Are Two Ways Better Than One?

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The global internet of things market was valued at $714 billion in 2024, including hardware, connectivity and analytics, and is forecast to grow to more than $4 trillion by 2032. Not bad for a technology service that’s only half what you think it is.
 
Despite the sophistication of IoT tech, most of the communications is one-way, or as the industry refers to as half-duplex, also known as simplex. No interactivity there: the sensors, whether battery or solar-powered, need to consume minimal power, so they periodically send small data messages to a central server without any return message. It’s the information they represent, not its volume or interactivity, that delivers value: location, speed, temperature, pressure, light level, on/off, open/closed and so on.

At Globalstar, we know this well, because we have built a global business for decades delivering one-way short data messages over our satellite network. From that stream of data, ranchers can find their cattle and monitor their health. Trucking companies can cut the cost of operations by better managing their assets. Organizations track the level of fluid in tanks, the pressure in pipelines, and the fire danger in forests. They protect costly equipment from theft and valuable people from injury in the field. It’s part of a multi-billion-dollar business that rides on the ability to send short strings of text from small devices to a distant server – and to do it affordably and reliably 24x7.

The Place for Two-Way

But two-way exchange has its value, which is why Globalstar is introducing that capability in its latest modem module designed for integration into IoT systems.  The RM200M module inherits Globalstar’s legacy of rugged, affordable and low-powered technology. It leverages a single chipset to provide converged satellite and cellular communications, ensuring that the sensors it connects are never offline. Sensors connect via Bluetooth and Globalstar’s Realm Enablement Suite provides a low-code development platform with a single, affordable cloud management and application platform that slashes hundreds of hours of development time.

So, are two ways better than one? It depends. Two-way service enables IoT to go beyond monitoring to take action at a location far away. For the transportation industry, two-way service lets companies not only track location, speed, engine performance and other factors, but to remotely identify authorized drivers and give them access to vehicles with remote lock/unlock functions. In 2023, the US experienced 3.24 cargo thefts from trucks every day, with an average value north of $260,000.

For farms, companies and utilities with high-value equipment in the field, it enables remote control of key systems, including the ability to disable equipment that’s not where it is supposed to be. Studies estimate that the US construction industry loses $1 billion to equipment theft every year.

In the energy business, the power to remotely control pumps and valves in response to monitoring data can mean the difference between health and injury or environmental compliance and disaster.

In agriculture, it’s about monitoring soil moisture, then scheduling and controlling irrigation equipment across hundreds or thousands of acres.

The need to operate equipment and infrastructure in rugged conditions, far from power or a cellular connection, carries economic value and risk. It takes highly reliable, highly affordable connectivity to meet the need. Whether one-way or two way, that’s what Globalstar modules, devices and satellite network offer: advanced capabilities at a price that will help companies achieve the most optimistic forecasts for the growth of IoT.

Learn more about where Globalstar two-way satellite communications can take your solutions.

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