Cosmic IoT Revolution: How Optimized Satellite Constellations Are Connecting Every Corner of Earth
Starlink operates over 7,500 LEO satellites at 550 km with plans for up to 42,000 and is piloting Direct-to-Cell IoT with 20–50 ms latency. OneWeb has about 600 satellites at 1,200 km, merged with Eutelsat, and achieved global coverage in 2023. Iridium runs 66 cross-linked satellites at 780 km for global service. Swarm ended service in 2025 after deploying 160+ satellites.