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Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is oftenheralded as one of the next big marketsfor satellite communications. After all,when you hear that 50 billion deviceswill be online by 2020, according toCisco, you figure that satellite has a role.However, most of these billions ofdevices will be related to personal use,and will be largely suppor ted byterrestrial communications.

So where is the IoT opportunity for

VSAT? One answer is that VSAT willplay a key role in a sub-segment of theIoT called the Industrial Internet ofThings (IIoT), which will extend wellbeyond urbanized and rural areas intothe hear t of global industry. TheIndustrial IoT market is a significantoppor tunity for satell ite serviceproviders. According to Northern SkyResearch (NSR), the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and IoT over satellite

Satellite and the industrial IoTmarket in EMEA: an opportunity forKu-band serviceThe Internet of Things (IoT) is expanding exponentially around the world as more and moredevices come online. Applications range from personal devices, smart homes and cities,manufacturing and remote monitoring, to name just a few. The possibilities are staggering, withmany industry professionals opining that we haven’t even started to consider the full possibilitiesyet. Christian Bergan, Vice President for Sales & Marketing at TSAT, provides an overview of therole VSATs will play in the expanding IoT market, and outlines how the IoT will provide newpossibilities for smart government, smart transportation, smart energy and smart power.

market will total more than 5.3 millionterminals by 2024. The EMEA marketis projected to reach more than US$495million in revenue by 2024.

From SCADA to the IoTVSAT is no newcomer to connectingmachines to machines. Satell itenetworks are extensively deployedaround the world today to supportcritical supervisory control and data

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

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acquisition (SCADA) applications thatmonitor power distribution, petroleumpipelines, oil rig operations, waterresources and more.

TSAT is collaborating with VSATservice providers to help some ofEurope’s industrial and environmentalorganizations manage cr iticalinfrastructure.

For example, Scottish Water is thefourth-largest water and wastewater

service provider in the UK, covering ageographical area one-third the size ofBritain. Every day, Scottish Waterprovides 2.5 billion litres of fresh waterfor five million residential and 130,000commercial customers, while one billionlitres of wastewater is removed andtreated.

Scottish water was under pressureto improve operational efficiency.Having explored the available optionssuch as radio, GSM, and a leased linesolution, it found that VSAT best met itsrequirements. Working with UK serviceprovider Wireless Innovation, ScottishWater has deployed more than 120satellite terminals, and now has bettercontrol over its infrastructure and is ableto provide better service to itscustomers, all at a lower cost.

You can look at the Industrial IoT asan expansion of SCADA networks. Themission of a SCADA network is typicallyto report the status of equipment ortrack mobile assets, essentially actingas store and forward communications.Satellite has been an ideal fit forSCADA, since it can deliver connectivityto locations that span thousands ofmiles in some of the world’s mostchallenging environments. Thesenetworks typically run on L-bandsatellite, given the small amounts ofdata transfer and low airtime charges.

However, as satellite expands itsscope from SCADA to the Industrial IoT,it will require a new VSAT platformstrategy. The difference lies in greaterdata volumes generated from a greaternumber of sensors that must beaggregated for predictive andprescriptive analytics, as well as real-time applications like CCTV.

While L-band systems will continueto support extremely low data rate IoTapplications, Ku-band networks arepositioned for future applications asnetwork traffic increases. With Ku-band,service providers can leverage the largenumber of open Ku-band satellites,which traditionally offer lower spectrumcost than L-band.

Ku-band remote terminal equipmentcan operate on any open Ku-bandsatellite platform, offering full end-to-end control, including the ability toselect spectrum providers on the basisof best coverage and cost.

EMEA market opportunities for Ku-bandKu-band networks are required tosupport a growing array of marketapplications in EMEA. We’ll examineseveral important ones here.

Smart Government applications willaccount for US$44.3 million of projected

Christian Bergan

Smart Energy requires Ku-band VSAT tomove the flow of energy efficiently andsecurely across deep-water rigs, remoteoilfields and miles of pipelines.

Smart Power applications demand Ku-band VSAT to create a more sustainableplanet through the integration andefficient use of energy resources.

Ku-band VSAT enables SmartTransportation to keep highway and railtraffic safe and moving forward in anycondition.

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revenue for hardware and services by2024, according to NSR. This will bedriven by more stringent regulationsconcerning public safety and theenvironment. Governments are underincreasing pressure to deliver serviceswith greater efficiency in view of budgetconstraints caused by the economicoutlook and pressure to restrain thepublic tax burden. This entails theexpanded use of smart technology.

Ku-band networks can effectivelysupport applications such as structuralmonitoring and protection of criticalinfrastructure.

These include dams, bridges andother important structures, as well assecurity and access controls related toborder control, f lood warning,earthquake detection, weather andenvironmental monitoring.

Smart Transportation applications willaccount for US$100.9 mill ion ofprojected revenue by 2024. The goal isto improve the safety and managementof transportation infrastructure. Also, theexpanded adoption of networkingvehicles, sensors and controls willenable the smarter use of road and railtransportation.

Ku-band can effectively support

applications such as signage, signalingand routing; alerts for road and weatherconditions; level crossing protection;and train control systems.

Smart Energy applications will accountfor US$45.4 million of projected revenueby 2024, driven by more stringent safetyregulations regarding the environment.Furthermore, recent volatility in energyprices is forcing the industry to take arenewed look at initiatives that improveoperational efficiency and reduce costs.Such initiatives entail greater use ofsmart sensors and devices that enableincreased automation and use ofadvanced business analytics. Thesesensors and devices in turn generateincreased communications require-ments.

There is a wide range of applicationsin oil and gas that Ku-band caneffectively enable. These includemonitoring and transmitting sensor dataconcerning drilling control, wellheadproduction, pipeline monitor ing,distribution logistics and asset security.

Smart Power applications will accountfor US$36 million of projected revenueby 2024, dr iven by governmentregulations to use more renewable

energy and use energy more efficiently.The integration of and efficient use ofall the energy resources and theefficient use of the grid infrastructureimplies greatly expanded communi-cation requirements for smart sensors,smart meters and smart controls.

Ku-band networks can efficientlyhandle a variety of electr ic gr idautomation and metering applicationssuch as substation SCADA automation;advanced distr ibution automation;aggregation and backhauling of smartmeter data; and security and accesscontrols at critical power generation,transmission and distribution substationfacilities.

Make your move nowCompanies around the world areextending the scope of IoT networks tomission-critical infrastructure in ruggedand remote locations. With specializedKu-band networks, service providerscan equip organizations with greatervisibility and intelligence into theiroperations so they can improveproductivity, safety and efficiency.

Service providers need to startplanning their Industrial IoT strategiesnow as both demand and competitionintensify.

Photo courtesy of BP

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