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Terrestrial vs Satellite IoT:
Which Connectivity for Which Needs?

Connectivité IoT mondiale via réseaux terrestres et satellitaires

In 2025, between 30 and 50 billion IoT devices, are already connected worldwide. Contrary to popular belief, these are not just smartwatches or voice assistants. Between 60% and 70% of these devices are used in professional contexts: in industry, logistics, agriculture, energy, or smart cities. Industrial sensors, logistics beacons, autonomous weather stations, or critical infrastructures now communicate in real-time to automate, monitor, or anticipate.

So, the question arises: how to connect all these devices, everywhere, continuously, and reliably?

In a city, the answer seems simple: terrestrial networks are readily available. But as soon as you leave these covered areas – in forests, at sea, in the mountains, or in the desert, things get complicated. This is where satellite IoT can take over.

So, what are the fundamental differences between terrestrial IoT and satellite IoT? How can they complement each other?

What is IoT used for today?

IoT or Internet of Things, refers to a network of physical objects capable of collecting, transmitting, and sometimes analyzing data. Their role is to provide better visibility into their environment.

These objects are everywhere: in our pockets, our buildings, our factories. Here are their three main areas of application:

Personal IoT

Connected objects are omnipresent in our daily lives:

Health and well-being: connected watches and bracelets to monitor physical activity, sleep, heart rate... but also smart scales or connected blood pressure monitors.
Smart home (home automation): remotely controllable thermostats, automated lighting, surveillance cameras, smart toothbrushes, voice assistants...

Their common point is to transmit data to an application to provide personalized information and analysis.

Profesional IoT

In stores, offices, and warehouses, connected objects optimize all kinds of operations:

Occupancy sensors indicate available parking spaces with a green or red light.
Anti-intrusion or temperature monitoring systems send remote alerts.
Smart buildings allow centralized management of energy consumption, leak detection, and incident prevention.

Industrial IoT

In industry, IoT transforms all sectors:

In transport: connected objects allow tracking containers, geolocating vehicles, or monitoring transport conditions (temperature, shocks, vibrations).
In energy: IoT enables remote monitoring of infrastructures such as pipelines, power pylons, or wind turbines.
In the environment: it allows monitoring forest fires, detecting pollution, or measuring water levels in flood-prone areas.

Which connectivity for IoT?

Without a network, data cannot be transmitted. And without data, there is no IoT. Connectivity is therefore the critical link in any IoT solution.

Today, two main types of networks ensure data transmission:

Terrestrial networks, such as cellular networks (2G, 4G, 5G, NB-IoT, LTE-M) or long-range, low-power networks (LoRa, Sigfox). These rely on ground-based infrastructures (antennas, relays, fiber).
Satellite networks, in low Earth orbit (LEO) or geostationary orbit (GEO), which provide direct connectivity from space, independently of local infrastructures.

Each network has its strengths. The challenge is not to choose one over the other, but to understand where each is best suited.

Why use satellite connectivity?

Terrestrial networks don’t cover everything. In remote areas—at sea, in deserts, in the mountains—or in complex environments such as offshore installations, they become inoperative. As a result, IoT sensors are unable to transmit their data.

This is where satellite connectivity reveals its greatest advantage.

It ensures global coverage:

Without reliance on local infrastructure,
Without signal interruptions,
Without roaming,
And without excessive delay (especially with low Earth orbit satellites).

IoT enters a new era with next-generation satellites

For decades, “legacy” satellite networks were dominated by a few large players. They provided robust solutions, but these were often very expensive, with high latency and limited capacity for connected devices.

In recent years, a new generation of “new space” constellations has emerged. These rely on miniaturized satellites, positioned in low Earth orbit (LEO), and offer:

reduced latency (from a few seconds to a few minutes),
greater density of connectable objects,
and much more affordable costs for industrial IoT.

Kinéis belongs to this category, with its constellation of 25 nanosatellites dedicated to IoT.

Choosing the right IoT connectivity: according to usage, field conditions, and constraints

No single technology is universal. The choice between terrestrial and satellite connectivity primarily depends on context, such as the type of asset, the environment, and specific business needs.

Terrestrial connectivity: effective in dense and equipped areas

It is ideal for connected industrial sites, warehouses, or urban areas with robust coverage. Its advantages:

Real-time transmissions via 4G/5G or LPWAN networks (LoRa, Sigfox)
Controlled costs if the network infrastructure is already in place
High bandwidth for certain critical uses

Observed limitations:

Ineffective outside covered areas
Costly or complex deployment in remote locations
Risk of saturation in high-density environments (ports, logistics hubs)

Satellite connectivity: essential off-network

Designed for isolated, mobile, or remote assets with limited-service coverage.

Global coverage, independent of mobile networks
Regular, reliable transmission, even in extreme environments
Perfectly suited for railcars, containers, pipelines, and isolated sites, with no roaming charges.

Decisive advantages:

Service continuity even in “white zones”
Reduction of data loss and blind spots
Reliable monitoring without the need for local ground infrastructure

Hybridation: the most robust solution

More and more sensors are combining multiple networks. When a cellular signal is available, data is transmitted via 4G or LoRa. As soon as the signal is lost, transmission automatically switches to satellite.

This hybrid approach optimizes reliability without increasing costs. It ensures continuous connectivity, regardless of the terrain conditions.

Satellite IoT in action: concrete examples by sector

international routes, in remote natural areas, or for isolated infrastructure, Kinéis delivers reliable, uninterrupted connectivity without gaps.

Here are three concrete examples of sectors where satellite technology helps maintain control.

Multimodal transport and logistics

Containers, trucks, railcars, barges: goods move from one mode of transport to another, cross borders, and traverse areas without a network. Kinéis allows uninterrupted tracking of mobile assets, even in the total absence of terrestrial coverage.

Example: Europorte and Track Value use a hybrid GSM/satellite solution to track their wagons in near real-time, even in poorly covered railway areas. Result: better anticipation of delays, alerting in case of anomalies, and increased safety.

Energy and critical infrastructures

Electric networks, pipelines, isolated stations: these installations cover vast territories, often poorly connected. Kinéis allows continuous monitoring of the state of these infrastructures, without relying on local antennas or ground relays.

Example: sensors placed on pylons detect abnormal tilts or vibrations and transmit the alert via satellite. Objective: prevent incidents, limit unnecessary travel, and ensure reliable maintenance

Environment and agriculture

Extensive agricultural areas, forests, and nature reserves: in these remote environments, no terrestrial network is reliable over the entire surface. Kinéis allows automatic and regular data collection, without human presence.

Example: early detection of forest fires, soil moisture measurement, livestock tracking... Data is transmitted at regular intervals, without relying on the local network or external power source.

In all these cases, satellite connectivity enables reliable, continuous data collection without logistical constraints.

Satellite IoT, New Space version: what's changing

Satellite IoT is not new. But the first constellations were designed for aeronautics, the military, or transoceanic cargo. Costly, cumbersome to deploy, and sometimes poorly suited to industrial needs.

What New Space changes is a new generation of connectivity:

Lightweight, high-performance, and accessible constellations
Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites: finer coverage, lower latency, more frequent passes.
Nanosatellite formats (like Kinéis): reduced costs, faster scaling.
Native interoperability: easy integration with IoT sensors, low-power protocols, and business tools.

Sensors designed for field use

Low consumption: up to several years of battery life.
Increased resistance: shocks, heat, humidity, weather.
Suitable formats: compact housings, placed on a wagon, pipeline, or container without infrastructure to deploy.

Actionable data, wherever it’s collected

Smooth and consistent transmission, guaranteed everywhere, even without terrestrial coverage.
Direct integration into information systems (ERP, TMS, CMMS, etc.).
Automatic alerts in case of specific events (shock, door opening, threshold breach, etc.).

Where traditional networks stop, satellite IoT takes over. And that handover is what enables more and more companies to stay in control — even in the most remote areas.