Satellites can be used to transmit data all around the globe. They gather data for the Internet of Things (IoT) and relay them to well-connected ground stations, from where the data ultimately make their way to the user. To make things even easier, we are developing efficient transmission methods for IoT transmitters that send signals directly to the satellite from any location on Earth.
It is clear from the numerous applications that worldwide connectivity via the IoT has been a reality for some time. Many of these applications are tailored to life in the city, where sensors are used to monitor parking spaces or to measure environmental and weather data. At present, IoT networks therefore tend to emerge at well-connected locations, typically in major urban centers. Low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs) feature energy-efficient transmitters and a range of about 15 kilometers and are therefore ideally suited to smart city applications. The networks needed here consist of a large number of objects that transmit their sensor data to a central IoT base station. From there, the data are relayed via mobile communications or DSL so that they can be accessed over the Internet at any time.