IoT-NTN Module Ecosystem Expands, but Questions Remain About Release 17 Device Capabilities

Internet of Things (IoT) module vendor and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) solution provider u-blox announced this September its first module featuring The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-compliant terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) connectivity. This announcement follows a string of other module vendors, including Quectel, Semtech, and Telit, that have released their own 3GPP Release 17 (R17)-compliant products in the last 2 years, signaling that the IoT-NTN market is finally hitting its stride after years of development.

The NTN industry is a highly-anticipated market that has slowly grown since the IoT-NTN standard’s completion in 2022. There are now several IoT-NTN operators, many of which are building constellations as they try to anticipate the future demand for their services. The new availability of IoT-NTN modules will jumpstart the market’s device ecosystem and allow its players to enter a new stage of growth and demand generation.

As a leading GNSS vendor, u-blox has equipped its IoT-NTN module with low-power positioning technology. The module supports the three new NTN bands, including the European S-band, the global L-band, and the n23 band in the United States. The module’s underlying chipset is currently undergoing certification with Skylo, the most viable IoT-NTN service provider on the market.

The recent availability of IoT-NTN modules like the one from u-blox will expand the standard’s device ecosystem, which will eventually allow IoT-NTN operators to better assess the technology’s target verticals and more opportunities to test the latency and bandwidth of the protocol in different circumstances. However, before creating new devices using the recently released modules, the market must address the hardware-level challenges of connecting to a satellite network.

The IoT-NTN standard allows cellular devices to roam onto satellite networks. This interoperability is the crux of the technology’s appeal—theoretically, it allows cellular customers to use standard devices, while gaining access to a new range of satellite networks to cover any cellular outages or dead spots. However, to accomplish satellite connectivity, many of these R17-compliant cellular devices will need adjustments, such as larger antennas and altered battery lives, to accommodate for the signaling strength and power it takes for a device to transmit a message into space, particularly if connecting with a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite.

Some industry insiders doubt that the device Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) will be proactive in making these adjustments to cellular devices, given some misunderstandings about what the IoT-NTN standard can make possible. A common refrain in the IoT-NTN market is that customers can use their regular cellular devices to connect to satellite connectivity, as long as these devices are R17 compliant. This framing understates the device expertise and changes that will likely be required to reliably connect to an IoT-NTN network. In some cases, customers might be able to connect to a satellite using the antenna and battery power of a standard cellular device, but in most cases, adjustments will need to be made. As one expert told ABI Research, “R17 takes device complexity to a new level.” Both satellite operators and device OEMs will need to confront this reality.

The availability of more IoT-NTN modules is an important step for a market often plagued with “overhype.” Their release will allow the IoT-NTN market to grow and begin to meet the IoT industry’s high expectations for satellite connectivity.

In addition to setting expectations about R17 device capabilities, the market will need to make a few more technical adjustments at the module level. The IoT-NTN market is still lacking in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) modules, as many of the recently released modules are designed for GEO satellite connections. R17 did not account for the technical difficulties of connecting to a LEO satellite, resulting in this GEO-based bias. Unlike GEO satellites, which move at a fixed point over the Earth’s equator, LEO satellites quickly orbit the earth, resulting in considerable Doppler shift and long transmission delays if the constellation is not large enough or there are not enough ground stations to complete a data transmission in a timely manner. Given that these technical difficulties can be challenging to manage, and that IoT-NTN LEO operators do not have constellations big enough to be globally viable, module vendors have rightly released products suited for GEO satellites.

It is important that the market be able to more easily develop LEO modules in the future. LEO satellites are arguably more relevant to the IoT world—theoretically, they have shorter latencies and require less device battery power for transmissions than GEO satellites. It will likely be LEO constellations that allow the IoT-NTN market to move into more remote and demanding satellite use cases. Experts expect Release 18 (R18) to address the unique difficulties of connecting with LEO satellites. Once R18 is completed, and LEO satellite vendors like Sateliot launch more satellites into space, the market will likely see an increase in LEO-based modules.

Lastly, the IoT-NTN market, particularly the operators, should temper expectations about what is achievable with an IoT-NTN device. Although the market is slowly setting expectations for satellite connectivity’s lower bandwidth, longer latencies, and higher cost, the market needs to be honest about which devices are suitable for hybrid cellular/satellite use cases. Having customers believe they can, in most cases, use their previous cellular devices to connect to a satellite without any changes undercuts the true value of the standard and risks stalling device ecosystem growth. After waiting 2 years for a diverse set of modules to enter the market, developing a sufficient device ecosystem will rely on proactive, informed OEMs and realistic expectations.