Mobile Satellite Services can solve many of the challenges that more traditional connectivity services face, providing resilient, secure coverage in hard-to-reach areas. Offering these benefits, MSS can also play a valuable role in supporting innovative IoT solutions.
In part two of our series, looking at how mobile satellite services (MSS) support traditional LoRa® ecosystems by providing a backhauling option, we explore how these services add value when there are multiple points of tracking.
How LoRa® technology elevates the benefits of massive IoT
Massive IoT has revolutionised data transfer, enabling organisations to gather vast amounts of information on a range of aspects that impact their operations via specialised tracking devices. From location data in supply chains to pressure monitoring in pipelines, IoT can provide real-time data that supports organisations in improving their efficiency, profitability, sustainability and safety.
With LoRa® technology, battery-operated IoT devices can wirelessly connect to the internet to send and receive data in real time across regional and global networks. It offers a low-power, more cost-efficient and convenient way to monitor assets remotely, overcoming many of the time- and budget-heavy technical challenges experienced by more traditional methods.
What are high-density LoRa® deployments?
High-density LoRa® deployments refer to cases where data points across different sensors need to be collected from multiple IoT sensors in a concentrated area (1-5km), and sent to a control centre for monitoring and response.
What are the requirements of high-density LoRa® deployments?
With numerous sensors collecting data, a key consideration for the connectivity solution is cost, with a single connectivity solution for all the sensors providing the most affordable option.
In cases where these IoT devices are out of the range of traditional coverage, an alternative form of connectivity will be required. In these scenarios, often, the devices will be in remote locations and subject to harsh weather conditions. Therefore, connectivity must be resilient and the terminals robust.
Ease of deployment is also a consideration, particularly when sensors are in difficult to reach locations. Furthermore, in some sectors, due to regulatory concerns, it is simpler and faster for personnel from internal organisations to install the terminals rather than obtaining authorisation for a qualified satellite engineer to do so.
What role can EchoStar Mobile’s MSS play in high-density LoRa® deployments?
The EchoStar Mobile MSS portfolio, provides excellent backhauling options for high-density LoRa® deployments with multiple tracking points in one distinct area. It is particularly beneficial when traditional coverage options, such as cellular, are limited or unavailable.
Using a single, low-power terminal, (Hughes 4500 or Hughes 4510), EchoStar Mobile can provide high-quality coverage that enables the LoRa® gateway(s) in the specified area to connect to the internet and send and receive the required data via its backhauling option. These terminals are also robust, agile and easy to deploy and, with an IP-67 rating, require no additional enclosures to withstand the harshest environmental conditions.
Leveraging S-band satellite services, our MSS services provides real-time connectivity for devices in remote locations, with resilience against harsh weather and signal fading caused by rain, snow or ice.
These advantages ensure a reliable, convenient and cost-effective way of connecting multiple LoRa® gateways in a high-density area and sending back hundreds of thousands of data points to HQ for monitoring and analysis.
Example use cases for high-density LoRa® deployments
Agriculture
IoT devices are becoming increasingly popular in the agricultural sector. Fast access to data from devices deployed across the owned land enables farmers to optimise their activity and comply with progressively strict regulations. IoT devices can monitor the health of crops and livestock and the quality of their soil, providing immense benefits for the farmer.
The size of areas that require monitoring and their location (often remote) make backhauling via MSS an ideal connectivity solution for their LoRa® gateways. Data collected from thousands of sensors can be communicated to a single gateway (covering 1-5km) and then transmitted to the cloud via a single, low-cost MSS terminal, leveraging S-band satellite services to offer real-time, resilient data transfer.
Manufacturing and logistics
Manufacturing and logistics are other areas where large amounts of data on numerous elements must be collected. IoT devices may be used to monitor aspects such as product quality, warehouse temperature, equipment conditions, level of operations and stock quality. This critical data needs to be transferred in real-time to a central control centre for analysis and management.
In this scenario, the high density of tracking points makes using one MSS terminal for backhauling the data in the LoRa® network a valuable option.
Smart cities: utilities and water
In smaller towns, using a LoRa® network to connect IoT devices can help the community become more efficient in the use of their resources, such as gas, electric or water. In October’s IEN Europe, Telemaco Melia describes how the small town Saint Grégoire in France has installed its own IoT network based on LoRa® to save resources and reduce its emissions.
With 9,700 residents, there are enough tracking points for this to be considered a high-density area, where a secure backhaul using an MSS terminal would optimise the benefits of the LoRa®-enabled network.
EchoStar Mobile works alongside a number of IoT partners to deliver the benefits of MSS as a backhaul for their applications. Using a single terminal to provide connectivity for high-density LoRa® ecosystems, we can simplify the data transfer process, improving cost efficiency, convenience, sustainability and, ultimately, profitability.
To learn more about EchoStar Mobile’s mobile satellite services, please get in touch with our team.