The integration of 5G technology with satellite communications, known as Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), is poised to revolutionize the Internet of Things (IoT) landscape. By extending the reach of 5G beyond terrestrial infrastructures, NTN enables seamless connectivity across remote and underserved regions, thereby enhancing the capabilities and applications of satellite IoT.
Enhancing Global IoT Coverage
Traditional terrestrial networks often struggle to provide reliable connectivity in remote or hard-to-reach areas, such as oceans, mountains, and rural and agricultural regions. The incorporation of satellites into 5G networks addresses this limitation by offering ubiquitous coverage. This advancement ensures that IoT devices, regardless of their location, can maintain consistent and reliable connections, facilitating applications like environmental monitoring, asset tracking, and disaster management.
Technical Advancements Facilitating NTN Integration
Several technical developments have been pivotal in integrating 5G with satellite networks:
- Standardization Efforts: The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has been instrumental in developing standards that support NTN. These standards ensure that IoT devices can seamlessly switch between terrestrial and satellite networks, maintaining uninterrupted connectivity.
- NB-IoT Adaptations: Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), a low-power wide-area network technology, has been adapted for satellite communications. This adaptation allows IoT devices to communicate efficiently via satellites, preserving battery life and ensuring reliable data transmission.
Real-World Implementations and Trials
Recent developments underscore the practical implementation of 5G NTN:
- Eutelsat’s 5G NTN Trial: In February 2025, Eutelsat, in collaboration with Airbus and MediaTek, successfully conducted the world’s first 5G NTN trial using OneWeb’s low Earth orbit satellites. This trial demonstrated the feasibility of integrating satellite networks with 5G, paving the way for expanded satellite broadband services for 5G devices.
- Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite: Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Satellite, a service enabling supported smartphones to send and receive text messages via 5G NTN. This development signifies a step towards mainstream adoption of satellite-enabled 5G services, enhancing connectivity options for IoT devices.
Implications for the Satellite IoT Ecosystem
The convergence of 5G and satellite technologies brings several benefits to the IoT ecosystem:
Reduced Latency and Enhanced Reliability: 5G’s low-latency capabilities, combined with satellite coverage, ensure timely and reliable data transmission, which is crucial for applications like autonomous vehicles and remote healthcare.
Scalability: The expansive coverage provided by satellites allows for the deployment of a massive number of IoT devices without the constraints of terrestrial infrastructure limitations.
Cost Efficiency: Integrating satellites into 5G networks can reduce the need for extensive ground-based infrastructure, leading to cost savings in network deployment and maintenance.
Challenges and Future Outlook
While the integration of 5G NTN presents numerous advantages, it is not without challenges. Technical hurdles such as spectrum allocation, signal interference, satellite handovers, and the need for specialized 5G NTN-compatible hardware in IoT devices remain areas that require ongoing research and collaboration. Additionally, the cost and power requirements associated with 5G NTN solutions may not be suitable for all IoT applications, especially in sectors where simplicity, ultra-low power consumption, and cost efficiency are paramount.
Rationalizing the Continued Relevance of Current Satellite IoT Services
Despite the transformative potential of 5G NTN, it’s important to recognize that traditional satellite IoT services—often leveraging low-power, narrowband protocols and like NB-IoT, LoRaWAN, or proprietary solutions—will likely continue to play a vital role in the IoT ecosystem. These existing services are optimized for minimal power consumption, lower device complexity, and reduced operational costs, making them ideal for long-term deployments in remote or resource-constrained environments. For instance, applications such as basic asset tracking, agricultural monitoring, and environmental sensing benefit more from low-cost, long-life devices that can function efficiently on simple satellite links rather than relying on the higher bandwidth, lower-latency, but more power-intensive capabilities of 5G NTN.
In essence, the rise of 5G NTN should be viewed as complementary rather than replacement. It will serve use cases demanding higher data throughput, mobility, and global interoperability, while legacy satellite IoT services will persist as the backbone for lightweight, cost-sensitive deployments.
Looking Ahead
As technological standards mature and hardware ecosystems evolve, we can expect increased convergence and interoperability between 5G NTN and legacy satellite IoT solutions. This hybrid approach will empower businesses and governments to select the most appropriate connectivity option based on specific application requirements, budget, and device constraints—ensuring a balanced and inclusive evolution of the satellite IoT landscape.