everything RF recently interviewed Alessandro Bonetti who is the Senior Product Manager at u-blox. He discussed about the new Satellite IoT Module, its features, and applications.
Q. Kudos on the launch of your multi-mode cellular and Satellite IoT module. Can you tell us more about the module?
Alessandro Bonetti: Thank you. The u-blox SARA-S520M10L is the smallest multi-mode cellular and satellite IoT module on the market. It provides connectivity through terrestrial cellular networks and geostationary (GEO) satellites. Measuring approximately 400 mm², it includes LTE-M/NB-IoT support, L-band satellite connectivity, and embedded navigation capability. Additionally, it is pin-compatible with other u-blox cellular-only modules in the SARA form factor and can provide location fixes using up to four satellite constellations. This module is also notable for being the first to incorporate the 2nd generation u-blox UBX-R5 chip, the UBX-R52/S52, and integrates the u-blox M10 GNSS receiver to deliver best-in-class positioning data concurrent with LTE communication.
Q. What is Satellite IoT Connectivity? Can you tell us more about its architecture? What are its use cases?
Alessandro Bonetti: Satellite IoT connectivity serves as a complementary solution to terrestrial cellular and non-cellular networks, particularly in remote locations where traditional connectivity may be limited.
Today, only around 10 percent of the Earth's surface has access to terrestrial connectivity services. This leaves a substantial opportunity for satellite-based IoT communications, which are expected to benefit applications in sectors such as agriculture, asset tracking, maritime and intermodal transportation, oil and gas exploration, utilities, construction, and government operations. Technology evolution has lowered the cost of ground terminals and satellites, which increased the attention of both, established satellite operators and numerous new initiatives, all vying to capitalize on this potential. Today’s satellite communication networks utilize different spaceborne platforms, including low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites, and geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) satellites.
Q. Can you tell us more about how this module connects to satellite networks? What power levels are required to send a signal to a satellite? How much data can be sent from the module to the satellite network? How much power does it consume?
Alessandro Bonetti: The module connects to the satellite using the ORBCOMM/Inmarsat IDP protocol. Since the constellation is based on GEO satellites, the radio front end requires a transmit power up to 33 dBm. Communication is asymmetric, and the device can transmit up to 6,400 bytes while it can receive up to 10,000 bytes. The u-blox SARA-S520M10L module uses cellular technology along with that it uses SATCOM as a backup for cellular connectivity.
Q. How reliable is the connectivity to a satellite network?
Alessandro Bonetti: Since the reference constellation is based on GEO satellites, in practice, except for rare urban canyon cases, the satellites are always in visibility. Therefore, the reliability of the connection is very high. In addition, the IDP protocol, being a system that includes acknowledgments, ensures the reliability of data transmission and reception.
Q. The u-blox satellite IoT module is compliant with ORBCOMM’s IDP protocol? Can you tell us about this protocol?
Alessandro Bonetti: The IsatData Pro (IDP) network is a low-data usage service ideal for remote management of mobile and fixed assets including tracking and telemetry. Designed and built for IoT and M2M communication it’s a two-way burst-mode communication (no streaming and non IP-based based for reduced overhead and better efficiency) on fully acknowledged messages ensuring a latency of less than 15 seconds for the transmission of 100 bytes.
Q. What kind of network coverage and geographic reach can users expect from this satellite IoT module? Will this module work in specific regions or can it work globally?
Alessandro Bonetti: Technically, like all Geostationary systems, the constellation can cover practically the entire globe with three satellites, except the poles (approximate coverage from 81°N to 81°S of latitude). There are regulatory agencies that may restrict operations in a few countries.
Q. Are Satellite IoT Modules typically locked to a specific network? or can these operate on multiple satellite networks?
Alessandro Bonetti: In the case of proprietary systems, there is a need to implement the protocol within the firmware, and it's not possible to have different protocols on the same device due to limited resources on the module. To use our module for another constellation, it would be necessary to rewrite the satellite communication protocol to support that system.
Q. What are the primary challenges or limitations that users might encounter when implementing satellite IoT communication, and how can they be addressed?
Alessandro Bonetti: Satellite communication devices may require a dedicated antenna that is separate from – and may be larger or more costly than – those used for terrestrial communications. In general, transmissions to satellites consume more power than transmissions to a cellular tower, and data throughput speeds will typically be lower for satellite links than for terrestrial links. Proper management in the application of network utilization and payload sizes can mitigate the impacts of these power and performance characteristics.
Q. Have customers started using this module? Can you give us a few real application examples of where this module is being used?
Alessandro Bonetti: Currently, the module is in the development and certification phase, so it cannot be provided to customers. Nevertheless, typical applications for a module of this kind are related to asset tracking, transportation and logistics tracking, fishing buoys, heavy industry, monitoring of earth-moving machinery, oil extraction systems, and agriculture in remote areas.
Q. Does u-blox plan to grow its Satellite IoT module offering? Do you foresee a standalone satellite IoT module in the near future?
Alessandro Bonetti: Satellite-only modules are certainly a possibility, although including cellular support in a module that supports satellite does not materially change the size or power characteristics of the module. Our customers continue to express interest in satellite communications, and to that end u-blox is actively exploring the implementation of additional satellite protocols, including support for 3GPP IoT-NTN standards-based systems as well as other proprietary systems.
