Satellite aims for blast-off in IoT

For many years, L-Band satellite transmissions have serviced a range of verticals, including logistics, agriculture, and aerospace. Pricing has remained prohibitively expensive, which has inhibited the widespread use of satellite technology. The playing field is now changing though, following the recent regulatory approval of low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations from SpaceX and OneWeb, along with the entrance of Amazon as a competitor. These lower-altitude, higher-density networks will achieve faster speeds and lower latencies. Costs to end users will be structurally lower than existing tariffs, helped by several supply-side innovations: smaller form factors, automated production lines and vertical integration efficiencies (SpaceX, for example, owns the rockets to launch its satellites).