regulator deployed a few nanosats for IoT pilots in rural connectivity, and India’s TRAI released consultation on promoting satellite connectivity for IoT and 5G backhaul trai.gov.in. These policies and trials indicate that governments want to integrate satellite into their connectivity strategies, not see it as an outlier. Over time, we can expect licensing for user terminals to be simplified and costs (like spectrum fees) to drop, which will further encourage adoption.
• Notable Launches & Milestones: A few other interesting milestones: Lynk Global (which is focusing on direct-to-phone and IoT via satellite using standard GSM/NB-IoT) successfully sent test text messages from standard phones in remote areas in 2024, showing the viability of satellite-to-normal-phone IoT messaging (imagine remote farmers getting market prices via satellite SMS on a basic phone). AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 satellite deployed a huge antenna and in 2023 managed the first direct satellite 4G phone call – while geared to voice/data, the tech could apply to IoT endpoints like vehicles with minor tweaks. In July 2025, Amazon’s Project Kuiper received FCC approval to launch its first production satellites, and while primarily for broadband, Amazon has hinted at IoT and cloud integration use cases down the road (AWS IoT could one day route data via Kuiper). Meanwhile, traditional satellite operators launched new hardware: Iridium started planning its next-generation constellation (likely in the early 2030s) which will undoubtedly have even greater IoT capacity and maybe cross-links with terrestrial networks.

All these developments paint a picture of a rapidly maturing sector. Only a few years ago, “satellite IoT” might have sounded futuristic or limited to niche uses like wildlife tags. Now in 2025, it’s front and center in connectivity discussions, with significant capital investment, media coverage, and enterprise interest. As evidence, satellite IoT even headlined recent tech news in emerging markets – e.g., TechAfrica News highlighted the revenue projections and opportunities of satellite IoT in Africa techafricanews.com techafricanews.com, and industry voices are actively discussing how space-based IoT can solve the “last-mile” connectivity problem for IoT.

Conclusion: The Sky is No Longer the Limit

The satellite IoT market is on a trajectory to explode in size and importance over the next 5+ years. What was once the realm of specialized tracking devices is evolving into a globally interoperable network of networks, where billions of sensors, machines, and vehicles can stay connected anywhere on Earth. By 2029, if current projections hold, satellite IoT will be a €1.5+ billion industry, with tens of millions of active devices from pole to pole. More importantly, it will be deeply interwoven with terrestrial connectivity – a normal part of the connectivity mix for businesses and consumers alike, rather than a niche oddity.

For the general public and tech enthusiasts, this means some exciting possibilities. We’ll see more stories of technology helping to save wildlife, optimize food production, or respond to disasters, enabled by satellites. Your next car or smartphone might quietly use satellite links when you drive out of cell range, keeping your maps updated or sending an SOS if needed. Remote corners of the developing world, previously cut off, will have sensors and devices that can participate in the “Internet of Things” – powering everything from micro-loan IoT weather stations for farmers to telemedicine kits in distant villages.

Industry experts are bullish. “Connectivity black spots will become a thing of the past,” Sateliot’s team proclaimed after their recent satellite launch rcrwireless.com, underlining the vision of ubiquitous coverage. And this sentiment is echoed by telecom giants partnering in this field. As Deutsche Telekom’s head of Satellite IoT, Jens Olejak, observed about merging satellite and cellular: “By providing our customers with access to Iridium’s extensive LEO network, they will benefit from broadened global coverage to reliably connect sensors, machines and vehicles. This convergence is now possible through affordable, 3GPP-standardized devices that function across both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.” rcrwireless.com

There will undoubtedly be challenges – technical hurdles, competition driving some ventures out, and the task of keeping all these networks secure and free of interference. But the momentum is undeniable. In the connectivity realm, space is no longer the final frontier, but rather the next frontier for the Internet of Things. Satellite IoT is soaring, and its trajectory suggests a future where no device is too remote, no region too isolated, to be part of our connected world.

Sources: The insights and data in this report are based on a range of recent publications and expert analyses, including TechAfrica News’s “Global Satellite IoT Revenues Projected to Reach €1.58 Billion by 2029” techafricanews.com techafricanews.com, industry research from Berg Insight and IoT Analytics techafricanews.com iot-analytics.com, news from RCR Wireless on Sateliot, Iridium/DT, and Viasat developments rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com, Juniper Research findings via Computer Weekly computerweekly.com, and statements from key companies and executives in the satellite IoT arena rcrwireless.com rcrwireless.com. These sources collectively highlight the rapid growth, technological drivers, and collaborative efforts shaping the satellite IoT market in 2024–2025 and beyond.