Satellite IoT, or Internet of Things, refers to the integration of satellite networks with small Internet of Things devices, enabling connectivity and data exchange in remote and challenging environments. Now this allows IoT devices like cameras or sensors or trackers to communicate directly with satellites, bypassing terrestrial infrastructure or going directly to satellite when no terrestrial infrastructure is available. One organization that's offering up satellite IoT services like this around the globe is Iridium. Here with me today to tell us more about what this fascinating technology makes possible. Welcome to T-Minus Deep Space from N2K Networks, I'm Maria Varmausis. Our guest today is Ian Itz, Executive Director of the Global IoT Line of Business at Iridium. My name is Ian Itz, I'm the Executive Director for the IoT Line of Business here at Iridium. Kind of the way that I started my journey in space was through a very small universal bus building company. They were building universal buses for the Navy and for the Air Force. I was looking for product management jobs coming out of college and there just happened to be a space startup in the town that I was living in. We're not too far outside of the DC region and so there's obviously a lot of tech here, a lot of government work. That was kind of my entry and so I was working on course sun sensors and star trackers and things that satellites need to kind of keep their navigation and their orientation. So from there, that was kind of my leapfrog into satellite and so I learned obviously a lot about the industry and started learning more about carriers and the commercial side of the business. So I started to look at who are the big kind of satellite carriers in what we call this MSS space and looked at GlobalStar and looked at Iridium and I actually ended up working a little bit for GlobalStar, worked for one of their largest distributors for a bit, but I always wanted to be at Iridium. That was always kind of the seal of excellence for me in terms of what I was into, which was very small devices, mobile devices. IoT really, right? That's kind of where I kind of gravitated towards that and Iridium kind of had all the pieces, right? They had a great constellation. They did small devices. They're very reliable in terms of the product and so I'm always aspired to be part of the Iridium team. I had a friend, an engineer that actually came to Iridium about a year before I did. He said, "Hey, they're looking for product managers over here. Why don't you put an application in?" And I said, "This is a great opportunity for me." And so that was kind of how I started here at Iridium, so kind of continued on and became a product manager. And then slowly learned the business here, did some BD work for a couple of years and now I'm fully running the entire IoT line of business here at Iridium. Well, thank you for sharing your journey with me. I love hearing people's stories because they're also different and I find them just really fascinating. So thank you. So yeah, we are here to talk about the IoT line of business that Iridium has. So maybe if we can just set the scene a bit first about what it kind of looks like, what IoT and satellite connectivity together are enabling. Let's start there. Yeah, absolutely. So the way that I kind of look at IoT is a little bit of what I described earlier, which is small devices that are sending small chunks of data. Now that obviously has a variety of different meanings for different folks. IoT could be big chunks of data and lots of information passing back and forth. But when we kind of marry the two, IoT and satellite, what we're really looking at is smaller pieces of data because that's the most efficient way to get that across on the network. And so from our perspective, IoT is typically small devices with small antennas. In a lot of cases, they can be carried by a human, so by an individual, or they're just getting environmental data from wherever they're at. So it could be tracking an asset. It could be a sensor in a farm measuring the amount of water in the soil. It could be buoys in the ocean that are measuring ocean currents, salinity, early warning, tsunami detection. So really, IoT is kind of all encompassing in terms of the way that we think about it. We're really applying the fundamentals of IoT to basically any application that's out there today on the terrestrial network. We complement it on the satellite side. So we're really kind of that backup link in a lot of cases. But in many cases, for IoT specifically, we are the primary comms. We are operating in locations where terrestrial coverage just simply isn't available. And so our customers look to us to provide, again, kind of rugged, small devices that can be deployed anywhere on the globe. And that's kind of our forte, right? We're really good at these global deployments because we have global connectivity and we've been doing this for some time now. And so when some of our larger enterprise customers come to us and say, "Hey, we would like to deploy this particular solution globally," that's really where our radium shines. And so that's kind of the way that we see IoT in general, but small devices, small aperture antennas, low energy, and then typically satellite and cellular are complementary to each other, right? We're bouncing back and forth from one network to another. But that's kind of my world in terms of IoT and satellite specifically. It's so fascinating what this all enables and the places that IoT is being used. I interviewed someone a while ago in Antarctica. I was using it to great effect and it just blows my mind. And I know we think maybe, or I think about IoT is usually small devices sending small amounts of data, but that's changing, right? Where a lot of these devices are sending a lot more information now, lots more data being sent out. And I guess, how do you all support that? That must be an interesting advancement for you. Yeah. So what we strive to do is obviously continue to support customers that have kind of those low data rates. And those will always be a pertinent customer for us. As I mentioned, the ground soil sensors, those things don't go away. They'll be used for quite some time and they don't send that much data. But what we do obviously look at are some of these higher applications, as you mentioned. And so we look to develop kind of new technology kind of on a cycle basis primarily, right? So primarily we developed core modules that were built for low data transmissions as we talked about. But we've got some new devices that have just come online that are now able to do more rich data sets. So they're able to send images, for example. They're able to send voice snippets. And so these things are very part and parcel to what we do from a reliability perspective. A lot of the devices that work on the Iridium network are there for safety of life type applications. And so the ability to send kind of voice snippets and these images from remote locations kind of aids in those potential situations where somebody is injured. They're able to not only kind of send their location and maybe some text messaging about what's going on, but they're able to then send images about their environment. They're able to potentially talk if they're unable to use their hands. And so, yeah, I mean, we try to offer a variety of services on the network to cater to different IoT applications. And so, yeah, you'll see anything from, as I mentioned before, from our short burst data transceivers to our new IMT transceivers really kind of fit a variety of different use cases depending on what you're looking for. So yeah, we tend to focus on new modules every couple of years and expand the capabilities with each one as we develop. That's really neat. And I have to ask the inevitable question that I think I ask in every interview nowadays is about AI. AI and cloud, how this all plays in because there's a lot of talk about what we're able to do at the edge now, what we're not able to do at the edge, but a lot of IoT always comes up in that conversation. So often I'm talking to cloud and AI folks asking them about IoT. Now I'm talking about IoT versus about cloud and edge. So tell me about what advances you're seeing there and what that's enabling. Yeah. So cloud for us is extremely important. We integrated kind of AWS as our first for a, I want to say five or six years ago now. They were looking for, to expand their satellite connectivity options for their customers. And so we developed a partnership where we're now kind of fully hooked in from an IoT perspective. We're able to send data back and forth on all of our IoT platform devices through the AWS cloud and not just AWS, right? I mean, we operate now with kind of any cloud infrastructure that you bring to the table. So from that perspective, cloud is of utmost importance. We just want to give customers options. And so we don't charge more for it. It's really just an additional data delivery mechanism. And then obviously there's all of the other features that are built into the cloud, either IoT core or any of the other kind of security capabilities that are involved or any of the translation mechanisms that are in there. Our customers are, you know, more and more leveraging the cloud into their own internal applications. I mean, it's really just by virtue of us offering that as a capability, right? We're not doing a whole lot of application building. We're kind of really just leveraging what's already there and then providing the data through our standard interconnects. The AI thing is really interesting to me specifically because a lot of our customers have been doing this for quite some time, right? You know, as you probably know, sending data over a satellite link is going to be traditionally more expensive than when you send it over a cellular link. And so a lot of our customers, especially early on when IoT was called M2M, those customers were figuring out how to optimize their data before sending it over the satellite link, right? So, the advent of edge computing, edge technology, and then add on top of that machine learning and AI. And it gives these users kind of a lot more benefit in terms of being able to analyze their data and make decisions on the edge and then really only pass that data that's like critical or the most relevant to what they're doing. And so from that perspective, you know, our customers have been early adopters of edge computing, ML and AI for some time. And so now that it's really kind of, you know, in everybody's face, it's kind of everywhere you go, it's really just kind of now being adopted by the mainstream. But I'd say that IoT and IoT and satellite specifically were kind of leading the front on a lot of those early technologies because it was necessary for them for a cost operation kind of environment. Yeah. Where do you see that going from that? Yeah. I was going to say it's by necessity. It had to happen. And that's often when I have those conversations again with the other side. Folks, it's like this was a complete necessity as a mother in invention situation. I'm curious where you see things going, advancements in this area. Yeah. I mean, so for us, I mean, obviously as our satellite networks get, you know, more complex, there's the ability for us to integrate AI into, you know, our operations, right? Not that we're doing a whole lot of that today, but, you know, as we look, you know, towards Iridium's future and as we look at, you know, the potential to fly more satellites, you know, you could potentially see, you know, AI aiding in a lot of the, what we call the space infrastructure, right? You know, all the things that are required for us to be able to run the network. On the other side, I mean, obviously we want to continue to foster the adoption of AI by our partners because it continues to be extremely relevant in their types of applications, right? So the more energy that they can save and the more money they can save, frankly, on the data transmissions, you know, the more powerful and the more adoption those devices are going to get. So, yeah, we're really, you know, wanting to foster any of those applications that are leveraging AI by our partners. And, you know, that's one thing that we haven't necessarily talked about is Iridium has been extremely successful because of the way that we go to market. And that's primarily just by providing core technology, so the modules and the network. And then our customers go out and create these beautiful, amazing products on the backside, right? So we're not providing kind of a lot of terminals. We provide the core tech and really lean on our partners to create these, you know, awesome solutions, these awesome, powerful IoT solutions that are out in the market today. And so we wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't be here talking to you today if it wasn't for the innovation that our partners bring. And so we really do lean on them a lot. And it's really great what they're bringing to the table as we bring new products to market. We'll be right back. I find that really fascinating what Iridium does because you all are really a backbone and that you do enable all these different people and organizations to figure out how to use what you all provide. And then it just makes whole constellation if I can use the space cliche of just different capabilities. It's quite amazing to watch. And something that I've been increasingly trying to learn more about is also the phrase is non-terrestrial networks. And just that again, you guys are a huge player in that. I mean, enabling all that and, you know, what that looks like and what that's enabling. And I'm just wondering as part of that the ecosystem that's building a non-terrestrial network, like how are these different pieces all sort of fitting together to work towards what's coming in non-terrestrial networks? Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, the vision for the non-terrestrial network is to, you know, offer a service that to the consumer doesn't look any different than what they've used today, right? So you're outside of terrestrial coverage and whether it be, you know, your smart watch or your phone or your vehicle or whatever it happens to be falls outside of terrestrial coverage. The transition to satellite and the use of satellite should be, you know, pretty deprecated from view from the customer, right? If I can, you know, for lack of a better term, they shouldn't know which network is providing the service underlying. They just want to know that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Steamless, right? They just want to be able to close the links and the data. And so from that perspective, I think that's where we're headed, right? What you'll end up seeing, you know, over time and how all these pieces fit together is really kind of that seamless experience, you know, from a data connectivity perspective, right? You've got devices that primarily live on cellular and that want to jump over to satellite and now they're, you know, they're doing the opposite, which is they're living potentially their entire lives on satellite and using cellular sometimes. So, again, I think what we drive or what we strive for is the ability to have, you know, customers again that see this kind of seamless experience and not necessarily know which satellite carrier they're operating on or that their device is actually on satellite, right? So I think really what we're doing from an NTN perspective is moving towards a more standardized approach where any manufacturer of a chip or a module can now integrate Aridium into that same module without any additional cost, right? And so that's really the benefit and that's kind of where all these things fit together is along the standardization of the satellite networks within existing terrestrial networks. And that's really what's going to make everything kind of, as you mentioned, seamless, Maria, and ensure that, you know, that satellite is a connectivity piece that's integral to pretty much any IoT solution that's out there today. Very cool. Could you set the scene for me between broadband and narrowband when it comes to IoT? Because that's something I really just don't know much about. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So, Maria, I think what we can kind of talk about is kind of this distinction between a lot of these different carriers that are coming online right now, right? I mean, we hear a lot in this space. Space is very hot right now. NTN is very hot right now. So you've got, you know, a few different players in this space. You know, the one that we hear about the most is Starlink, right? And Starlink is providing a very broadband-centered service, right? So they're using bigger terminals, bigger antennas. And in a lot of cases, those are fixed sites. But you know, obviously Starlink has a lot of mobility plans. And so they've got devices that obviously work from a mobility perspective. So what Starlink is providing is more of a broadband type of interface, right? They're providing, you know, video and, you know, gaming and internet and all the things that you really want to do kind of at a high level. What we end up doing is providing more of a narrowband system. And so we are not providing, you know, big pipe data. We're not providing you with internet. And that has a lot to do with the way the constellation is set up and the types of satellites that we have and the spectrum that we operate in, right? And so for us, we're considered a narrowband network. And the reason that that is is because, number one, we're part of L-band. And L-band has its own kind of benefits. And in the most important benefit that we have from an L-band perspective is that we're not susceptible to things like rainfade or the weather, right? And so that's why Iridium typically gets used a lot from a reliability perspective. Because even though we're not a huge pipe, we're not a huge, you know, bandwidth providing network, we work in the most rugged environments. And so often what you'll see is you'll see us paired in tandem with a Starlink system, for example, right? So on a vessel, on a large vessel that's traversing the ocean, they'll oftentimes have a Starlink device on board that handles, you know, all of the crew entertainment, right? So the crew wants to be able to call home and the crew wants to be able to watch Netflix and surf the Internet. And so they've got that capability on the boat for the crew welfare and the and the livelihood of the crew on that's working the boat. But then they've also got an Iridium component on board for the critical comms, right? So in the event that Starlink goes down or that they're in awful weather, which happens a lot in the ocean, they've got a backup link, which is Iridium. And so even though we're not providing all of the crew calling and the Internet, we're providing the core technology that the captain needs to be able to continue operating the boat. So it's course and heading and speed and a little bit of weather and, you know, critical comms back and forth to wherever they're going. So for me, that's really the distinction between kind of this broadband and this narrow band. And and again, in IOT, at least, you know, as I've experienced IOT, IOT tends to be more of a narrow band type of application, right? Because again, we're not sending big chunks of data. Now, are there outliers and are there other applications that are sending, you know, much more vivid data 100 percent? But in traditional kind of what I would call industrial IOT, you know, there's not much need for more than, you know, a narrow band pipe, which which is what we provide. And so that's kind of reliability, though. Yeah, absolutely. Reliability above all for us, right? And so we're not going to be that provider that, you know, you want to send video in HD from, you know, from, you know, some region, you know, not here in the U.S. That's not us, right? But if you want to send critical data, you want to send an SOS message, you want to send your lat long, you want to send a text about, hey, this is what's currently going on and be fully insured that it's going to go out, then that's the network that you want, right? And so from our perspective, that's kind of been our calling card always is this reliability above all. And the global coverage that you talked about earlier, Maria, that those researchers or those folks that you talked to that were doing things in the North Pole or Antarctica, that's typically only enabled by Iridium, right? Because we have a polar orbit. So that means that our satellites are going, you know, over both poles. And that enables us, obviously, to have connectivity there. And so huge scientific community in those regions that rely on Iridium, both for personal communications, but also to get their information up and down from where they're at. And so, yeah, I mean, the distinction between narrowband, I think, is really just that is really going to how big is the pipe that the operator is offering you. And what I would say is that there's different characterizations for that. The bigger the pipe, the bigger the antenna, you're going to need the more energy that you need to be able to sustain that connection. Whereas on the other end, you know, with us, theoretically, you've got smaller devices, smaller antenna, smaller energy so they can live in the field for much longer on a battery powered device. And that's why we're so critical for personal communications and for critical comms, is that ability to have a device that stays on in the field for multiple days at a time, can can hit a transmission, even if it's pouring rain. You know, those are the types of benefits that kind of Iridium provides. But I hope that kind of clear up a little bit about the distinction between kind of the broadband and the narrowband side. Alive, it has to do again with kind of the satellites that are being flown, what spectrum you operate in and what orbit you're in. Right. So whether you're a Leo orbit, which is a low earth orbit or a geostationary orbit, which is a little bit higher up. All of those things play into, you know, the type of satellite network you're going to want to choose for your for IOT connectivity. Absolutely. You know, I've been trying to learn more about this for less two and a half years doing this job. You explained it better than I think anyone has. So I really, I'm not just saying that because I'm talking to you right now, like genuinely, that was probably the best explainer I've heard of that. So thank you for clarifying a lot of things in my head that have been a little jumbled. So I really appreciate that. And yeah, I it's Iridium gets name dropped all the time in interviews that I do with other people because it's just it's you all are ubiquitous in a good way. So it's it's a really it's great to hear this explainer because it just again, it helps me understand so much better. I want to make sure I know I've taken up a ton of your time and you've been so generous in your answers. If there's anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention that, you know, was a high priority for you guys to make sure you get out there. I want to give you the floor. If there's anything that you wanted to mention that's it's over to you for. Yeah, I mean, the only thing I'd mention is that, you know, we we cater to the developer, right? That's kind of as I talked about earlier, Maria, we couldn't be where we are today without kind of the expertise that our partners bring. And so, you know, one of the things that we try to do is be very developer friendly in terms of providing developer kits and the experience for those that are wanting to try satellite. You can seem, you know, quite daunting, you know, if you've never, you know, been part of a satellite project, but I assure you that it's extremely easy. You know, for our latest module, which is the 90704, you can go out and buy a kit. You can receive that kit within a couple of days and you can be transmitting and talking to a satellite within a matter of minutes of opening up the kit. It's very open source. We publish everything on GitHub. And so we try to make everything extremely easy. And so what I would say is that for me, especially the proof is always in the pudding. If you're interested in learning more about Iridium, if you're interested in playing with the satellites and kind of getting a good understanding of how things work, you know, go out and buy one of our kits, you know, get on air and experience it for yourself. It's extremely easy. And like I said, we're pretty open in terms of the types of things you can plug into it. And so we try to provide that for our partners. And it's really kind of the first foray is these development kits. And so that's really what I would stress is, you know, come come talk to us, come see us, you know, buy a kit, experience what it's all about. And if you choose Iridium or not, at least you've had that experience in terms of understanding how our network operates. That's awesome. Ian, you've been a great guest. Thank you so much for explaining so many things to me that have been confused in my mind for quite some time. So you've been awesome. Thank you. Thank you so much. Maria, thanks for having me. I certainly appreciate the opportunity and it's been a great conversation. That's it for T-Minus Deep Space brought to you by N2K Cyber Wire. We'd love to know what you think of this podcast. You can email us at space@n2k.com or submit the survey in the show notes. Your feedback ensures we deliver the information that keeps you a step ahead in the rapidly changing space industry. N2K Senior Producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Eiben. Peter Kilpe is our publisher and I am your host, Maria Varmazis. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time. [Music] (gentle music) [BLANK_AUDIO]
