Satellite communications company ST Engineering iDirect has delivered its flagship Internet of Things (IoT) solution to ARSAT, the national telecommunications company of Argentina.
ARSAT provides wholesale connectivity to bridge the digital divide between towns and cities across the country. The company has identified the requirement for satellite-based IoT services that enable businesses and organizations in remote areas to take advantage of sensor technology and Big Data management developments.
The IoT solution incorporates an IoT-optimized waveform and a cloud-based network management system (NMS) powered by technology from ST Engineering iDirect’s strategic partnerhiSky, which brings innovative technology to the field of voice and data satellite communications. This will enable ARSAT to tackle a range of in-country challenges across vertical markets.
Applications include the implementation of fleet tracking solutions and more efficient farming practices. For example, the solution will permit the collection of critical data from sensors located on farms for the monitoring of everything from soil moisture to the health of livestock and the condition of farm vehicles.
IoT services will also provide an invaluable tool for disaster recovery and mitigation, enabling users to view important data on areas of concern such as rainfall and river levels or wildfire threats, deforestation, water scarcity, earthquakes and volcanoes. Sensor data can be collected and transmitted using satellite IoT connectivity solutions for analysis.
The IoT solution also offers ARSAT the flexibility to move quickly into other markets such as oil and gas, energy, mining, fleet management and construction, as and when demand prmits.
ST Engineering iDirect’s system integration partner Technology Bureau will help ARSAT to seamlessly integrate the IoT solution into its existing ST Engineering iDirect hub infrastructure.
“This new technology adds value to our fleet of geostationary satellites, ARSAT-1 and ARSAT-2, which were launched in 2014 and 2015 respectively,” says Guillermo Rus, Vice President, ARSAT. “We are currently carrying out tests of this innovative product with very good results and we hope to carry out the first implementations in the coming months. Among the use cases under evaluation are a hydrometeorological monitoring network, connectivity for research ships, marine buoys, and a monitoring system for the road network.”