Viasat Unveils Next-Gen Satellite IoT Service to Connect Remote Industries

The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to reshape digital infrastructure worldwide, driving smart systems in logistics, critical environments, and asset management. With IDC projecting over 55.7 billion connected devices globally by 2025, the reach and reliability of these connections are defining operational efficiency for entire industries.

Yet, remote sectors such as mining, offshore energy, agriculture, and maritime logistics fall behind. Geographic isolation, lack of terrestrial infrastructure, and harsh working conditions often limit the deployment and performance of traditional connectivity solutions. As a result, valuable data remains untapped, equipment monitoring lags, and real-time decision-making suffers.

Viasat’s new satellite-based IoT service addresses these limitations head-on. Engineered for scalability and industrial-grade performance, it delivers global connectivity that extends data reach far beyond urban networks. Whether tracking drilling equipment in the Andes or monitoring irrigation pumps in Western Australia, this solution offers consistent, secure communication to power remote industrial transformation.

Why Remote Industries Depend on Satellite IoT—And Why Terrestrial Networks Can’t Keep Up

Remote industrial environments pose unique connectivity challenges that conventional networks fail to address. Fiber-optic cables remain prohibitively expensive to deploy in rugged or isolated terrain; 4G and 5G towers don't reach offshore rigs or deep wilderness facilities. As a result, operations in these locations often rely on legacy infrastructure, resulting in inconsistent data access and delayed decision-making.

Enterprise operators increasingly prioritize real-time monitoring and automated control to reduce downtime, increase yield, and optimize operational efficiency. This shift toward intelligent operations demands constant, high-fidelity communication with assets—in real time and under all conditions. For sectors that span dispersed, often inhospitable geographies, communicating with sensors and devices simply isn't optional; it’s operationally mandatory.

The need becomes especially acute in industries such as:

• Oil & Gas: Exploration and production in remote basins require uninterrupted telemetry for safety, drilling optimization, and leak detection. Major producers use SCADA systems and thousands of field sensors—none of which can function as intended without persistent network coverage.
• Agriculture: Precision farming relies on a continuous stream of data from soil monitors, irrigation systems, drones, and harvesters across vast fields often far beyond cellular coverage. Farmers using AI-driven analytics need reliable uplinks to maximize crop output and reduce resource use.
• Offshore Operations: Platforms, wind farms, and vessels need real-time system diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and crew connectivity. Without a robust backhaul, automation strategies stall and asset performance suffers.

Traditional networks can’t support these requirements. Latency, bandwidth limitations, and physical coverage gaps prevent seamless integration of IoT strategies that demand always-on, bidirectional data flow. Satellite IoT provides the technical reach and network resilience needed to fill these gaps—supporting critical use cases where failure isn’t an option.

Meet Viasat’s New Satellite IoT Service

Purpose-Built Connectivity for Hard-to-Reach Operations

Viasat’s new satellite IoT service delivers industrial-grade connectivity to environments where terrestrial networks can’t reach or scale. Designed specifically for asset tracking, remote telemetry, and process automation, the service targets sectors like energy, mining, utilities, and logistics—industries where real-time data flow from remote locations can directly impact operational efficiency and safety.

What Distinguishes It from Traditional IoT Networks?

Unlike standard cellular IoT networks, which rely on local towers and fixed infrastructure, Viasat’s service operates over satellite links—eliminating the need for ground-based systems in inaccessible terrain. It supports bi-directional communication, persistent coverage, and is engineered to handle remote deployments where reliability is non-negotiable.

Its architecture leverages Viasat's global network to maintain connectivity even in the harshest or most isolated geographies. While terrestrial networks may falter under pressure from geography or infrastructure damage, this satellite IoT solution maintains operational continuity with minimal downtime.

Enterprise Integration with Minimal Friction

The platform integrates directly with existing enterprise data systems and operational technologies (OT). Whether it's legacy SCADA infrastructure or modern cloud platforms like AWS IoT or Microsoft Azure IoT Hub, Viasat enables seamless data ingestion via secure APIs and standardized protocols such as MQTT and HTTPS.

Fleet managers, field engineers, and operations supervisors can deploy the service without reengineering mission-critical systems, drastically reducing time to deploy and total cost of integration.

Low-Latency Data Transmission Means Faster Response Times

Latency matters when seconds affect decisions. Viasat's satellite IoT service achieves low-latency transmission by operating in the L-band spectrum and harnessing an optimized transport protocol. For applications like pipeline monitoring, environmental sensing, or machinery diagnostics, faster data relay leads to quicker responsive action, reducing downtime and mitigating risk.

Secure, Scalable Infrastructure for Industrial Growth

Every transmitted data packet travels over a secured channel by default. Leveraging encryption protocols and endpoint authentication baked into the service stack, Viasat meets compliance needs across industries, including energy and utilities. As fleets grow or sensor deployments increase, the infrastructure scales horizontally without degrading performance or availability.

• End-to-end encryption with AES 256-bit capability
• Device identity management with digital certificates
• Multi-point redundancy across Viasat's global ground network

Rooted in Viasat’s Innovation Strategy

This service aligns with Viasat’s broader strategic shift towards integrated, intelligent global communications. Rather than focusing solely on broadband delivery, Viasat positions its new offering as part of a holistic connected ecosystem. It brings together satellite communications, AI-driven edge processing, and IoT analytics under a single operational framework.

The result: industrial operations can now digitize deeper into the field, whether that’s in the Arctic, offshore platforms, desert oilfields, or forested logistics routes—without compromising connectivity or data integrity.

Inside the Technology Powering Viasat’s New Satellite IoT Service

Space-Based Infrastructure That Reaches Where Others Can’t

At the heart of Viasat’s IoT service lies a sophisticated satellite communication backbone. Unlike terrestrial networks limited by geography, Viasat deploys both geostationary (GEO) and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to ensure persistent coverage across the globe—including extreme latitudes and maritime zones where infrastructure is nonexistent. This dual-orbit architecture gives the service high availability and minimal latency variation, even in motion-based use cases like offshore drilling platforms or cross-border rail logistics.

High-Capacity Satellite Assets With Global Reach

Viasat’s GEO satellites, such as ViaSat-3, support hundreds of Gbps of throughput per satellite, enabling real-time IoT telemetry, device management, and over-the-air firmware updates. Meanwhile, planned and partnered LEO constellations bolster low-latency services for operation-critical deployments. The combination ensures scalability across use profiles—whether for low-bandwidth sensors in agriculture or bandwidth-intensive industrial systems in mining and energy.

Edge Computing Brings Intelligence Closer to the Field

Not all data needs to travel thousands of miles to be useful. Viasat leverages edge computing to process sensor inputs and system analytics at or near the source, reducing reliance on centralized cloud infrastructure. Processing at the edge minimizes latency, optimizes bandwidth consumption, and enhances fault resilience, which is essential for applications such as predictive maintenance and autonomous equipment operation in remote zones.

Seamless Integration with Public and Private 5G Networks

Viasat designed its IoT backbone with 5G interoperability as a foundational principle. Through network slicing, dynamic routing, and SD-WAN integration, enterprises can extend cloud and on-premises services over both satellite and terrestrial 5G networks. This flexible overlay architecture enables reliable data transport and orchestration across diverse access technologies, supporting a unified device ecosystem.

Hybrid Connectivity Enables Adaptive Deployment Models

Rigid infrastructure doesn’t meet the demands of mobile, seasonal, or rapidly scaling operations. Viasat addresses this through hybrid networking solutions that combine satellite, LTE, 5G, and Wi-Fi under a single managed framework. Using intelligent routing and failover capabilities, the system dynamically switches between connections based on performance, cost, and availability. Industries can deploy quickly in greenfield locations, then transition seamlessly as terrestrial networks come online.

• High-throughput satellites for mission-critical capacity and broad coverage
• LEO integration for low-latency operations in logistics and mobile assets
• Edge processing for real-time intelligence, even in disconnected environments
• 5G network compatibility to support future-proof enterprise architectures
• Hybrid network orchestration for maximum flexibility in deployment and scaling

Purpose-Built Features for Always-On, Mission-Critical Environments

Resilient Architecture Engineered for Continuous Operation

Viasat’s satellite IoT service deploys a hardened communications infrastructure capable of operating in extreme conditions. Environments like offshore platforms, mining sites, and high-altitude installations demand uninterrupted connectivity—this architecture delivers precisely that. The system leverages multiple redundancy layers across both space and ground segments, ensuring communications are never lost to single-point failures. Uptime remains consistent, even in areas where traditional networks fail due to environmental or logistical constraints.

Cloud and Edge Intelligence for Scalable Data Management

The platform integrates cloud-native scalability with localized edge processing. This dual-layer approach allows enterprises to manage massive sensor arrays and high-frequency data streams without bottlenecks. On-site edge nodes handle initial sorting, compression, and event tagging, sending pre-processed data to cloud environments optimized for long-term analytics and archival. As sensor deployments grow, the platform scales with zero downtime, maintaining operational fluidity across distributed assets.

Full-Spectrum Monitoring, Telemetry, and Control

Operational oversight gains a new dimension through Viasat’s integrated remote command systems. From centralized dashboards, operators can conduct real-time health checks, perform software or firmware updates, and execute command sequences without visiting the site. Telemetry packets flow consistently over satellite links, providing status updates with persistent accuracy. Control signals return with precision timing that enables automated responses to dynamic field conditions—essential for energy, agriculture, and critical infrastructure sectors.

Optimized for Latency-Sensitive Applications

Where real-time decision-making is non-negotiable, Viasat’s low-latency transmission pathways deliver. Live video feeds from drilling operations, computer vision systems in autonomous mining trucks, or real-time alerting from pipeline leak detection—all run reliably thanks to optimized QoS routing and intelligent traffic prioritization. AI inference models at the edge further reduce decision latency by eliminating round-trip waits to centralized systems. Operations stay responsive, no matter how remote the deployment zone.

Unlocking Industrial IoT: Markets and Applications Powered by Viasat

Industrial IoT Applications Driving Operational Efficiency

Viasat's satellite IoT service extends enterprise-grade connectivity to environments where legacy networks fall short. By penetrating hard-to-reach locations, the solution supports a wide array of industrial IoT (IIoT) use cases that demand real-time data, low latency, and persistent uptime.

• Predictive Maintenance and Asset Tracking: Sensors embedded in remote machinery relay diagnostics and performance metrics back to central dashboards. Operations teams can minimize unplanned downtime by addressing issues before they escalate. Asset location tracking enhances oversight of high-value equipment dispersed across vast areas.
• Environmental Sensors and Compliance Monitoring: In mining, oil and gas, and agriculture, continuous monitoring of humidity, emissions, radiation levels or pollution indicators ensures adherence to regulatory thresholds. Real-time alerts allow for immediate remediation and streamlined reporting.
• Autonomous and Connected Equipment Control: In automation-centric industries, equipment deployed in isolated places stays connected through Viasat’s network, enabling remote diagnostics, firmware updates, and command execution. Connected robotics and autonomous fleets remain synchronized with central control systems.

Targeted Industries Benefiting from Reliable Satellite IoT

The service delivers scalable connectivity tailored to specific industries where terrestrial infrastructure is often unavailable or unreliable. Viasat enables digital transformation in the following sectors:

• Energy and Mining: Open-pit mines, oil extraction rigs, and remote solar or wind farms gain consistent telemetric communication, which supports exploration analytics, equipment status updates, and inventory logistics.
• Smart Agriculture: Precision farming tools—soil moisture sensors, weather monitoring stations, connected irrigation systems—send and receive data in real time to optimize yield, minimize waste, and adapt to microclimatic conditions across rural tracts.
• Maritime and Offshore Operations: Fishing vessels, offshore platforms, and shipping fleets leverage satellite IoT for navigation, cargo monitoring, and equipment telemetry—all while remaining far from coast-based coverage.
• Remote Construction and Recovery Zones: Temporary worksites such as pipeline builds, telecom tower installations, or disaster-response hubs stay connected through portable gateways. IoT modules coordinate logistics, monitor materials usage, and connect crews across vast build zones.

Looking at your own industry landscape—where does disconnected equipment hinder outcomes? Viasat's new offering creates a bridge between innovation and isolation for enterprises seeking continuity in the world's most rugged and remote work environments.

Global Reach Starts at Home: Geographic Footprint in the U.S. and Beyond

Viasat’s satellite IoT service launches first in the United States, addressing critical connectivity gaps for domestic enterprises operating in remote and rugged environments. Mining operations in Nevada, oil rigs off the Gulf Coast, and agriculture zones across the Midwest now gain access to robust, low-latency satellite-based IoT coverage. This U.S.-focused rollout provides a controlled testbed for scaling, with enterprise partnerships and deployment feedback driving further optimization.

Next Stops: Latin America to Asia-Pacific

Expansion beyond U.S. borders is already mapped. Viasat targets high-potential markets with chronic connectivity challenges, including:

• Latin America: With its vast, underconnected mining regions and increasing demand for precision agriculture, countries like Chile, Brazil, and Peru sit high on Viasat’s roadmap.
• Africa: Energy and utility sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa will benefit from remote monitoring capabilities, especially in regions where terrestrial infrastructure lags decades behind demand.
• Middle East: Industrial deployments in the oil and gas corridor—from the Arabian Peninsula to North Africa—require secure, always-on IoT for pipeline telemetry and site automation.
• Asia-Pacific: In APAC, targeted expansion includes resource-rich territories in Indonesia and Australia, as well as maritime operations across archipelagos and exclusive economic zones.

Global Compliance Aligned by Design

To support its global ambitions, Viasat built regulatory readiness into its satellite IoT platform from day one. The service architecture aligns with international standards governing frequency coordination, data sovereignty, and device certification. Regional deployment teams actively engage with national spectrum authorities to facilitate seamless integrability and market-specific compliance. By front-loading regulatory alignment, Viasat speeds up time-to-market while ensuring long-term operational stability across jurisdictions.

Data Handling and Security at the Core of Viasat’s Satellite IoT

End-to-End Secure Communications

Every data packet traveling through Viasat’s satellite IoT backbone is wrapped in military-grade encryption. The platform supports advanced communication protocols, including TLS 1.3 and IPSec VPN tunnels, ensuring secure transmission over both public and private networks. This level of protection blocks unauthorized access during data uplink, satellite relays, and downlink to ground stations.

Data-in-motion moves seamlessly with built-in forward error correction (FEC) and uplink power control. These technologies don’t just guarantee secure delivery — they also minimize latency and bitrate errors, which are crucial in remote industrial environments with zero tolerance for data loss.

Real-Time Intelligence. Fully Encrypted. Always Available.

At the data layer, Viasat’s IoT platform leverages real-time remote diagnostics paired with fully encrypted, on-device and cloud-based data storage. Even when operating in bandwidth-constrained locations like offshore platforms or isolated mining fields, the service delivers responsive telemetry, performance logs, and critical maintenance data securely and without interruption.

• 95% of real-time diagnostics are processed within three seconds of transmission from remote field assets.
• Data storage units employ AES-256 encryption both at rest and in transit, matching security protocols of enterprise-grade cloud services.
• Redundant data paths and asynchronous cloud replication reduce the risk of data loss due to environmental failures or service interruptions.

Aligned with Stringent Global Cybersecurity Frameworks

Viasat’s satellite IoT platform meets the cybersecurity benchmarks set by NIST SP 800-53 and ISO/IEC 27001. It also aligns with federal-level compliance frameworks, including FedRAMP Moderate baseline standards, addressing the data protection needs of contractors and critical infrastructure operators.

For multinational industries operating across regulated territories, the system supports regional compliance mappings, including GDPR-aligned data access controls and auditability features. Access credentials, audit logs, key management — every piece is built to operate under zero-trust security architecture.

How does your current IoT setup compare in terms of encryption, compliance, or end-to-end logging? Viasat leaves no uncertainty between raw data collection and secure cloud integration. The entire pipeline is built for verifiable, hardened, and regulator-ready protection — wherever the device may be.

Market Outlook: Unlocking Scalable Growth Opportunities

Rising Demand for Agile, Satellite-Based IoT Coverage

All signs point to an accelerating global shift toward intelligent, interconnected operations—especially in regions where fiber and terrestrial networks don’t reach. Energy exploration sites, mining camps, offshore installations, and agritech zones require data-rich, real-time connectivity that traditional infrastructure won’t deliver. Demand for resilient, scalable satellite IoT has surged in response. According to Berg Insight, the number of satellite IoT subscribers is expected to grow from 5.1 million in 2023 to 23.9 million by 2027, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 48.1%.

Alignment with Industry-Wide Digital Transformation

Remote industries no longer operate in data silos. Decision-makers rely on real-time telemetry, predictive maintenance data, and machine-to-machine communications from far-flung locations. Viasat’s new satellite IoT service aligns directly with this digital shift, delivering low-bandwidth, high-value transmissions where no cellular network can reach. This positions Viasat as a utility-grade enabler for Industry 4.0 initiatives across regions typically left behind by connectivity upgrades.

Valuation Dynamics in Satellite IoT Technology

Enterprise investment in satellite IoT platforms is gaining strength. In 2023 alone, satellite IoT ventures attracted more than $1.8 billion in disclosed funding globally, as reported by Northern Sky Research. Market projections from Allied Market Research estimate the satellite IoT market will reach $6.5 billion in revenue by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 22.6% from 2022 to 2031. These figures underscore institutional confidence in the scalability and financial viability of satellite-enabled industrial IoT.

Viasat’s Competitive Edge in the Satellite Services Ecosystem

Viasat brings decades of experience operating high-throughput satellite networks with enterprise-grade reliability. Unlike many newer entrants, it controls end-to-end infrastructure from orbit to edge device. This vertical integration allows for pricing flexibility, optimized latency, and tailored service-level agreements—major advantages when competing against fragmented or low-Earth-orbit-only players. The launch of this IoT service further extends Viasat’s leadership beyond consumer and defense markets into broader enterprise digital infrastructure.

• Access to proprietary spectrum gives Viasat consistent advantage in network quality and availability.
• Established customer base in aerospace, energy, and government sectors lays the groundwork for rapid IoT adoption.
• Global ground station network tightens distribution cycles and enhances real-time data delivery capabilities.

Viasat is not just introducing a product—it’s shifting the trajectory of remote industrial digitization. Where will that lead next? The market is already expanding. The next wave belongs to those who can scale quickly, integrate deeply, and deliver with precision. Viasat positions itself to do exactly that.

Comprehensive Support Structure: Viasat’s Customer Service Model

Seamless Onboarding and Continuous Maintenance

From initial engagement, Viasat structures the onboarding process to be fully guided. Enterprise clients receive system configuration support, technical integration assistance, and deployment coordination. This front-loaded service approach ensures full operational readiness before data starts flowing.

Once deployed, maintenance doesn’t follow a break-fix model. It runs proactively, using network telemetry and embedded diagnostics to identify potential issues before they disrupt service. Firmware updates can be pushed remotely, reducing on-site intervention and maximizing system uptime.

Enterprise-Grade Service Operations

Viasat assigns dedicated enterprise service teams to manage each account’s long-term operational success. These teams operate in tandem with Viasat’s 24/7 Network Operations Center (NOC), which monitors device status, uplink health, satellite connectivity, and data throughput in real time. Event escalation follows strict SLA commitments, and Tier 1 through Tier 3 technical support remains continuously staffed.

Customers also gain access to a dedicated service portal where they can log issues, track service performance, manage installed equipment, and access support documentation or best practices guides.

Training Built for Scalability

Training sessions, both in person and virtual, are structured not only to educate initial site operators but also to scale knowledge across entire enterprise teams. Programs cover configuration workflows, troubleshooting methods, and data analytics usage to support deeper business insights. Customized curriculum ensures relevance to specific verticals, whether resource extraction, energy, or critical infrastructure monitoring.

Flexible Plans that Mirror Enterprise Demand

Service models align with how real-world enterprise operations consume bandwidth and scale hardware deployments. Companies can choose from usage-based or fixed-tier pricing, adjust uplink frequency per device, or expand node count as field deployments grow. This modular structure keeps costs aligned with operational needs while preserving access to the same high-performance IoT backbone and enterprise support services.

For operations that need burst capacity—during seasonal peaks or system updates—on-demand scalability is built into the contract architecture, eliminating the need for full plan renegotiation.

Accelerating Remote Industry Transformation with Viasat’s Satellite IoT

Across mining sites unreachable by terrestrial networks, oil rigs floating miles offshore, and agricultural zones spread across thousands of acres with no cellular infrastructure, Viasat's new satellite IoT service eliminates the connectivity gap that's long restrained operational growth.

This service isn't an add-on—it's a functional evolution. Viasat brings enterprise-grade reliability into the field, backed by global satellite infrastructure, proprietary network optimization, and intelligent data routing. Enterprises in energy, agriculture, logistics, and critical infrastructure now gain real-time visibility from the most cut-off corners of the map.

Through a dynamic combination of low-power terminals, minimal bandwidth usage, and seamless data interoperability, the platform integrates directly into existing IoT ecosystems. Remote equipment monitoring, asset tracking, adaptive control systems—each becomes continuously connected, always accessible, and persistently secure, regardless of geography.

Viasat continues to deliver on its reputation for innovation and reliability, not just through cutting-edge hardware and robust networks, but via a responsive service model tailored to mission-critical environments. Backed by 24/7 enterprise support and global operations expertise, the company enables decision-makers to move fast, scale securely, and operate with intelligence.

What does this mean for your organization?

• Discover how your enterprise can leverage Viasat’s satellite IoT solution—Request a demo today.
• Download our infographic: ‘The State of Satellite IoT in Remote Industries’.
• Contact our enterprise solutions team to customize a connectivity plan for your operations.