Digital Energy Journal- ViaSat’s “IoT Nano”” satcoms service for devices over Orbcomm satellites

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ViaSat’s “IoT Nano”” satcoms service for devices over Orbcomm satellites

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

New IoT Nano messaging service, in collaboration with ORBCOMM, remotely monitors and controls assets, even in the most challenging locations.

Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global leader in satellite communications, today announced that its Enterprise business, part of the company's Communication Services segment, launched its next generation IoT Nano connectivity service to deliver powerful, two-way messaging connectivity across the globe.

IoT Nano is designed to meet growing global demand for cost-effective, low-data, low-power, Internet of Things (IoT) services across remote and challenging environments where mobile connectivity is often required. With IoT Nano, businesses can effectively monitor and control fixed and mobile assets across industries like agriculture, transport, utilities, mining, and environmental monitoring - all with ultra-reliable satellite coverage through Viasat's global L-band network.

IoT Nano is powered by ORBCOMM's next-generation satellite IoT service OGx, an evolution of the IDP (IsatData Pro) service that offers faster message delivery speeds, larger message sizes, and new hardware options relative to its predecessor. This new service expands Viasat's diverse portfolio of IoT connectivity services, which range from ultra-low data rate narrowband IoT services to static VSAT IoT offerings.

Key energy industry use cases enabled by IoT Nano include:

• Asset tracking: Monitoring the location and movement of valuable equipment and vehicles across vast operational areas (e.g., pipelines, machinery, fleets).
• Pipeline monitoring: Detecting anomalies, leaks, and ensuring the integrity of critical oil, gas, and water pipelines.
• Security: Enhancing surveillance and access control for remote utility and oil & gas sites, including wellheads, substations, and pumping stations.
• Tank level monitoring: Managing levels in storage tanks for oil, gas, and water, optimizing supply chain and preventing overflows.
• Telemetry: Collecting and transmitting vital operational data from remote sensors and devices for real-time insights and predictive maintenance.
• Remote site monitoring: Gaining visibility into the status of pumps, generators, and other critical infrastructure in isolated locations.

Andy Kessler, Vice President, Enterprise and Land Mobile, Viasat, said: "The IoT Nano service represents a significant advancement in providing flexible, scalable, and energy-efficient IoT connectivity to businesses operating in the most remote corners of the world. By leveraging the enhanced capabilities of the ORBCOMM OGx service and equipping our partner ecosystem with new low-cost modules and service capabilities, we are empowering customers with access to smarter data, more frequently, in more places, at a lower cost."

IoT Nano delivers near real-time visibility and situational awareness, as well as richer, more actionable data for end customers. The new service will continue to support IDP mode, both preserving existing customer investments in IDP while also enhancing capabilities for reduced power consumption, larger messages, and faster speeds to enable new higher value use cases in OGx mode.

Viasat's IoT Nano service will help lower costs in some cases by optimizing power usage, resulting in smaller and cheaper solar panels, batteries, and enclosures. The service also offers new capabilities for OEMs and solution providers looking to build their own terminals and devices using embedded third-party modules. This approach will allow OEMs and IoT solution providers to develop hardware that will support a wide variety of IoT applications with a range of data requirements. Viasat offers full development resources through its ELEVATE partner program. Additionally, the service supports a range of ORBCOMM terminals and modules.

'OGx delivers faster speeds, larger messages, and lower power usage, all backed by ORBCOMM's proven terminals, network, and field support,' said Dave Roscoe, President of Satellite IoT at ORBCOMM. 'We are excited to partner with Viasat to enable solution providers to build and scale IoT applications across industries including agriculture, transportation, maritime, oil and gas, heavy equipment, and mining. By lowering the cost and increasing the effectiveness of satellite connectivity, OGx makes it possible for our partners to enter new markets, expand use cases, and drive incremental growth.'

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