The first experimental license has been issued, and the satellite IoT has begun to run a business closed-loop.
The satellite Internet of Things (IoT) now has a legal entry for commercial trials. What the market will focus on next is how many terminals will be connected, how many customers will stay, and how many scenarios will evolve from demonstration projects to daily systems.
According to Xingdong Wuji, on May 6th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology approved Beijing Guodian Gaoke Technology Co., Ltd. to conduct commercial trials of satellite IoT services. The trial period is two years.
This is the first approval for a commercial trial of satellite IoT services in China.
According to information released by the Information and Communication Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, during the trial period, Guodian Gaoke can legally pilot the operation of satellite IoT services. Relying on the Tianqi Constellation, it can provide wide - coverage, low - power, and highly reliable IoT connection services for scenarios such as marine fisheries, energy and water conservancy, and transportation and logistics.
This approval means that the satellite IoT is moving from constellation construction and capability verification to the stages of compliant operation and commercial verification.
For China's commercial space industry, after launch and network deployment, the stage that truly tests operational capabilities is approaching.
I. Why start with the satellite IoT
The commercialization of satellite communication will not directly enter the mass broadband market. Compared with broadband satellite Internet, the satellite IoT is more suitable as an entry point for pilot trials.
This is related to the business form. The satellite IoT mainly solves the problem of low - speed data collection and transmission. The amount of data transmitted in a single time is not large, and the link pressure is relatively controllable.
Scenarios such as the ocean, forest areas, pastoral areas, oil and gas pipelines, reservoirs, and logistics assets are often widely distributed and scattered in location. The ground network coverage is insufficient, but there is a need to continuously transmit location, status, and environmental data. The value of satellite connections in these areas is more direct.
The regulatory boundaries are also relatively clear.
The broadband satellite Internet is for public communication, involving issues such as content traffic, cross - border connections, and large - scale popularization of terminals, which is more complex.
The satellite IoT mainly serves industry customers. The data types and service objects are easier to define, making it suitable for early promotion within the framework of the trial.
More importantly, it is easier to achieve a commercial closed - loop.
For industries such as the ocean, energy, water conservancy, and logistics, the value of the satellite IoT lies not in bandwidth but in the ability to establish stable connections in areas without network coverage.
For ship positioning, pipeline monitoring, hydrological data collection, equipment status transmission, and emergency communication, as long as the data transmission problem is solved, there is a clear budget entry.
Therefore, the satellite IoT can be regarded as a supplementary network in industrial, energy, ocean, and transportation scenarios to fill the gaps in the air - ground - space network.
It has independent needs, independent scenarios, and independent commercial logic, and does not need to be attached to the narrative of the broadband satellite Internet.
II. Why Guodian Gaoke became the first sample
The core reason why Guodian Gaoke became the first approved entity is that it already has the basic conditions required for the trial.
The Tianqi Constellation is the key support.
Public information shows that the first phase of the Tianqi Constellation built and operated by Guodian Gaoke has completed network deployment. The first phase consists of 37 satellites and is one of the early low - orbit IoT communication constellations in China to enter the actual operation stage. That is to say, it is not applying for the trial based on a plan but already has in - orbit resources and a service foundation.
The application scenarios mentioned in this approval also match the capabilities of the Tianqi Constellation.
Marine fisheries, energy and water conservancy, and transportation and logistics all have similar characteristics:
The terminals are scattered, the ground network is discontinuous, the frequency of data transmission may not be very high, but there is a rigid demand for coverage and connection stability.
For these industries, stable, low - power, and low - cost connection capabilities are more important than high bandwidth.
However, the satellite IoT tests not only the constellation itself.
It also involves terminals, ground stations, billing systems, customer services, operation and maintenance systems, safety supervision, and industry solutions.
The previous notice from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology regarding the commercial trial also put forward requirements for the enterprise's business support system, operation support system, and management support system.
This means that the commercial trial examines a complete set of operational capabilities.
Whether the satellites can provide continuous services, whether the terminals can be connected at low cost, whether the customers can use the service stably, and whether faults can be quickly located are closer to the essence of business than the scale of the constellation.
III. What market does this approval open up
The satellite IoT often first enters scenarios with strong supervision, strong security requirements, and strong asset management.
The ocean is the most direct market. Fishery vessel supervision, offshore operations, marine ranches, offshore wind power, and maritime emergencies all involve the connection problem after being away from the shore - based network.
For offshore operations, stably transmitting location, status, and alarm information is itself part of safety management.
The scenarios of energy and water conservancy are also clear.
Oil and gas pipelines, power transmission lines, reservoirs, hydrological stations, pumping stations, and mining equipment are widely distributed in remote areas. These devices do not need to continuously transmit large - volume data but need to be online for a long time, operate with low power consumption, and transmit status information at critical moments.
Transportation and logistics value asset visualization more. Cold chain, cross - border logistics, dangerous goods transportation, and vehicle and container tracking in remote areas all require more stable full - domain connection capabilities.
The satellite IoT can fill the gaps in ground network coverage and reduce the risk of asset disconnection and operational risks.
Emergency and ecological monitoring will also become important directions. Scenarios such as forest fire prevention, geological disasters, field rescue, and ecological reserve monitoring have real demand, but they have strong public attributes. The business model may rely more on project - based and government procurement.
These markets will not mature simultaneously.
Scenarios with heavy safety responsibilities, high regulatory requirements, and high - value assets are more likely to be implemented first.
Whether large - scale revenue can be generated depends on terminal costs, platform usability, industry customer procurement cycles, and service stability.
IV. The difficulties in commercialization lie in revenue and continuous verification
This approval opens the entry for the commercial trial of the satellite IoT, but clear scenarios do not mean stable revenue.
In the next two years, what really needs to be verified is whether this service can move from demonstration projects to the daily budgets of industry customers.
First, the cost needs to be considered.
If the cost of satellite IoT terminals and service fees is significantly higher than that of ground IoT, the application scope will be concentrated in areas without or with weak network coverage and high - value scenarios, and it will be difficult to become an alternative to ordinary cellular IoT.
Industry customers will not only look at the procurement price but also calculate power consumption, service life, installation and maintenance, and subsequent operation and maintenance costs. Low power consumption is a technical feature, and the full - life - cycle cost is the key to procurement decisions.
Service availability is also important.
Revisit time, message delivery rate, delay, coverage continuity, and stability in extreme environments will all affect whether customers are willing to use the service in the long term. For industry customers, occasional availability and long - term reliability are two completely different services.
A deeper challenge lies in industry integration.
Satellite connection is just the underlying channel. Customers ultimately need it to be integrated into business systems.
Fishery administration supervision platforms, water conservancy monitoring platforms, logistics visualization platforms, and energy asset management systems are where the connection truly generates value. Only by being integrated into the process can there be an opportunity to enter the budget.
Guodian Gaoke is not the only company engaged in the satellite IoT in China, but it is the first to obtain the approval for the commercial trial.
Judging from the public progress, Guodian Gaoke's Tianqi Constellation is in a relatively advanced position.
The first phase of the Tianqi Constellation has completed network deployment. After Guodian Gaoke's approval this time, it can legally pilot the operation of satellite IoT services within the two - year trial period.
According to public reports, the Tianqi Constellation currently has a total of 41 in - orbit service satellites and has carried out application demonstrations in multiple industry scenarios.
Another important participant is the Xingyun Project under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation.
The Xingyun Project proposed the construction of a low - orbit narrow - band IoT constellation earlier. The planned scale is 80 satellites, aiming to solve the problem of insufficient coverage of the ground IoT in land and ocean areas.
Public information shows that the Xingyun Project launched the Xingyun - 2 01 and 02 satellites in 2020 and carried out in - orbit technology verification and industry demonstration application tests.
The Jili Constellation built by Shikong Daoyu is also worthy of attention.
Its positioning is more inclined to low - orbit satellite IoT and industrial digital infrastructure. Public reports show that the first phase of the Jili Constellation has completed network deployment, covering areas between 60° north and south latitudes. Application directions include the Internet of Vehicles, low - altitude travel, ocean engineering, and emergency rescue.
Backed by the automotive and travel ecosystem, the competitive feature of Shikong Daoyu is not only constellation construction but also whether it can integrate satellite connections into the Internet of Vehicles, autonomous driving, and intelligent transportation systems.
In addition, entities such as China Satellite Network Group, G60 Starlink, and Galaxy Space are more focused on broadband communication, mobile communication, or space - ground integrated network directions. There is an overlap with the satellite IoT, but the business focus is not exactly the same.
They may enter the relevant market through terminals, low - speed data services, or industry private networks in the future. However, in the short term, the low - orbit narrow - band IoT remains a relatively independent competitive track.
This article is from the WeChat official account “Xingdong Wuji”. Author: UniLym. Republished by 36Kr with permission.