The satellite land mobility market is reaching an inflection point as heavy industries with rich promise like agriculture, mining, construction, oil & gas, and on and off-road transport, examine what satellite connectivity can do for their operations.

Mines, for example, are often located in the farthest reaches of the Earth, and it can be difficult to access robust network services that provide adequate connectivity. These industries could be leaving “billions of dollars” on the table with the inefficiencies of running operations at remote sites without the ability to transmit data to central operations, says Daniel Intolubbe-Chmil, Director of Harbor Research.

“There is a huge gap between the value that is being captured by the recurring datasphere versus the value that could be captured if there were the right type of services and infrastructure in place. There are billions of dollars being left on the table because there isn’t the infrastructure in place to capture the data being produced,” Intolubbe-Chmil says. “That massive gap between what is being used today, and what could be realized in the future — if the right technology and infrastructure were in place — is pretty shocking. We see satellite as a critical tool to close that gap.”

Harbor Research studied the value of autonomous operations and real-time condition monitoring in the mining industry and found that it drives improvements in productivity, fuel efficiency, maintenance, and equipment lifespan. The potential for these use cases reflects a global value of roughly $18.5 billion for mining operators, Intolubbe-Chmil said of the research. Yet, only about 10 to 15 percent of the data is collected, leaving most of it unused. The value of this unused data is $16.6 billion in untapped value potential, Harbor Research finds.

This loss of value could be reduced with greater adoption of satellite connectivity. Reliable, high-throughput, multi-orbit satellite service can expand the reach of fleet connectivity platforms so industrial heavy equipment stays connected in places where terrestrial-based mobile network coverage is spotty or non-existent.

Harry Pascarella, vice president of Harbor Research, says there is more movement toward deals between companies in the satellite sector and heavy equipment verticals. “We are seeing more proof-of-concept and pilot programs, I am now a lot more confident in saying that we are a lot closer than we have ever been to some of these large deals,” Pascarella says.

In the past, antennas were not well-designed to help vehicles connect to satellite at remote sites, but this is changing with the number of players in the terminal market today, driving innovation that is reducing both the size and cost of the devices while increasing performance, Pascarella says.

The satellite industry’s embrace of a multi-orbit approach helps with technology adoption as well. As more multi-orbit approaches make their way to market, this could lead to a greater take-up rate. Geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites provide high availability to support a reliable service, but the addition of NGSO satellites will enhance the customer experience by leveraging the unique capabilities of each orbit to ensure access everywhere and to address specific latency requirements for some applications, says Joel Schroeder, director of Land Mobile for Intelsat.

“As these ‘network of networks’ are realized, the next generation of satellite technology that leverages 5G standards and software defined platforms across GEO, Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) constellations will ensure the optimal solution for any customer scenario,” Schroeder says. “The further convergence between satellite and terrestrial networks, combined with terminals that support multiple access technologies, will offer a seamless connectivity experience to use cases across these industries.”

Companies in agriculture, mining, oil & gas, on- and off-road transport, and logistics, are evolving their own technology from mechanical systems to software-defined platforms, and they naturally require a network solution that keeps them connected everywhere they are operating. These businesses are looking to satellite connectivity to improve access for fleet and route optimization, predictive maintenance, crew and site safety, remote control, future autonomy, and cloud services.

For example, these new approaches are driving the need for over-the-air software and firmware updates. “Machines are evolving from being purely mechanical to digital platforms. In the past, a repair or update would have required pulling the machine from service and deploying a technician to site,” Schroeder says. “Today’s software defined systems allow many repairs and updates to be done over-the-air, reducing the cost from downtime. Combined with a move towards autonomous systems, the demand for continuous connectivity is increasing. A network of networks leveraging both satellite and terrestrial technologies will enable that continuous connection everywhere.”

Industrial sector companies and heavy equipment OEMs looking to create efficiencies in their operations and to improve their customers’ experience, Schroeder says. “Once one of these leaders makes an investment in satellite-enabled services, I think others will quickly follow. They will leverage the learning of those that are first to market to optimize their own path, it will mitigate their risk accelerate time to investment,” he says.

One vertical to especially keep an eye on is the mining sector, which Harbor Research calls a ‘Tier One’ opportunity — perhaps the biggest opportunity in land mobility for satellite players. The industry is deploying both autonomous and remote-controlled vehicles, for example, and it’s becoming a standard in the industry. These autonomous vehicles are playing a defining role in improving operational efficiency, reducing downtime, and increasing productivity.

“Mining is definitely leading the charge in terms of the adoption of these technologies. The amount of data that is being produced by these increasingly autonomous vehicles is insane. Their requirements to orchestrate that with enterprise operations and decision-making across the supply chain requires that level of visibility and connectivity all the way down to the mine. I think satellite and a lot of remote operations around the processing of ore is really starting to push the adoption of a lot of technologies, including satellite,” says Pascarella.

For the mining sector, it is all about creating efficiencies in operations, reducing downtime, and increasing productivity, Schroeder says. Connectivity can contribute to worker safety, which in turn minimizes the impact that accidents have on profitability. “The technology can be used to provide enhanced monitoring and maintenance of the equipment, but also optimize operational that uptime, and the profitability of those sites can be maximized,” he says.

Satellite Invests to Meet Customer Needs

In the past, antennas were not well-designed to help vehicles connect to satellite at remote sites, but this is changing with the number of players in the terminal market today, driving innovation that is reducing both the size and cost of the devices while increasing performance, Pascarella says.

The satellite industry’s embrace of a multi-orbit approach helps with technology adoption as well. As more multi-orbit approaches make their way to market, this could lead to a greater take-up rate. Geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites provide high availability to support a reliable service, but the addition of NGSO satellites will enhance the customer experience by leveraging the unique capabilities of each orbit to ensure access everywhere and to address specific latency requirements for some applications, says Joel Schroeder, director of Land Mobile for Intelsat. 

“As these ‘network of networks’ are realized, the next generation of satellite technology that leverages 5G standards and software defined platforms across GEO, Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) constellations will ensure the optimal solution for any customer scenario,” Schroeder says. “The further convergence between satellite and terrestrial networks, combined with terminals that support multiple access technologies, will offer a seamless connectivity experience to use cases across these industries.”

Companies in agriculture, mining, oil & gas, on- and off-road transport, and logistics, are evolving their own technology from mechanical systems to software-defined platforms, and they naturally require a network solution that keeps them connected everywhere they are operating. These businesses are looking to satellite connectivity to improve access for fleet and route optimization, predictive maintenance, crew and site safety, remote control, future autonomy, and cloud services. 

For example, these new approaches are driving the need for over-the-air software and firmware updates. “Machines are evolving from being purely mechanical to digital platforms. In the past, a repair or update would have required pulling the machine from service and deploying a technician to site,” Schroeder says. “Today’s software defined systems allow many repairs and updates to be done over-the-air, reducing the cost from downtime. Combined with a move towards autonomous systems, the demand for continuous connectivity is increasing. A network of networks leveraging both satellite and terrestrial technologies will that continuous connection everywhere.”

Industrial sector companies and heavy equipment OEMs looking to create efficiencies in their operations and to improve their customers’ experience, Schroeder says. “Once one of these leaders makes an investment in satellite-enabled services, I think others will quickly follow. They will leverage the learning of those that are first to market to optimize their own path, it will mitigate their risk accelerate time to investment,” he says.

One vertical to especially keep an eye on is the mining sector, which Harbor Research calls a ‘Tier One’ opportunity — perhaps the biggest opportunity in land mobility for satellite players. The industry is deploying both autonomous and remote-controlled vehicles, for example, and it’s becoming a standard in the industry. These autonomous vehicles are playing a defining role in improving operational efficiency, reducing downtime, and increasing productivity.

“Mining is definitely leading the charge in terms of the adoption of these technologies. The amount of data that is being produced by these increasingly autonomous vehicles is insane. Their requirements to orchestrate that with enterprise operations and decision-making across the supply chain requires that level of visibility and connectivity all the way down to the mine. I think satellite and a lot of remote operations around the processing of ore is really starting to push the adoption of a lot of technologies, including satellite,” says Pascarella.

For the mining sector, it is all about creating efficiencies in operations, reducing downtime, and increasing productivity, Schroeder says. Connectivity can contribute to worker safety, which in turn minimizes the impact that accidents have on profitability. “The technology can be used to provide enhanced monitoring and maintenance of the equipment, but also optimize operational that uptime, and the profitability of those sites can be maximized,” he says.

Intelsat is committing more than $2 billion to its Next Generation Network (NGN) strategy to meet increasing demand for more data, cloud-based applications, and remote support for mobile operations. While many satellite operators have a single layer of satellites, Intelsat has 58 satellites in Geostationary Orbit today. This network availability can meet customers’ requirements and provide the best customer experience by ensuring customers have access no matter where they are operating, Schroeder says.

“Some of the applications customers are supporting are very critical to the operation. We offer great availability, which translates to great reliability and resiliency — in-orbit redundancy,” Schroeder says. “We have already made some announcements with LEO operators, so we can deliver a multi-orbit service today that not only enhances the overall coverage and availability, but lays the groundwork to an evolution where companies leverage the unique characteristics of GEO vs LEO.”

Ken Takagi, Director of Innovation Strategy for Intelsat is charged with keeping Intelsat at the cutting edge of network investments as it looks to sign deals and grow revenues across these verticals.

“We have significant resources designing and building the NGN as we speak. We are committed to being software defined - end-to-end - and embracing standards like 5G and Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF). We are looking to create a new type of satellite network that easily accommodates additional networks and additional orbits. It really enables the customers to enjoy a plug-and-play experience, while getting all the benefits of digital orbits, with the expandability and scalability of the network that standards like 5G enable us to offer,” he says. 

Intelsat is confident that this multi-orbit approach will offer unique benefits to customers beyond a standalone satellite or terrestrial network. The goal is to have a unified terminal that can talk to multiple satellites in different orbits, as well as support roaming between satellites and terrestrial mobile networks.

“We have some technology that is almost ready for commercial deployment, for example on planes, where one electronically steered antenna can communicate with satellites in LEO and GEO. Right now, it is one at a time, but the technology will continue to evolve to enable more flexibility to support multiple satellites and/or orbits more seamlessly. So, the customer doesn’t necessarily need to have multiple antennas or multiple boxes of modems in order to enjoy a multi-orbit solution. We are looking at the end-to-end customer experience and ensuring that adding additional orbits doesn’t put additional burden on the customer as well,” Takagi says.

Intelsat has terminal solutions today that will meet the requirements of the heavy equipment OEMs, and the company has a roadmap of continued innovation focused on providing the right Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) for equipment, while enabling additional functionality. It is not just about offering connectivity but giving the end user or the operator the flexibility to add new capabilities at the edge of the network.

Takagi adds, “Part of it comes from understanding the respective use cases and what people need to use. Sometimes it is just narrowband connectivity that is required because they are collecting sensor data and information, like in an IoT solution. In other cases, there may be a more advanced application like autonomous operation that needs high resolution imagery data/video, in addition to sensor and communications data to be transmitted. Obviously, the more you try to transmit or process, there are trade-offs between the remote terminal and supporting networks to consider.”

He says the company is constantly working to make the terminal smaller and more efficient for customers. He’s optimistic that satellite can become the extension of an enterprise solution, for example that a telco is offering based on its ground network, but the enterprise might have certain locations that cannot be reached by terrestrial networks, then that telco can easily deploy satellite through our network to whatever location.

“We are really seamlessly integrating our network to seamlessly support other networks. In that sense, we can deliver a ‘network of networks’ solution for our partners,” Takagi says.

Previously, talk about mobility markets in the satellite sector was dominated by aviation and maritime. But now, the industry is set to support use cases in mining, agriculture, construction, on- and off-road transport, and others. It could be a perfect storm between heavy industry embracing data-centric approaches to running operations, at the same time that satellite becomes more accessible and capable than ever before.

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