A report from Northern Sky Research (NSR) predits that the market for satellite-based Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connectivity will be worth $11.6 billion (€10.4bn) over the next 10 years.

All M2M and IoT applications will grow, with total retail revenues to rise at 6.6 per cent CAGR over the coming decade, with a 14 per cent CAGR for in-service M2M/IoT units during this same period.  And, while significant attention is paid to emerging IoT smallsat constellations, NSR found MSS and VSAT offerings continue to play a solid role in the M2M/IoT growth story.

NSR says that Transport & Cargo has been the main M2M/IoT market driver traditionally; however, a change in the mix of applications driving revenue will occur as new technologies, such as Iridium Certus, new flat panel antennas, and most crucially small satellite constellations, enter the market. Agriculture and Construction market segments see the strongest increases driven by partnerships with heavy machinery makers, but other segments, like Energy and Maritime, will also contribute to the future revenue pie.

“Existing satcom IoT offerings will grow strongly, although operators are preparing for longer term strategies with increased distribution, dual-mode offerings and higher bandwidth, as well as targeting new applications and offering more end to end solutions combined with analytics,” stated Alan Crisp, NSR Senior Analyst and report lead author.

“Traditional MSS and VSAT satellite IoT services remain a core opportunity, but small satellite IoT constellations will disrupt the market longer term. Lower cost satellite architectures, with lower total cost of ownership for end users, will drive new customers to these services. This is especially the case where there is a pressing need for connectivity and the economics have not previously stacked up, or there were issues integrating existing form factors,” said NSR.

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