Now, transmission tests conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) in Erlangen, Germany, have demonstrated that mioty® can be used via geostationary (GEO) satellites without requiring any adaptation of the wireless protocol. Deploying IoT via satellite allows for extending the reach of a network at will, even around the world.

The Fraunhofer IIS recently tested the use of mioty® for large-scale IoT applications via a GEO satellite. In the test setup, transmitters with integrated mioty® sensor nodes sent data packets directly to the satellite. Transmission in the S-band at approximately 2 GHz was carried out via the EchoStar XXI communications satellite. The transmitters used mioty®'s TS UNB (Telegram Splitting Ultra Narrow Band) wireless protocol without any special adaptation for satellite communication.

The tests were carried out within the framework of the European Space Agency's ARTES Future Preparation program.

Proven support for massive IoT applications:
With Telegram Splitting's mioty® transmission method, data packets—i.e., "telegrams"—are divided into smaller sub-packets and transmitted over different frequencies and times. This method is particularly robust against interference and enables the servicing of a huge number of sensor nodes.

To thoroughly test the full capacity of the transmission system, the Fraunhofer IIS used a signal generator to virtually increase the volume of data packets sent to an enormous number. The tests demonstrated that, within a defined coverage area and with a system bandwidth of only 200 kHz, up to 3.5 million telegrams per day can be successfully transmitted via satellite using mioty®.

"Thanks to the tests, we have been able to demonstrate that the mass interconnection of IoT transmitters via satellite is not only possible, but also simple. This paves the way for a whole new class of applications where sensors can transmit data directly from the ground to a satellite, regardless of terrestrial infrastructure. Certain sectors in particular—logistics, transport, mobility, navigation, and agriculture—will benefit enormously from direct satellite IoT solutions, which can provide connectivity even in the most remote corners of the world," explains Florian Leschka, Group Director of Systems Design at the Fraunhofer IIS.

Energy-efficient terminals in use.
During testing, researchers used the same transmission protocol as conventional terrestrial mioty® systems. Furthermore, despite the enormous distance to the satellite—approximately 38,000 kilometers—the user terminals were able to operate at a transmission power similar to that of terrestrial networks. This allows individual satellite IoT transmitters to be remarkably energy-efficient in practice, capable of transmitting data independently for years. Moreover, the terminal system design relies on the use of low-cost, off-the-shelf components, such as the conventional rod antenna used to transmit data during testing.

The terminals used in the tests have integrated mioty® sensor nodes and are based on a preliminary development of an ESA-funded project: Energy-efficient user terminals for uncoordinated massive access via satellite (E2UT). Within the E2UT project, laboratory simulations have already demonstrated that massive data transmission with mioty® also works via satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).