For example, containers can be tracked on their journey through the desert. This requires a directional antenna on the object and the corresponding Sigfox module. "With satellite communication as a supplement to our terrestrial connectivity, we also achieve coverage in completely inaccessible areas - affordably and with low power requirements for transmission at low data rates," says Aurelius Wosylus, Director Sales & Partners Germany at Sigfox.

To this end, Eutelsat, one of the world's leading satellite operators, has ordered a nanosatellite from Tyvak International SRL. This company is a subsidiary of Terran Orbital Corporation, a provider of nanosatellites and microsatellites.

The planned nanosatellite 'Eutelsat LEO for Objects' (ELO) in orbit.

© Eutelsat

The new nanosatellite 'Eutelsat LEO for Objects' (ELO), scheduled for launch in 2019, will serve as a backhaul for information from objects in areas not served by terrestrial networks and provide redundancy for existing terrestrial networks.

Sigfox will work with Eutelsat on two aspects: On the analysis of the spectrum used by the satellite in the ISM1 frequency bands and on the processing of data from objects. ELO will also test connectivity for other frequency bands. The synergies resulting from the partnership with Sigfox and other strategic alliances in the telecommunications industry should open up new opportunities for Eutelsat in this fast-growing market.

In a sun-synchronous orbit between 500 and 600 km altitude, the ELO satellite will collect data from connected objects around the world. It is equipped with the same omnidirectional antennas that are already used by terrestrial IoT networks. The data is transmitted daily to a ground station on Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.

"With the development of this nanosatellite, we are breaking new ground and demonstrating how terrestrial networks and the satellite can operate in a complementary way," says Jean-Hubert Lenotte, Chief Strategy Officer at Eutelsat.

Aurelius Wosylus, Director Sales & Partners Germany at Sigfox: "With satellite communication as a complement to our terrestrial connectivity, we are achieving coverage even in completely inaccessible areas - affordably and with low power requirements for transmission at low data rates."